Please Help With Tours

[elou]

To me, Costa Rica does not have any tours that interest me. Still, I'd like to see it. Anyone ever do Pineappple tour, Limon sightseeing or old Banana railway journey?

[CrusieSusie]

I'm in the same boat you are. I simply do not know what to do there. Here's to hoping that you get some good advice!

[TCF]

We did two tours in Costa Rica.

My wife went off zip lining through the canopy and had a blast!!

I went with Oscar Brown Tours (#1Tour) through Limon, out into the country where we stopped at his friends place so we could see sloths, monkeys, etc up close, hold them and take the 'up-close-and-personal' photos....then onto the banana plantation for tour through the processing plant....then to the canal for an hour boat trip. The wildlife to be seen on the boat trip was amazing and the guide spotted wildlife I would have missed for sure....manuevered the boat to insure we got the best picture angles....stopped at a canal-side house where a young lad showed us his pet Caman and Tortoise. Then back to town to the highest point in the city for some great panorama shots....then back to the ship. Both left at about 8:30 ...back by 12:30....lunch on the ship....then a trip to the local artists market within the pier fence-line!

Great tours....great pictures....great buys.

You will have great time in Costa Rica.

[littlebrowneyedgirl]

We were in Punta Arenas in November and booked with Charley Soto of Oakey Dokey Tours. He lives in Limon and does tours from there also. We have nothing but raves for the tour and Charley. There were 15 of us on a mini airconditioned bus and we all had a blast- sightseeing, ziplining, canopy walk, monkeys, lunch and alligators. Much more reasonable than anything Princess had to offer. We paid $89 per person for an 9 hr tour which included ziplining. His website is http://www.okeydokeytours.com

[Love Cruis'n]

Can you please provide a link (or other means of contacting) Oscar Brown Tours.

Thanks,

Terry

[banditoo]

Carol Brown [limonense03@yahoo.com]

Carol or Oscar Brown can be contacted at this emal address. The Oscar Brown and Charlie Soto tours sound very comparable. Probably a coin toss.....

[Prairie_Gal]

Can you please provide a link (or other means of contacting) Oscar Brown Tours.

Thanks' date='

Terry[/quote']

 

I also found this website for him. http://oscarbrowntours.com/index.html

[sflinch]

I recently did a cruise, with a stop in Puerto Limon, Costa Rice. Had 4 people in my group, with no excursions planned for the day. As we exited the ship, there were several folks standing there offering tours. We explained that for now, we were just gonna look around. Eventually we had 2 tour operators asking us again if we would like a tour. We listened to what they were offering and then had to decide which one we were going to go with…..All I can say is BOY DID WE CHOOSE THE RIGHT ONE!!!!! I’m not saying the other guy would not have been good. But, the one we ended up choosing was GREAT!!!!!

His name is J.J and his driver’s name is Victor.

We chose J.J. Mostly due to the fact that he had identification (several) showing that he had sales and marketing experience. J.J actually was a teacher for tourism, but did not like sitting in a classroom, he wanted to be hands on, so he went back to being a tour guide/operator, where he could spend time with us, the tourists. J.J is very knowledgeable about his island. We learned a lot about Costa Rica from him. And he is very courteous and comfortable to be with. I always felt safe.

Our tour started out with a road side stop at a fruit stand, where we tasted many different local fruits. Then onto the Banana plantation, which is very interesting. J.J told us all about the workers and the fields, the processing and the shipping. He even picked up a poisonous spider to show us. EWWWWW!!! Our 3rd stop was to the canal (pd $15 a person) rode a boat through the canal seeing lots of different plants/flowers and animals. Again, J.J doing all the narrating. Very Informative!!

