Private Tour: Poas Volcano & Sarchi Oxcarts Factory with Lunch

What your day looks like

This is a great tour that you can take from our capital City San Jose Costa Rica. Come with us and enjoy our exclusive and unique tour with a professional naturalist tour guide. Your breath-taking, adventure begins with a pickup from your hotel and a relaxing private drive through the wonderful Costa Rican countryside on air-conditioned transportation and a recent model deluxe vehicle or Van. On the way, enjoy the beautiful scenery of the countryside with multiple Dairy Farms, Tropical Flowers Nurseries, Strawberries Plantations, Cheese Factories, picturesque souvenir stores, and small local vendors. Taste the local flavors and give yourself a chance to try a Prestiño, a very traditional tin pastry cover with a special typical syrup made in the sugar mills. Once at the National Park, the visit to the crater will be in small groups accompanied by a park ranger and for only 30 minutes per group for security reasons. Poas is an active volcano, that has erupted 40 times since 1828. It has an elevation of 2.708 meters above sea level (8.885 feet). There are two crater lakes near the summit. The northern lake is known as the Laguna Caliente ("hot lagoon") and is located at a height of 2,300 m in a crater approximately 1.7 km wide and 290–300 m deep. It is one of the world's most acidic lakes and possibly the largest crater in the world. Lake Botos, the southern lake, fills an inactive crater, which last erupted in 7500 BC. It is cold and clear and is surrounded by a cloud forest within the National Park boundaries. Following the visit to the volcano, you will enjoy the picturesque town of Sarchi known throughout Costa Rica for its beautiful and intricate arts and crafts and souvenirs. Sarchi is perhaps most widely recognized for its colorful and decorative oxcarts that have been made here for over a century. A national symbol of Costa Rica, the oxcart plays a key role in the country’s history, as they were used to transport coffee beans & other goods to nearby and faraway markets and ports. Starting in the 1840’s most of the rural roads were very rough making the ox-cart the sole means of transportation for families even though the trips could take weeks at times. Highly ornate, these oxcarts are elegantly craved and are usually hand-painted with bright colors. The painting of the ox cart is a Costa Rican tradition that has been passed down from generation to generation. Today most of the ox carts in Costa Rica are used as ornate decoration as well as symbols of Costa Rica in celebrations and parades. The largest and oldest oxcart factory is also found in Sarchi. The Joaquin Chaverri Oxcart Factory was built in 1902 and is considered to be the birthplace of oxcart handicrafts in Costa Rica. Also, widely found throughout town are dozens of wooden furniture and souvenir stores that sell everything from beautifully decorated bowls and trays to intricately carved wooden utensils, jewelry and masks. Elegant and stylish, a lot of wooden furniture is also available in Sarchi, from tables and chairs to dressers and desks. These items are usually meant for the local market, and often reflect Costa Rica’s diverse culture and traditions.