Princess Puntarenas tours?

[ell52]

Posted this on the Costa Rica, Ports of Call board, but didn't get any response and can't find the thread from the old boards, so thought I'd try here.

 

Has anyone done either the Corobici River Rafting or Eco-Jungle cruise out of Puntarenas? Worth it? Any feedback, pros and cons appreciated.

 

Ell

[derf5585]

Shore excursions

from

http://www.puntarenas-tours-info.com/tours04/

[cowtec]

We did the Eco-Jungle cruise in April and really enjoyed it. You go by bus to an area with drinks, fruit, souvenirs, and restrooms where you wait for your cruise and listen to a Costa Rican band - maybe 20 minutes at the most when we went. On the way there, we spotted Capuchin monkeys and scarlet macaws by the side of the road. You cross a wooden walkway through a mangrove swamp to the Tarcoles River where you board a small covered boat and cruise around the estuary. There are many crocodiles, iguanas, and different birds in the area. I think we were on the river for about an hour or so - we were snapping pictures so fast, I honestly don't remember. We were hoping to see howler monkeys there, but didn't see them until we were on our way back to the ship. We had a great time - considered it one of the highlights of the trip and now want to go back to Costa Rica and see the eastern side of the country. One warning - bring insect repellant if you take the cruise!!! It's a half day - take the little train back down the dock to the open air market before you leave Puntarenas to get your souvenirs. Enjoy!!

 

Sue

[ell52]

Thanks derf and Sue for your responses.

 

Sue, about how many people on each boat and how long is the bus ride? Did you speak to anyone who did the river rafting excursion?

 

Can't decide whether we want to do the Eco cruise which seems more sedate (correct me if I'm wrong) or the more active Corobici River rafting.

 

If we do the river rafting, we're thinking we'll book privately with Puntarenas Tours. Anybody have experience booking with them?

 

Ell :)

[A.Emgee]

Ell,

 

On the old CC message boards, there were several people who had booked with them before and had a good experience.

 

I'm thinking of doing the Turu Ba Ri ziplining tour with them.

 

Only 53 days to go before we're onboard...

 

AEmgee

[Shirleya53]

http://www.canopytour.com/one.html Try this one. It was great fun!

[kkorman]

http://www.costarica-travelinfo.com/

 

THis has some tours of CR. Mitch is the owner and it was an excellent day. I booked with 4 other Cruise Critics to do a canopy tour. It wa sonly the 5 of us and 3 of us ziplined and the other 2 did horseback riding. It was great.

[Barry H]

We did the jungle river cruise in April (end of the dry season) with JB Watersports. We were picked up in Puntarenas by a van and taken on a 45 minutes drive to a restaurant by the ocean for lunch (included). There were only 10 of us on a boat designed to hold 20. Everyone had a front seat. Our guide showed us all of the local birds and lizards. We couldn't believe it when Emilio (boat operator) got into the water and slapped his shoe on the water to attract a 12 ft crocodile. We thought we were taking his last picture as it came right up to him and he tapped it on the snout to get it to open its jaws!. We were then taken up an estuary to see scarlet macaws. You can definitely hear them before you can see them.

 

Our tour was more personalized and accomodating than ship run tours where there were 40-60 people packed like sardines into a much larger boat. People who took the ship's tour did not see the scarlet macaws. The river cruise was at least 90 minutes long. One of the best tours we have ever been on.

[K8sMom]

Cowtec - Did you do your Eco-Jungle cruise through the ship or with an independent tour operator in Puntarenas?

[Blackrobe]

We stopped in Puntarenas during our Panama Canal cruise in 2001. We took the Princess Coribici River excursion. All of the information concerning this excursion stated that it was strenuous and you had to be in good physical condition. The video played in the room contained the same warning and showed participants in helmets. My wife was very concerned and one of the participants said his wife refused to go based on the warnings. The warnings were grossly overdone! This was a float trip. An easy drift down a shallow river in an inflatable raft. It was wet but it wasn't the least bit strenuous. There were only 20 of us so it was a very pleasant experience. The variety of birds was less than we had anticipated but the Howler and White Faced monkeys made up for it. Overall we found it to be an enjoyable excursion.

 

For your information Costa Rica has fantastic coffee. We sampled all sorts of coffee from a variety of countries including the infamous, and grossly overpriced, Blue Mountain coffee from Jamaica. The best coffee we found is Cafe Britt from Costa Rica. Often there is a form on the ship to order coffee from Cafe Britt to be sent home at a very good price. Don't miss it if you love coffee!

[cowtec]

ell52, there were about 20 people on the boat - not at all crowded. The ride to the estuary was about 30 to 45 minutes - after seeing all the monkeys, I'm afraid we lost track of time looking for more of the little guys! The whoel excursion is very sedate - if you want adventure, the rafting may be more of what you are looking for. We didn't speak to anyone who had rafted - our friends went up to Sarchi that day.

 

K8smom, we did the Princess tour. Had no luck getting a response from any of the independents out of Puntarenas when I was checking options. We were definitely happy with it!

 

Have to second Blackrobe's opinion on the coffee. Be sure to buy some to bring home if you like coffee! Yum!

 

Sue

[ell52]

Appreciate all the replies!

 

AEmgee, glad to hear from you. Seems our Roll Call thread got lost in the transfer over to the new boards. Wish we could join you for the ziplining, but my back doesn't seem to be getting any better, so it's still a 'no go'.

 

Blackrobe, sounds like the Corobici River rafting is more what I'm looking for. I see that it's offered by Puntarenas Tours for $22 less pp than Princess (hmmm - decisions, decisions) :) Also thanks for the heads up about the coffee - I love good coffee!

 

Ell :)

[A.Emgee]

I really can't recommend this company.

 

Their website states that the Turu Ba Ri canopy tour costs $115. However, upon inquiry, they told me that you need a group of 6 for that price. Without a group, the price is $180 per person due to the "extra transportation cost".

 

I understand the park is about an hour away from the port. Does it really cost THAT much more to take two instead of six?!?!

 

Don't advertise it if you can't sell it... :mad: