www.CostaRicaTicas.com

I definitely want to see the cafe brit coffee farm tour. the tour books i have read say its $25.

My question is which volcano tour should I choose ? Arenal, Poas, Barva, Irazu ? my main criteria for selecting would be trip duration. I would prefer a shorter duration tour (6 hour tour instead of a 12 hour tour)

Barva is closer and the most dormant ?

any comments or suggestions ?

!muchas gracias!

Cafe Britt actually offers 5 different tours including combination tours that can be done with other destinations such as the Butterfly Farm, the Aerial Tram and the National Theater. Those may be a good deals for you if you are interested in seeing those things too. Here is the official site http://coffeetour.com/home.htm which does not list prices for some reason. Another link provides greater detail http://www.centralamerica.com/cr/tours/cafebritt.htm. This final site lists the basic tour at only $20 but may not have been updated recently http://www.costaricatours.com/oneday/oneday07.html.

Yet another coffee producer altogether is the less commonly known but award winning Doka Estate, which is the bulk supplier to Starbucks for Costa Rica. A tour of their planation and facilities is usually included on the all-in one-day tour, which also hits Poas Volcano, La Paz Waterfall and Braulio Carillo Park for $75/pp and returns to SJ by 5PM.

I have been on both and they each have their special appeal. The Britts tour is almost a rite of passage for all CR visitors. The quite hokey yet entertaining skit is worth the price of admission. Of the combo destinations with the Britts tour. The Butterfly Farm is interesting and educational, but if you just want to see pretty butterflies go to the Mariposa Gallery in the National Museum. BTW, the National Museum is another must-see and can be done at your leisure any day except Mondays ($1 admission) as it is only a few blocks from the Gulch. In addition to the butterflies, it has historical displays and various other sections that are all very interesting and educational. Allow at least a couple of hours. Try to time your visit so you get out when they close and can then check out the chica secretaries as they get off from work at the neighboring government ministries. Also check out the crafts market in the nearby Plaza Del Democracia on the way to or from the Museum.

The Aerial Tram may be a better bet as a combo tour as that destination can not be easily seen except as part of a package tour. Lastly, if you do not go on the Doka combo tour, try to get on some other tour that takes you to the La Paz Waterfall Park as it is quite beautiful with a whole series of waterfalls, hummingbird garden, butterfly gallery and jungle trails.

As to volcanos, of those mentioned only Irazu and Poas can be driven to the top. Arenal would probably be out as a day trip since it takes 3+ hours just to get there. But it does make an excellent overnight, particularly when combined with a visit to the Tabacon Hot Springs. It is also the only currently active volcano. Barva is the most dormant and least accessible of the others, although I did take a nice horseback riding trip along its slopes once. Poas has the most to see and could be combined with a visit to Britt. Irazu, does not have much in the way of facilities or trails. It erupted last on the day JFK was visiting CR. A tour to Irazu is often combined with visits to Cartago and the Orosi Valley. It is said that the summit of Irazu is the only location in the Americas where one can see the Atlantic and the Pacific at the same place, though it has always been too cloudy for me to see it whenever I have visited. It is important to get to these volcanos as early as possible for the best views as they cloud in early. That is why it might be worth your while to hire a driver to take you to these places ahead of the crowd of tour buses, which arrive a little later after picking everyone up.

With the exception of the Arenal tour and possibly the 4-in-1 highlights tour, all of these tours will take much closer to 6 than to 12 hours. Which volcano you choose to see will depend on what else you want to see with it and how much time you have in CR. If you have more than a few days why not see both Irazu and Poas, or better yet find a chica and take her to Arenal/Tabacon. After a hot soak and a romantic dinner with the glowing lava covered volcano as a back drop, she will be putty in your hands and the volcano will not be the only thing to erupt that night.

El Guapo gave an excellent response to what you were asking. I would follow his advice, he knows of what he speaks.