Our tour was to be about 2 hours long; well it was much longer. During the drive from the canal, we had mentioned that my sister and I were to go zipling with Royal Caribbean, but it was cancelled due to lack of participation (Tram & Zipling). Well, once he heard that, he made a phone call and we were on our way to zipline. Unfortunately, when we arrived there was another problem (not sure what it was). I have a feeling that they were really busy with cruise passengers and 2 people (my sister & I) was not worth there time. So, we loaded back into J.J’s van to move on to something else. But J.J was not happy……he told his driver Victor, to turn back around. Next thing I know, we are at the top of the mountain, and J.J was talking to a couple of the zipline personnel…..next thing I know they are harnessing us up for ziplining. And we got moved to the front of the line. It was UNBEILVABLE!!! I have been on private excursion tours before, and I NEVER had a tour guide, so sincere that he truly wanted us to experience zipling like J.J did. It helps that he seems to know everyone, and everyone knows him. I guess while he was teaching, he taught a few of them. A few times at different stops, locals told us we were fortunate to be with J.J. How true that turned out to be.

They patiently waited for us for 3 hours, while we ziplined….It was AWESOME, Was definitely a highlight of my Costa Rica stop. Thanks to J.J

After we were finished, and before he took us back to the ship, we stopped at a local grocery store to buy coffee……J.J said there was NO way, he could have turned around without us getting to do ziplining. He saw, that it was something we REALLY wanted to do, so he did everything in his powers to see that we could achieve that. So, if you want a good time in Costa Rica and a GREAT tour guide/operator/owner…….PLEASE Drop J.J an email. You will not regret it. Send him an email, and let him know what you would like to see during your visit in Costa Rica. He is very accommodating. Let him know, you read about him on Cruise Critic. He told me, he does read Cruise Critic boards, and would LOVE to see something about himself. So this is for J.J and his Driver Victor!! Because they truly deserve to be mentioned on here! They were both AWESOME!!! You can reach J.J at joiner72@hotmail.com

[Swtgypsy]

I recently did a cruise, with a stop in Puerto Limon, Costa Rice. Had 4 people in my group, with no excursions planned for the day. As we exited the ship, there were several folks standing there offering tours. We explained that for now, we were just gonna look around. Eventually we had 2 tour operators asking us again if we would like a tour. We listened to what they were offering and then had to decide which one we were going to go with…..All I can say is BOY DID WE CHOOSE THE RIGHT ONE!!!!! I’m not saying the other guy would not have been good. But, the one we ended up choosing was GREAT!!!!!

His name is J.J and his driver’s name is Victor.

We chose J.J. Mostly due to the fact that he had identification (several) showing that he had sales and marketing experience. J.J actually was a teacher for tourism, but did not like sitting in a classroom, he wanted to be hands on, so he went back to being a tour guide/operator, where he could spend time with us, the tourists. J.J is very knowledgeable about his island. We learned a lot about Costa Rica from him. And he is very courteous and comfortable to be with. I always felt safe.

Our tour started out with a road side stop at a fruit stand, where we tasted many different local fruits. Then onto the Banana plantation, which is very interesting. J.J told us all about the workers and the fields, the processing and the shipping. He even picked up a poisonous spider to show us. EWWWWW!!! Our 3rd stop was to the canal (pd $15 a person) rode a boat through the canal seeing lots of different plants/flowers and animals. Again, J.J doing all the narrating. Very Informative!!

Our tour was to be about 2 hours long; well it was much longer. During the drive from the canal, we had mentioned that my sister and I were to go zipling with Royal Caribbean, but it was cancelled due to lack of participation (Tram & Zipling). Well, once he heard that, he made a phone call and we were on our way to zipline. Unfortunately, when we arrived there was another problem (not sure what it was). I have a feeling that they were really busy with cruise passengers and 2 people (my sister & I) was not worth there time. So, we loaded back into J.J’s van to move on to something else. But J.J was not happy……he told his driver Victor, to turn back around. Next thing I know, we are at the top of the mountain, and J.J was talking to a couple of the zipline personnel…..next thing I know they are harnessing us up for ziplining. And we got moved to the front of the line. It was UNBEILVABLE!!! I have been on private excursion tours before, and I NEVER had a tour guide, so sincere that he truly wanted us to experience zipling like J.J did. It helps that he seems to know everyone, and everyone knows him. I guess while he was teaching, he taught a few of them. A few times at different stops, locals told us we were fortunate to be with J.J. How true that turned out to be.

