What To Do -- Puntarenas

[charlielinda]

What did do you do while in Puntarenas? Did you do a ship excursion? Did you use an independent operator? Did you go out on your own? Did you have fun? Would you recommend or not recommend - any detail is not to small. Thanks in advance for your help.

[scampi]

We took the ship's (Paradise) Poas Volcano National Park tour. It was an all day tour that included a traditional Costa Rican lunch. We were fortunate to see the volcano. I understand that it often is hidden by clouds. The entire trip took approx. 8 hrs. & we drove through various types of rain forest on the way to the national park. The tour also had a brief stopover in Sarchi for souvenir shopping. Normally we book only tours independently but this tour was worth every penny!

[c-to-sea]

We were in Puntarenas April 29th. I made arrangements with a young man named Mauricio Vasquez for an independent tour. We started out with 6 people from our Roll Call thread. By the time the ship arrived, we had reached 25 and Mauricio had switched from his van to a 27 passenger bus. He took us to Vila Lapas Hotel for the Skywalk, (suspension bridges) and the zip-line (only 9 of the 25 did this.) We had a nice lunch at Pura Vida Gardens, saw crocodiles, monkeys, birds and everyone had a

great time.

Comparing prices, we paid Mauricio 35.00US each, plus 30.00 for Skywalk, 8.00 for lunch - we left the pier at 8:30 and returned at 5:45. By comparison, the ship's tour to

the Skywalk only, without lunch was scheduled for 4.5 hours and priced at 83.00US.

The zip-line was an additional 40.00US.

 

I can highy recommend Mauricio. He is at mauriciovp@hotmail.com . He prefers smaller

groups of 8-10 but made an exception for us as we just kept growing after booking

with him. His minimum is 200.00 so if you don't connect with anyone else, it is still

worth considering.

 

I will be watching this forum so if you want any more info, let me know.

 

Cliff

[saw1953]

Was the skywalk difficult. I really want to take that tour but my DH has a heart condition. He can walk as long as he can take his time and stop to rest for a few minutes if he gets tired.

[c-to-sea]

The Skywalk is somewhat strenuous but it is all downhill. You are driven to the

top of the trails and there were some walking sticks provided at the beginning.

There are 6 suspension bridges separated by trails. These can be a bit slippery

when it is wet and there is loose dirt when it is dry. We were over 2 hours doing

the entire length before being driven back to the hotel. The pace will obviously

be set by the group. Ours was mostly in their 50s and 60s but we had a 4 year old who actually walked further than the rest,

going back and forth to her parents. There are frequent stops to view the forest and any wildlife theat is spotted.

Once started, there is one exit part way down to leave for the pickup point

without completing the entire walk.

 

Cliff

[Kelownabccan]

We are taking the Coral Princess for the Panama canal reposit...Leaving LA on Sept.20.....interested also on what to do for the day in Punt....any help would be appreciated...group of 6....we usually hate to take the tours off the boat as like the independent tour operator with the personal touch and alot fewer people....thanks Ken and Judy

[C&TinFL]

I booked a canopy tour with this company. http://www.canopypago.com/ We had a great time, but the actual ziplining (10 stations) went by way too fast. It requires a small hike into the rainforest. It was still the dry season and the rainforest sure didn't feel like one. We saw nothing except a couple of iguanas. The guides and our van driver were very nice. This company really cares about safety. We stopped on the way back to the ship for a traditional Costa Rican lunch and the food was great.

 

One thing that messed us up in Puntarenas was the time difference between the ship and local time. For some reason, NCL was one hour ahead of the local time and we wound up waiting for our van driver. I don't know how this could be avoided if you make your own plans.

 

There are a lot of very friendly guides right off the ship. We met some people who used them--one group had a fantastic trip, saw wildlife (I think maybe monkeys and crocodiles) and the countryside and the other group didn't fare so well. I heard people complaining about some of the ship's excursions not seeing the wildlife they thought they would see. I guess you always take your chances. Ziplining was one of the most fun things I've done in years so seeing animals would have just been a bonus.

 

The shopping near the ship was, in my opinion, the best and most reasonable of all the ports we visited on our Panama Canal cruise. I absolutely loved Costa Rica.

[VikkiGarcia]

I second the idea that that this port had the BEST shopping along the beach walkway. If I had known this beforehand I would not have wasted any time shopping in Cabo, Acapulco, or Huatulco first.

