Poás and Botos Lagoon with a Four-Fork Buffet at La Paz Gardens

The coffee plantation comes first, with the techniques used to grow, harvest and roast the bean set out step by step. Then the road climbs into Poás Volcano National Park, and the temperature drops as the vegetation turns to cloud forest. Poás is an active stratovolcano of 2,708 m (8,885 ft); the crater is over a mile across and 1,050 feet deep, and it has erupted 40 times since 1828, the last of those in April 2017. There is time at the main crater with its sulphur fumaroles, then a trail walk to the Botos Lagoon with the guide on the park's ecosystems. Lunch at La Paz Waterfall Gardens is a buffet the Costa Rican Tourism Council has rated four forks, with traditional Costa Rican dishes among the choices. Afterwards the trails go through rainforest, past white rivers and the falls, with birds, butterflies, monkeys and hummingbirds around. The exhibits are the aviary, the butterfly observatory, the hummingbird garden, the serpentarium, the jungle cats and the frogs. Cancel at least 24 hours before departure for a full refund.