They patiently waited for us for 3 hours, while we ziplined….It was AWESOME, Was definitely a highlight of my Costa Rica stop. Thanks to J.J

After we were finished, and before he took us back to the ship, we stopped at a local grocery store to buy coffee……J.J said there was NO way, he could have turned around without us getting to do ziplining. He saw, that it was something we REALLY wanted to do, so he did everything in his powers to see that we could achieve that. So, if you want a good time in Costa Rica and a GREAT tour guide/operator/owner…….PLEASE Drop J.J an email. You will not regret it. Send him an email, and let him know what you would like to see during your visit in Costa Rica. He is very accommodating. Let him know, you read about him on Cruise Critic. He told me, he does read Cruise Critic boards, and would LOVE to see something about himself. So this is for J.J and his Driver Victor!! Because they truly deserve to be mentioned on here! They were both AWESOME!!! You can reach J.J at joiner72@hotmail.com

 

Wow sounds like a great experience! I am looking for someone to tour for my Mom and I....does he do tours for 2? We are not looking to do the ziplines but more of an tour of the area and maybe a little shopping. Can you give me an idea of the cost?

 

Thanks,

 

Tanja

[toledo]

Costa Rica is so cool. You will love it. We did a combined tour through Charle Soto. http://www.okeydokeytours.com/ I'm sure you can find one you like.

[murphysmum]

Hi!

 

In February we took a tour offered by the Azamara Quest which included a ride on the banana train (fun-nice scenery) and then a ride back on a lancha down a river back to the sea. The boat ride was great; we saw a lot of bird life, beautiful foliage and plants and an island full of spider monkeys which the guide assured us were howler monkeys. The only one howling was the guide, who did a very good imitation of a howler's cry.

 

Nice trip...We also did a bit of shopping at the area near the pier. There was one stall run by a Nicaraguan woman living in Costa Rica. She had a beautiful and reasonable selection of decorate pots commonly seen in San Juan de Oriente. I had already purchased some in San Juan, but her's were such great designs that I ended up with a few more.

 

Enjoy!

 

murphysmum;)

[Swtgypsy]

Thanks for the information :)

[Beave8920]

We were in Punta Arenas in November and booked with Charley Soto of Oakey Dokey Tours. He lives in Limon and does tours from there also. We have nothing but raves for the tour and Charley. There were 15 of us on a mini airconditioned bus and we all had a blast- sightseeing, ziplining, canopy walk, monkeys, lunch and alligators. Much more reasonable than anything Princess had to offer. We paid $89 per person for an 9 hr tour which included ziplining. His website is www.okeydokeytours.com

 

We just did the same tour on April 13th and it was a blast! Charlie is friendly and funny.....he delivered everything he promised.....but it does take all day! We paid $95pp....said he raised his prices due to the increase in diesel fuel.

[Bookbug53]

We booked a tour with Charlie Soto to visit the rain forest, banana plantation and canal tour and this turned out to be one of the best parts of our entire cruise. We were met at the end of the pier by our guide Iron and the driver. There were four of us from the Miracle and another couple from the Coral Princess, also in town that day. We set off with a brief introduction to Costa Rica on our way to the rain forest. They made a point of stopping two or three times to show us different flowers and when howler monkeys were spotted in the trees overhead. Iron was very patient with all of our questions and very knowledgeable. They took us into the forest to a small farm where we could taste many of the native fruits and see the wildlife (sloths, monkeys, etc) in the wild. Iron took us on a walk through the forest and explained about the many varieties of plants and animals that make up the forest. After this it was on to the banana plantation. We walked through the grove, toured a bit of the packing facility, and enjoyed a cold beverage (courtesy of Charlie Soto) and then headed over to the Tortuego Canal. We boarded an open boat and went for a great ride spotting a great deal of wildlife along the way. After this it was off to the beach and a restaurant for a lunch (included in the tour) of rice, beans, chicken, fried corn bread and cold beer. Everything was delicious! Definitely one of the best deals we have encountered. We made it back to the pier with about 30 minutes to spare. Enough time to grab some coffee at a market nearby.