I have to second volcano Aernal as well as Tabacon Resort

http://www.tabacon.com/

http://www.arenal.net/

http://www.monteverdeinfo.com/volcano.htm

It is worth the trip, Monteverde is one of the best places in Costa Rica, the diversity of flora and fauna there, as well as the prevalence of microclimates and ecosystems that can be found to the extremes, even within the same square km is amazing.

Midnight with a bottle of wine, a chica, kick in a couple of clicks from the gate of the Observatory http://www.arenal-observatory.co.cr/EN/home.phtml

up to the lava fields, and just sit back and awe at the power and wonder of nature.

If you have a Tica with you, be sure she gets you into Tabacon, there is a tourist line, expensive, and a 'locals' line that is very reasonable.

Dman

The Poas Volcano park is often cold and covered in fog or clouds. I have been there about 5 times and seen the crater only twice. Nice coffee shop there serving hot coffee and hot chocolate. Likewise a nice museum.
The tours usually stop at the small coffee shop on a coffee plantation on the way there, which is a good photo op.

I had better luck seeing the Irazu volcano which is about 11,000 feet in altitude at the summit. It is impressive. Seeing a volcano/bolder racked town on the way to Irazu was interesting.

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OK I'm into these 1 day overnight trips, but hate the rides to these places.. and I please if anyone could provide an estimate of San Jose to Tabacon Resort say Sunday AM... Via a Driver.. Not TICO TIME.. Real time....

Thanks in advance.....

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GMan,
Arenal can definitely be done as an overnight. How long it takes depends on a variety of factors beyond the nationality of the driver. Tabacon is about 150km from San Jose or just under 100 miles. Even at a relatively modest constant speed it COULD easily be done in 3 hours. Other factors that can stretch this include traffic, rest stops and any wrong turns. Personally, I like to allow 4-5 hours just to play it safe. But I find the trip out to the area nearly as pleasant as the destination itself. The road is not nearly as twisty as the one down to Jaco and is in very good condition. The last 50kms from San Carlos are actually very straight and flat skirting the lowlands and the stretch from where you get off the Pan American to past Zacero is very scenic. I also like to stop along the way in Saarchi (craft shopping) or Zacero (interesting topiary park). If you leave by 9AM and stop for a bite to eat along the way you should still be able to get to the resort for early afternoon check-in. BTW, if you like BBQ, I recommend Casa del Cerdo just past Fortuna. You can then get in a relaxing couple of hours at the hot springs in the afternoon, some pre-dinner sex with your chica, a nice dinner at the resort, followed up by a night trip out to the volcano and/or an evening visit to the hot springs. Hint: head up stream to the left when you enter and you will find some totally isolated spots where you can play undisturbed. The hotel room comes with free entry to the spa for 24 hours, so you can squeeze in another visit to the springs the following morning (if you haven't had enough by that point), go for a morning tour (canopy, Fortuna waterfall, spa treatment) or just "sleep" in. There ARE other nice and less expensive hotels in the area too (and other hot springs). However, if you plan on visiting the springs both days, Tabacon Resort is still a hard deal to beat as they don't charge much more for 1 night than what non-guests would pay just for admission to the springs for 2 people for 2 days. Finally, if you check-out at noon and you can easily be back in the BM for happy hour.

YO Mountain Climbers,

Do not forget to bring along a warm jacket, along with long pants, socks [and mittens] on a trip to the TOP---11-12,000 ft altitude.
Brrrrrrrrrrrrrr, IT IS COLD upthere Last time 41 deg F just about shivered mi chica apart
Take along a warmup potion, like rum spiked Coffee to "splice the main brace"
As for Monteverde trip--- be sure to get a 4 Wdr SUV, the last 50+ km of 'Road' is unpaved, rocky , very slippery when wet. I had a 'nightmare of a trip' up there in a regular rental Toyota , made it ---BUT NEVER AGAIN.
Cygnus