[suzsummit]

We enjoyed Puntearenas in Costa Rica. Had a private tour company give us a fabulous tour. They were extremely kid friendly – it was the highlight of the trip. Their name was Coach Costa Rica and you can search for them on the web. They were extremely friendly and always answered my emails within a day. We did a private tour (they picked us up in a brand new bus that could have seated 20 -- we were just a family of 5) After their office emailed me various options we decided to go to Punta Leon, it's a private local resort along the coast. We had an amazing private nature hike in the rain forest -- were able to go our own pace and see whatever we wanted and then stopped at the beach. The tour also included breakfast and lunch at the resort -- a great time to try local foods. I think we were the only Americans at the resort. Our guide spoke nearly perfect English and we learned a great deal about the area. We also stopped to see crocodiles along the way. If I remember right you can rent the whole van/bus for up to eight hours for $160. It will them go whereever you want -- you just have to pay any admission fees and such.

 

Best shopping for local crafts was definitely in Costa Rica. I loved the objects made from all the various woods; puzzle boxes, bowls, and trivets. We bought the most in this port and liked the prices we found at the craft stands that are located at the end of the pier. I never felt like I was getting ‘ripped off’ and usually did not bargain because I thought most prices were fair and the vendors could really use the money.

 

Ps- this is a great port to drop off new or gently worn kids clothing. The local children can really use them and their parents appreciate it.

[lahore]

Search for my post headed 'recommendations for costa rica' made under the costa rica thread earlier this year. In it I recommended "coach costa rica" and posted some photos from our experience. I'll bump it up to the top for you in a minute.

 

 

I am happy to see that suzsummit picked up my advice and used them, great Suz, so happy you enjoyed them. I also found they were highly efficient and helpful.

[LocoLoco1]

Now this may sound silly...ok ok. BUT croccodiles eat 'things'. Like chicken parts and remains from a meatmarket. They are carnivorous but shy, so most 'tourists' don't see many. Guide with a taxi will arrange a 'croc-feeding' experience that knocks yer socks off!! I fish and tramp all over, but THAT was nuts.. or shop for teeshirts and bracelets at the end of the pier. Whatever..........

[40yearcruiser]

I've enjoyed reading the previous posts and will follow up on some of the suggestions. We will be in Puntarenas on Oct. 5 and we are looking for excursions in the area. Any other suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

[edste]

Hi

We were there in May and we took the tour to the volcano and tabacon hot springs. We left at 7:30 and returned at 6:30. We spent a lot of time on the bus but it was well worth it. We were lucky enough to see an active volcano and the hot springs made our trip. Lunch was also included. I wouldn't recommend going on your own because of the traffic on the two lane highway. Edna

[MTemple212]

how was the bus? What it a tour bus kind of bus or a school bus kind of bus?

[edste]

The bus was very comfortable, definitely not a school bus. We made 1 stop each way so that broke up the trip.

[HAM]

Wow, feeding crocs!

[CCruisin]

We were in Puntarenas in early September 2007 and booked the Bus, Train and Boat tour through RCI. We were picked up and transported to the wonderful old train by bus which took only about 20 minutes to an adjacent port town. The train was old with large open windows, and adequate seating. There is a restroom on the train. It chugs up the mountain or hilly area at a fairly slow speed which allows for views of small villages and communities. It goes through a few tunnels as well. The guide said we passed several cantaloupe and cashew farms which were out of season. At the end of the train line we were transported by bus to the muddy Taracoles River and immediately boarded the boats. We couldn't have been on the boat for more than 15 minutes maybe less and after seeing a few heron and other birds and several crocs we were docking again and led to the small crowded gift shop and refreshment area with fresh fruit. We were rushed back to the bus after about 10 minutes in the gift shop refreshment area:cool: .

 

The train portion of the trip was enjoyable and there was plenty of beauty in the country side, but I felt the trip on the river could have been longer and better narrated.

 

Once back at the ship we walked back to the outdoor vendors at the end of the pier. Of all the Central and South American Ports we visited the vendors here were most polite. If you said no after they quoted a price they might counter but didn't get inflamed or in our faces as they did in Columbia and Mexico. They have some very nice things made of the exotic wood grown there. Their coffee is also very good. We enjoyed our visit to Costa Rica and liked that there were so many vendors set up at the end of the pier.:D

[mindy41]

We are doing the canal cruise in Feb, we haven't got anything planned for Costa Rica, is there something to do close to the pier? Safe to wonder on your own? Glad to hear there are vendors close to the ship.

Thanks for all your input.

[mikvie]

We are taking the Coral Princess for the Panama canal reposit...Leaving LA on Sept.20.....interested also on what to do for the day in Punt....any help would be appreciated...group of 6....we usually hate to take the tours off the boat as like the independent tour operator with the personal touch and alot fewer people....thanks Ken and Judy

 

We just returned from a cruise that stopped in Costa Rica. There are plenty of independant tour operators where you get off the ship. We picked one that had a new van which accommodated about ten people. Tour was the same as boat tour for half the money. Went to banana plantation, river tour and the beach. Town is depressing. Very poor. Houses are protected by bars and razor wire. I don't think I would like to spend much time there. We also avoid the ship tours.