- Round-trip transportation from your Puntarenas Costa Rica cruise ship terminal!
- Air-conditioned, fully licensed, and insured transportation!
- English-speaking certified sightseeing shore excursion guide!
- All entrance fees are included!
- See the crocodiles, tropical jungle, shopping, sightseeing, and more!
- Great Puntarenas cruise excursion to see all the best sights and highlights!
This is the perfect shore excursion option for those looking to see as much as possible on their Puntarenas shore excursion with a professional naturalist guide See the most important highlights ... Read More
This is the perfect shore excursion option for those looking to see as much as possible on their Puntarenas shore excursion with a professional naturalist guide! See the most important highlights and spend the day sightseeing the best of Costa Rica. This shore excursion is only for cruise ship guests.
Your Puntarenas cruise excursion guide will meet you outside the cruise ship pier terminal to start your adventure. They will be giving you both an interesting, as well as educational excursion of the beautiful area surrounding Puntarenas Costa Rica. Come enjoy this exclusive and unique tour with a professional naturalist tour guide, who will explain the most important aspects of the Central Pacific Coast and show you the rich wildlife of this fascinating region.
Your breathtaking adventure begins with a relaxing drive through the wonderful Costa Rican countryside on air-conditioned transportation for up to 20 passengers - this assures professional and personalized service. Your excursion guide will point out many sights of interest along the way including mango, sugar, citrus plantations, fruit stands, and rural farming communities. You will be heading to Carara Adventure Park & Reserve, a private reserve about a 1-hour drive from the pier. Upon arrival at the beautiful property, you will have some free time to use restrooms and explore the surroundings before you begin the rainforest nature walk.
The Carara Adventure Park & Reserve location is bordered by the Tropical and Dry Pacific eco-systems, which draws hundreds of species of birds as well as exotic animals (dart frog, monkeys, raccoon, lizards, anteaters, and much more) plus astonishing views of the Pacific Ocean! On the rainforest walk, you will experience the tropical forest through gravel trails and small bridges. There will be complimentary tropical fresh fruits and iced tea in one of the dining rooms before continuing on your journey.
Next, you will be heading to Tarcoles River, where from the bridge, you will be able to view some of the locally famous American Crocodiles. During this shortstop, you can take pictures of them. Amazingly, it is often easy to find as many as 20 or 40 crocodiles.
The next stop is a visit to the El Jardin Souvenir Store & Restaurant. This is a beautiful souvenir store and Art Gallery with excellent locally created products. Free time is allowed for shopping and lunch at the restaurant known for its delicious regional and international dishes, offered at an excellent price. You can taste the typical dish of Costa Rica, El Casado, a plate that combines rice, beans, vegetables, fried plantain, and a meat of your selection (chicken, steak, fish) for an affordable price of $10 (the price of lunch is not included).
Next, the transportation will take you on a city tour where you will get a glimpse of local life and highlights of the Puntarenas. This is the largest city in the Central Pacific. Some 120 kilometers west of the capital San Jose, Puntarenas means "sandy point" in Spanish, and used to be one of the country's principal seaports. Situated in the Gulf of Nicoya, Puntarenas has played a huge role in the history of Costa Rica. For years this city was a major seaport. However, now it is mostly used as a stopover port for many cruise ships that sail the waters of the Pacific Ocean.
Still used as an important commercial fishing port, Puntarenas offers visitors and locals alike, a variety of tantalizing fresh seafood such as shrimp, lobsters, fish, etc. A lively and attractive city, perhaps one of Puntarenas's most interesting features is the Paseo de Los Turistas. This is a tree-lined promenade adjacent to the beach. This area turns into a colorful street on weekends, as people from all over, flock to the popular restaurants, discos, cafes, bars, and hotels that are found here.
While the beach here is not safe for swimming because the water tends to be pretty murky, it is still a great place to hang out and relax with the local Ticos. This city s worth exploring, as there are many beautiful old unusual buildings found all over the place, as well as several fabulous restaurants and hotels. Puntarenas also has a lovely old church, which is a must-see as well.
You may decide to be dropped off directly back at your pier after this unique sightseeing shore excursion in Puntarenas Costa Rica; or, choose to stay in town and return to the ship at your leisure - it is a short walk back to the Puntarenas cruise ship pier.
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4/5 (Visited on January 2020)