[DonnaMarieNJ]

I will be in Costa Rica in November. Will the flowers be blooming and the birds/animal life be abundant or that only in the summer?

 

A few years ago I booked a rain forest tour in PR in December - it was extremely boring. No wildlife or color whatsoever and I wasn't sure why. Before I spend a ton of money, I'd like to know what to expect.

[Sasser]

I recently did a cruise, with a stop in Puerto Limon, Costa Rice. Had 4 people in my group, with no excursions planned for the day. As we exited the ship, there were several folks standing there offering tours. We explained that for now, we were just gonna look around. Eventually we had 2 tour operators asking us again if we would like a tour. We listened to what they were offering and then had to decide which one we were going to go with…..All I can say is BOY DID WE CHOOSE THE RIGHT ONE!!!!! I’m not saying the other guy would not have been good. But, the one we ended up choosing was GREAT!!!!!

His name is J.J and his driver’s name is Victor.

We chose J.J. Mostly due to the fact that he had identification (several) showing that he had sales and marketing experience. J.J actually was a teacher for tourism, but did not like sitting in a classroom, he wanted to be hands on, so he went back to being a tour guide/operator, where he could spend time with us, the tourists. J.J is very knowledgeable about his island. We learned a lot about Costa Rica from him. And he is very courteous and comfortable to be with. I always felt safe.

Our tour started out with a road side stop at a fruit stand, where we tasted many different local fruits. Then onto the Banana plantation, which is very interesting. J.J told us all about the workers and the fields, the processing and the shipping. He even picked up a poisonous spider to show us. EWWWWW!!! Our 3rd stop was to the canal (pd $15 a person) rode a boat through the canal seeing lots of different plants/flowers and animals. Again, J.J doing all the narrating. Very Informative!!

Our tour was to be about 2 hours long; well it was much longer. During the drive from the canal, we had mentioned that my sister and I were to go zipling with Royal Caribbean, but it was cancelled due to lack of participation (Tram & Zipling). Well, once he heard that, he made a phone call and we were on our way to zipline. Unfortunately, when we arrived there was another problem (not sure what it was). I have a feeling that they were really busy with cruise passengers and 2 people (my sister & I) was not worth there time. So, we loaded back into J.J’s van to move on to something else. But J.J was not happy……he told his driver Victor, to turn back around. Next thing I know, we are at the top of the mountain, and J.J was talking to a couple of the zipline personnel…..next thing I know they are harnessing us up for ziplining. And we got moved to the front of the line. It was UNBEILVABLE!!! I have been on private excursion tours before, and I NEVER had a tour guide, so sincere that he truly wanted us to experience zipling like J.J did. It helps that he seems to know everyone, and everyone knows him. I guess while he was teaching, he taught a few of them. A few times at different stops, locals told us we were fortunate to be with J.J. How true that turned out to be.

They patiently waited for us for 3 hours, while we ziplined….It was AWESOME, Was definitely a highlight of my Costa Rica stop. Thanks to J.J

After we were finished, and before he took us back to the ship, we stopped at a local grocery store to buy coffee……J.J said there was NO way, he could have turned around without us getting to do ziplining. He saw, that it was something we REALLY wanted to do, so he did everything in his powers to see that we could achieve that. So, if you want a good time in Costa Rica and a GREAT tour guide/operator/owner…….PLEASE Drop J.J an email. You will not regret it. Send him an email, and let him know what you would like to see during your visit in Costa Rica. He is very accommodating. Let him know, you read about him on Cruise Critic. He told me, he does read Cruise Critic boards, and would LOVE to see something about himself. So this is for J.J and his Driver Victor!! Because they truly deserve to be mentioned on here! They were both AWESOME!!! You can reach J.J at joiner72@hotmail.com

Right on the money with this one! JJ is awesome. Affordable, knowledgable and friendly. He seems to know everyone you run into. We used him on 2 different days he was so good. When I come back to Costa Rica, he will be the one I contact to arrange EVERYTHING!

