Puntarenas..Coral Princess...Sept. 27/05

[Kelownabccan]

Hi all....my wife and I plus about three other couples will be in town for only one day....from about 7am to 7pm.....want to take a boat trip over to Tortuga Island or to the National Park....any suggestions and costs....I am really not that keen to sit on a bus for four hours to get somewhere and back but as my wife says atleast you will see some of the country...Thanks..

[Kelownabccan]

Been doing alot of reading in this thread....have tried to contact Coach Costa Rica..as that looks like a good choice....any comment?? Ken

[suzsummit]

Ken,

have you been able to contact them? If they can't do the tour I am sure they will recommend someone great. Like I have said previously we really enjoyed our day with them.

 

Only recommendation is to make sure you put time in your plans to shop at the pier -- there were some great stuff and it was inexpensive. Although they did make a souvenior stop for us and we picked some amazing peaberry coffee that was 100% organic.

 

At this port we bought some shot glasses with baked clay animals on them. We really liked them. Later we saw them all over Mexico but the ones in Costa Rica looked nicer, better quality and just had more appeal. They made the ones in Mexico look just slapped on.

 

Hope this helps

 

-s

[capashops]

When our group went in February we were also wary of getting on the bus for such a long trip to go into the rain forest. You can see plenty of the countryside by hiring a local guide and van who will take you to a canopy zip-line place where you can walk around and see the flora and fauna and it is only a half hour out of town. Then you can custome design a tour of the local area, see the Tortoguera Canal, a banana plantation if you so desire, or just general touring. I highly recommend Charlie Soto, who is very reasonable, reliable, speaks great english, has a terrific new van and excellent driver, and who will customize your tour to do whatever you want. He can be reached at okeydokeytours@hotmail.com. If you have any questions about things to do, feel free to email me at prestonca@aol.com and I'll forward my synopsis of things to do in the area. Good luck and have fun! Colleen

[c-to-sea]

Kelowna NCL

 

Be aaware that Charlie Soto and others are in Limon, not Puntarenas. Also, some

of the places mentioned are on the Caribbean side, not the Pacific where you will be.

We did a private tour in April which was good value. Ended up with 25 people but the

tour guide was great. Do a search on this thread for - mauricio - for more info.

Not sure if he has any way of doing the Tortuga Island trip, though.

 

Cliff

[Kelownabccan]

Got a message back from Costa Rica tours....looks good and the prices do not seem that bad...prob will do the short 1 hr trip to a canopy and zip line...lunch..and beach...seems to be a standard one to do....thoughts anyone....also seem to be lots of confusion between Puntareanas and Limon....I am going to get a map to see where all these palaces are....someone also offered tours from Jaco...where ever that is....the Grey Line Costa Rica company..I also have to figure out where this island of Tortuga is...also looks like a dreamy place to go....Ken and Judy in Kelowna BC

[Pudgesmom]

Ken and Judy,

 

Tortuga is an island in the Caribbean, it is not anywhere near Costa Rica. On the Caribbean side of Costa Rica, the Tortuguero Canal is an area where turtles nest and many wildlife species can be seen in the jungle. The Caribbean side of Costa Rica is wetter than the Pacific side.

 

The Pacific side has more beaches and several well known national parks. I'm not familiar with your itinerary, but it sounds more like you will be visiting the Pacific side.

 

I hope this helps.

 

Beth