Panama Canal Cruise Advice

[ottahand7]

Corinto - I don't know if they still offer the tour but the horse farm and hospital they support was wonderful.    If you like horses it was beautiful.  Sometimes when I visit places I like to see how it is in the country and spread some $$ around instead of the spa and getting sold treatments.   They had Andalusian and Gypsy Vanner horses among others.  We were admiring one of the Vanner stallions and the trainer took him out for a hands on.  They use the funds from their horse farm for a hospital and therapy for disabled children.    The country has had so much unrest - the concrete farm walls were bullet ridden from a war years ago.  It was a short bus ride from the port which I remember being packed with shipping containers.   When I was in Spain  the following year on a HA excursion I did an Andalusian farm excursion and when talking with the owner I asked him if he sold horses to Nicaragua and he just beamed and said Si.  

[ottahand7]

More Corinto 

[ottahand7]

Costa Rica - We did the Pura Vida Gardens tour.  It was about a 45 minute ride each direction but it was a pretty drive and we drove right over where the alligator tour stopped and saw some gators.  We drove up into the mountains and had a beautiful view of the ocean.   It was called Moderate but I would term it Strenuous due to the hills climbed to see the waterfall (tiny) and then back up into the gardens themselves and the heat.  If you like horticulture or birding it was a great tour.    Snacks and cold beverages were offered after the tour.   

[sambamama]

I would never stay on the ship unless civil unrest makes it totally unsafe. Costa Rica has tours that let you see monkeys, jungles and birds and crocodiles.. We saw  scarlet macaws and toucans. Nicaragua has black sand beaches with no one on them and a volcano to hike. There are some wonderful ceramics and wood crafts to buy there.  Yes, these places are poor. But they survive with tourist dollars. They put on free dancing shows for the cruisers. There is good native food to eat. You are missing experiences by just staying on the ship. I haven't had the best ever port calls here. But they have always been enjoyable. And I have a picture of a huge crocodile leaping out of the water to eat fish from the guide''s hand that is the picture of a lifetime! 

[Gsel]

Well said! Travel is what YOU make it, but the experience can only happen if you get out of your bed and DO it.

[RGEDad]

You Know - there is a whole thread on Panama Canel on CC:

In the Ports of Call area

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/54-panama-canal/

 

[12cruise2]

On 11/18/2021 at 5:22 PM, Deep68 said:

One of the best tours we have even taken was a private Segway tour in Cartagena (Segway Cartagena).

The old city is fascinating and they provide a history lesson during the tour.

Then after the tour we enjoyed exploring on foot and stopped in a cafe to watch the world go by!

Segways have fallen from grace after the developer of them died while on one.