Aerial Trams in Costa Rica

[Liesel]

We will be taking an excursion in Costa Rica in February and I was looking at the Aerial Trams ---not the zip line---. There seem to be three different aerial tram excursions offered. Has anyone taken any of these and does anybody have any suggestions? I checked on the Port of Call site and could not find any answers. We are in our 60is, but fairly fit.

Thanks for your input.

[jbond]

We did an aerial tram tour out of Puntarenas four years ago. It was quite interesting, but we saw no wildlife in the tree tops. It is not at all strenuous, I was in my late 60's when I did it and it was no effort. The guide we had was really great and the drive out to the rain forest was very well conducted and interesting. I have several photos of our excursion at http://family.webshots.com/album/148110710vDEfNv including a photo of the trams. If it's your first time at Puntarenas, I'd definitely suggest a tour, there's not a lot to see in town and it gets quite untidy very quickly as you move away from the end of the pier.

[LasVegascruisers]

We will be taking an excursion in Costa Rica in February and I was looking at the Aerial Trams ---not the zip line---. There seem to be three different aerial tram excursions offered. Has anyone taken any of these and does anybody have any suggestions? I checked on the Port of Call site and could not find any answers. We are in our 60is, but fairly fit.

Thanks for your input.

 

Hi! We did the "Costa Rica Favorites" excursion on our PC trip in October.

I can honestly tell you it was THE BEST excursion we have ever done!!! I would go again tomorrow if I could!! You go to the rain forest first to ride the tram. Its wonderful, the forest itself is a gift from God. We didn't see the monkeys but the tram in front of us did. We saw the sloths, birds and butterflies. You walk some short easy trails past a reptile exhibit and through a botanical garden then have a really nice lunch. There is even a nice gift shop where you can buy some delicious coffee for yourself and get T-shirts for the grandkids! From there we went on a river boat ride to see croc's and birds. Amazing!!! You are perfectly safe!! But you are close enough to get great pictures. The guides are very informative and navigate you close to the wildlife and through the mangroves. It was an awesome experience. OH...its called a Rain Forest for a reason..it rains!!! Take a poncho. We took cheapy travel poncho's and were glad we took them along. Others along the trail were completely drenched...but we were nice and dry :D

Hope this helps!

[Liesel]

Thanks for the replies.

I have been looking at the Costa Rica Favorites as well. It sure sounds nice. I am a little worried about the time. It states that the excursion will take 10 hrs. ?? Isn't that a little exhausting? And when will you get back to the ship?

Thanks for your answer.

[LasVegascruisers]

Thanks for the replies.

I have been looking at the Costa Rica Favorites as well. It sure sounds nice. I am a little worried about the time. It states that the excursion will take 10 hrs. ?? Isn't that a little exhausting? And when will you get back to the ship?

Thanks for your answer.

 

I think we left at 7:30 or so and were back by about 5. So, yes it is a long day. However, they break it up so nicely that you don't feel tired. After the tram and short hike, you get lunch. Then after the boat ride you are served some fresh fruits and drinks and you get to just relax before you get on the bus to go back. The bus drops you off right at the ship but we walked back along the pier to do alittle more shopping. It was such an amazing day that I didn't feel the least bit tired.

Are you doing a Pan Canal cruise?

[Liesel]

Thanks for the update. I will go ahead and book that excursion; it sounds great.

Yes, we are taking the Jewel of the Seas for 10 nights to the Panama Canal in February; have never been.

From all I have read here, I think we might just stay on the ship during the Canal tour and not take an excursion!!?? I have to re-read some of the posts on that.

I have to check on excursions for Cartagena, Colombia next.

Another stop is Grand Cayman; but we have been there on two other cruises.

[LasVegascruisers]

Thanks for the update. I will go ahead and book that excursion; it sounds great.

Yes, we are taking the Jewel of the Seas for 10 nights to the Panama Canal in February; have never been.

From all I have read here, I think we might just stay on the ship during the Canal tour and not take an excursion!!?? I have to re-read some of the posts on that.

I have to check on excursions for Cartagena, Colombia next.

Another stop is Grand Cayman; but we have been there on two other cruises.

I was rather pleasantly surprised at Cartagena. We did the Deluxe Cartagena & Fortress tour (4.5 hrs) You go into the Old Town area with stops at the Inquisition Palace, the church and the fort where they filmed part of that movie, Romancing the Stone. The city is beautiful, It almost reminds you of old New Orleans with balconies and hanging gardens. I really love old architecture. What impressed me was how clean and well kept everything was. There were a lot of vendors but they were not pushy. The fort is remarkable. It is such a mixture with old sitting in the middle of new. It's a bit of a walk up but the views are spectacular. Hubby has bad knees so we just took our time . It was worth it. Of course you also get the usual shopping stops....you can get your T-shirts, coffee and emeralds!! I had my picture taken with a sloth...my grandson thinks its a monkey!!

We chose to stay on the ship going through the Canal. We were advised (and well advised at that) to stay on the ship and just appreciate the canal. We'll do an excursion next time. We went through side by side with the Serenade. You don't really notice how much you are raising or lowering until you see the ship next to you..I think it's a drop of 84 ft . Amazing! They do a running commentary the whole time so you learn as you go.

Can you tell I'm ready to go again? :D Enjoy your cruise!!

 

Merry Christmas!