[maddog50]

Family of 4, 2 adults & 2 teenagers used Oscar Brown for our tour this past March. Told great local stories & info. Passed loaded buses to the zip line & we were first on the lines, no waiting! He stayed with the van & we left everything in the van. Enjoyed the banana plantation & had lunch at the local beach. Air conditioned van with drinks. Only had 2 other people with us. Dropped off wife & kids in time for the ship & took the rest of us for good prices on coffee & got back to the ship in plenty of time. Great memories!

[sunsurf]

I will be in Costa Rica in November. Will the flowers be blooming and the birds/animal life be abundant or that only in the summer?

 

A few years ago I booked a rain forest tour in PR in December - it was extremely boring. No wildlife or color whatsoever and I wasn't sure why. Before I spend a ton of money, I'd like to know what to expect.

 

You'll be at the end of the green "dry" season, therefore areas should still be lush. The rainforests are always lush even in the dry season...its the surrounding areas that aren't. Animal life is always abundant in CR. You should be able to also see some beautiful birds at that time.

 

Be sure to look up at the trees while walking & driving because there's monkey's everywhere. see pic

 

Enjoy!! Costa Rica is a true Gem.

[C-breeze]

Maddog and Bookbug,

 

Thanks for your comments. Could you tell me how long you stayed at the beach on these tours? I have heard the beaches were beautiful and I wanted to be able to relax there for awhile.

[MaggieS]

I am 61 and active but am wondering if the zipline will be too much for me. Any thoughts on this and will it scare the pants off of me?

[gomobch]

Maddog and Bookbug,

 

Thanks for your comments. Could you tell me how long you stayed at the beach on these tours? I have heard the beaches were beautiful and I wanted to be able to relax there for awhile.

Funny meeting you here... I have a bunch of companies/people I am going to email regarding going to the beach in Costa Rica. That is all hubby an I want to do. So I will let you know when I come up with some ideas/answers. See ya back on our post... lol:p

[cruise_girl_too]

I will be in Costa Rica in November. Will the flowers be blooming and the birds/animal life be abundant or that only in the summer?

 

A few years ago I booked a rain forest tour in PR in December - it was extremely boring. No wildlife or color whatsoever and I wasn't sure why. Before I spend a ton of money, I'd like to know what to expect.

 

 

 

The "green season" is the wet rainy season and that is when the flowers bloom. November is nearing the end of the rainy season. Costa Rica has lots of flowers, notably orchids and gingers, but mostly it is lush foilage with different colors. As for the wildlife, birds and other animals are always abundant, it just depends on where and what time of day you are looking for them.

And as a side note, someone mentioned that Costa Rica was an island- it isn't- it is a landmass surrounded by Nicaragua to the north, and Panama to the south. It has two coasts, the Caribbean side and the Pacific side. Just thought I'd clear that up:)

[maryhou]

are there no places safe enough to just go and hang out at the beach??

[fierball]

We met a wonderful tour guide and have used him numerous times. He's very trustworthy and is a Mason. He is very good and is also well versed on his history. His name is Augustas Beckford and his email is augustasbeckford@gmail.com. I know anyone who contacts him would be very pleased with his service.

[elsplace2]

I am 61 and active but am wondering if the zipline will be too much for me. Any thoughts on this and will it scare the pants off of me?

 

I went zip-lining for the first time this year in Mexico (I'm 46) and it scared the pants off me. I'm afraid of heights to a certain degree. But along with the height issue, one of my fears at that particular place, was the way they had us stop. They gave us a stick with a wedge on it, and you had to hold the stick above you on an upper cable and pull down hard to slow down and eventually stop (I was so afraid I was going to drop the stick, because it did not attach to our arm or anything)......I stopped a couple of times too early, where they had to come out and get me...(maybe about 10-15ft out) So needless to say, my hand did hurt a bit, at the end of the excursion. On the other hand my husband (49) LOVED every minute of it!! Now of course not every zipline tours stop with the stick method. So it may not be so bad.....I will say in the end it was fun and well worth it!! But I will think twice about going again, until I find out what method is used to slow down and stop.