Private Car Day Trip to the Kobe Mountains, Gardens and Hot Springs from Osaka
Description
Leave the hustle and bustle of Osaka behind, as you are whisked via highway in a luxury car to the mountains that rise above nearby Kobe. Over the course of your private tour, you will ride a historical cable car, visit impressive gardens and a hot spring at Arima Onsen, with a native (or equivalent) English speaking guide providing information, insight, and fun.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Take a beautiful ride up the mountain in a vintage slope-climbing cable car that runs right through the forest. Lovely in all seasons!
Views, views, views! Then a pleasant drive through some lovely mountain roads as we head to the gardens.
Enjoy a peaceful walk through a very large botanical garden in the mountains above Kobe.
Enjoy a soak here in the region's most famous hot springs, Arima Onsen. The waters are said to rejuvenate! There's a quaint town to shop and look around too.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
Pickup at any centrally located Osaka hotel is included. This is defined as within the JR Loop Line. The following additional fees are assessed for further out points. All prices are per group, not per person, and are for each direction of travel, meaning that for both pickup and drop off at a location below, you should please double the fee shown. Shin-Osaka: 1,000 yen Universal Studios area: 2,000 yen Port of Osaka, Port of Kobe, or the Hyatt Osaka: 2,500 yen
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Specialized infant seats are available
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Driver is a native English speaker or of equivalent ability.
- According to Japanese law, children under 6 years old or less than 140cm MUST use car seats. Be sure to request one in advance from us if required.
- Enjoy all the exciting stops described above and more on this private vehicle tour! The plan described is a model course, and there is the possibility for change based on our guests' interests. Timing and external factors (such as traffic conditions) may force deviations from this model course.
Reviews(16)
A great day out in Kobe and nice experience in hot springs. Kevin the tour guide was very knowledgeable and fun to be with.
It’s great to hear you had such a nice day out in Kobe! Between the mountain scenery, relaxing hot springs, and Kevin’s fun and informative guidance, it sounds like the experience struck a great balance. If your travels take you to Tokyo, Kyoto, or Hiroshima next time, we’d love to welcome you on another tour — each city has its own charm waiting to be explored.😊
Amazing tour guide Kevin. Knowledgable. Funny. Great translator. Very safe driver. It felt like we got a super fun history lesson of the country. Would def recommend and do it again. Ask for kevin when you sign up.
Thank you for the awesome review! We're so glad you had a blast with Kevin. He really is the full package: guide, translator, and smooth driver all in one! It means a lot that the tour felt like a fun experience. We'd love to welcome you anytime.
The trip was relaxing and filled with wonderful views and new and delightful experiences. Our host was excellent company. We really enjoyed ourselves!!
Wonderful experience!!! Thanks Lito for the insite about Kobe and city’s past. Loved it with you !! Highly recommend everyone who visits Japan to book them
Thank you for the amazing feedback! It’s fantastic to hear you enjoyed your time in Kobe with Lito. We take pride in offering immersive experiences that highlight the city’s past. Your recommendation means a lot to us, and we hope to see you again when you're back in Japan!
Our guide Levy was outstanding. Levy tailored the day's activities specifically to what we wanted to see and do and was very friendly and entertaining. His knowledge on the area was first rate and he made sure that this was our favorite day in Japan.
Thank you so much for your wonderful feedback! We are delighted to hear that you had an outstanding experience with our guide, Levy. Tailoring the day's activities to your preferences and making sure you had a memorable time is always our top priority. Levy's extensive knowledge of the area and his friendly, entertaining manner truly make him a fantastic guide. We're pleased that he made your day in Japan your favorite. Your kind words will be shared with him and the entire team. We look forward to welcoming you on another adventure in the future!
This guide was friendly, but was only interested in being a driver. Not much was arranged or planned. Do not recommend him other than driving you around.
This tour is very different than all our other tours, and is recommended only for a fairly specific niche: visitors that wish to get out of the city, spend time in nature, and enjoy natural hot springs. There's a lot less sightseeing per se than a usual tour, and the day is mostly focused on breathing things in and gettting a relaxing soak in at the historic Arima Onsen hot spring district. Thank you for taking our tour, and we hope you enjoyed the rest of your time in Japan.
It’s always a challenge finding tours that accomodate (celebrate) an octogenarian wanting to experience Japan (travelling with my husband and my 88 years young Mother)… the weather may have been cool & drizzly but Kevin was warm & such a bright spark! We really enjoyed our day wandering the Kobe gardens & hills… a soak in the hot springs & a lemon gelati were the perfect afternoon delight. Pre trip communication was fantastic. Thank you for helping to make my birthday a rather memorable one!
Thank you for sharing your experience! We're thrilled to hear that Kevin made your day special and memorable, despite the weather. It's wonderful that you and your family enjoyed the Kobe gardens, hot springs, and delicious treats. We're glad we could accommodate and celebrate such a special occasion with you. Thank you for choosing Pinpoint Traveler!
The tour guide Levy is very knowledgeable around the Kobe and Arima area. He was flexible with the itinerary to suit our needs and even drop us off in a convenient location to do shopping per out ad hoc requests.
Levi knowledge of the area and his involvement with his clients as guest made the trip interesting our guide even checked out the authentic Kobe beef place for lunch Wish more tour guides would follow the example of the Osaka guides
Thank you for the review. We hope to provide a five-star experience should you come tour with us again!
We booked this tour nearly a month in advance and we were so excited for it. However, with less than 36 hours notice beforehand they canceled on us without any clear explanation or accountability. Just an unclear, poorly written email. When calling to try and figure out what happened and if we could rebook, we were placed on hold for nearly a half hour. No similar or identical tours were available that day at all. Completely ridiculous and unacceptable.
Hello, Thomas. A poorly written email, you say? Not everyone you interact with in Japan can speak English perfectly. We'd hope this is not surprising, especially since the person who wrote to you is part of the administration staff and not a guide. At any rate, a clear explanation was provided to you. We wouldn't have cancelled if it was in any way avoidable on our end. On exceedingly rare occasions, guides have emergencies and we can't find a replacement in time. It's not like we want to throw away the business of people who have entrusted a portion of their vacation with us. I hope your days have been happier since this tragedy befell you, and we once again apologize for the untimely and "ridiculous" cancellation.
