Punterenas - what to do if can't afford ship tour?

[lahore]

Hi, we are a couple of Aussies. You can stereotype us as tight-you-know-what's, or realise as I did that once we have paid for the airfare to USA and the cruise - with our exchange rate nearly doubling the cost for us - that the cost of cruise ship tours gets absurd. For two of us to go on a USD $100 ship tour comes to about one third of the cost of getting to America! So, being of average means, we need to find options other than expensive cruise tours.

 

This might not be a big problem, as we don't really like being hearded around to tourist spots anyway. Am much more interested in seeing how the locals live - eg; villages/small towns, poking around shops/ getting a local taxi to a couple nice spots closer to town etc.. I am also avery keen photographer. So my question is, for those who have been to Punteranas before, is it nice to just wander around the town? Can you relatively safely be independent and just jump in a taxi? Any suggestions on things you have done?

 

I am SO used to doing this in Asia, we go for public transport and do as the locals do, but I am out of my depth in South America. Any advice gladly accepted. Cheers from Aus!

 

[CRUZGAL53]

Hello Aussie,

 

We just returned from Puntarenas about 3 weeks ago. There is not much in the town itself, however there are numerous vendors at the end of the pier and the shopping is fun! There are also many tour guides/drivers waiting out there who will negotiate to take you places. We did a Zip-line canopy tour in the rain forest and it was a blast...there were 10 of us...the cost for the van was $18.00 per person and the canopy tour was $40.00 per person. You can go to Carerra Reserve or Manuel Antonio National Park if you want to see animals. You may also want to check Portcompass.com for tours they offer in Puntarenas. Good luck and Have fun!

[Urban trekker]

Is your ship docking at Puntarenas or nearby Puerto Caldera - the latter has nothing right there - if Puntarenas walk along the pier and turn left - there are shops, markets etc right there - beach as well - I didn't explore the town too much as I took the Volcano tour only to have it rain and be socked in at the crater - the tour guide said if you stay to the left you will see what there is in town.

 

Hope this helps

 

Dennis

 

Sun Princess to Alaska May 2000

Norwegian Sun Panama Canal 4/11/04

Norwegian Sun - Pacific Coastal 4/27/04

[lahore]

HI, thanks to both respondents so far. This question of Punterenas or Peurto Caldera is an interesting one. Our itinerary says Punterenas but I have read other posts that say even if it says that they stop at Caldera - so who knows?!?

 

SOrry about your Volcano Tour Urban Trekker - what a bummer. That sounds like a good tour if weather OK, but a couple of months back we have spent a week in New Zealand which has stacks of brilliant interesting Geo-thermal sights otherwise I might have considered that.

 

So, turn left at Punterenas it might be for us...Any other comments would be of interest thanks folks.

 

 

 

 

[DisneyBlonde]

Question for JoyceC...

 

Looking for more info about the Canopy tour you did in Puntarenas. We will be there in October, and the tour options I have seen offered are quite a bit more than the $40 you mentioned. Did you book it ahead, or was this offered by a vendor at the pier. Do you know which company it was? I have read Almonds and Corals offers ziplining for $40, but the CC folks that have gone with them seem to have ported in Limon...not Puntarenas.

 

Appreciative of any info you can give me!

 

Diz:)

[A.Emgee]

I will be in Puntarenas in about 4 weeks, and I think the options are:

 

1. Portcompass.com: They have two tours that have ziplining - either with a visit to Carara Reserve or Manuel Antonio National Park. Cost is $139 or $129 respectively (includes lunch). They will not tour you unless you have a group. :(

 

2. Costarica-travelinfo.com: They have a tour that goes to Turu Ba Ri tourist park, with an option for ziplining. The price is $115 on the website (http://www.puntarenas-tours-info.com/). However, if you have fewer than 6 people, it's an additional $65pp :eek: for transportation to make the total $180. This is not stated anywhere on their website - in fact, only after I said I wanted to book did the tour price jump $65pp! :mad: Shady business practice, IMO...

 

3. The Original Canopy Tour: Allegedly the "original" ziplining tour and also the one recommended by Frommer's, this franchise outfit has two parks near Puntarenas. The canopy tour at Monteverde Cloud Forest is two hours away. For this location, the whole day tour from Puntarenas including lunch is only $85pp. They also have a shorter, closer option at Mahogany Park (only 30 minutes away from the pier) for $70pp (no lunch). Their website is http://www.canopypago.com/.

 

Anyhow, I'm going to go with option #3 at the Mahogany Park. I'll try to post a quick review after the excursion.

 

Hope this helps!

[DisneyBlonde]

A.Emgee...

 

Those are the same options we are considering, which is why I was interested to hear more about the $40 canopy tour that JoyceC took.

 

Did not know about getting socked another $65 for puntarenas-tours...in fact read that many CC'ers have used them and recommended them. :confused: Thank you for letting me know.

 

We'll be ziplining (hopefully!) in late October...would love a review when you return.

 

Thx!

 

Diz:)

[A.Emgee]

Disneyblonde, my understanding is if you get yourself to either of the Original Canopy Tour sites, then admission is about $40pp. The Original Canopy Tour people told me that if I could get a larger group, then the price would be less than $70pp (because the transportation cost could be shared). I think with a group of 6 or more it would more closely approximate the $58pp that JoyceC paid.

[DisneyBlonde]

Thank you, A.Emgee, that makes sense. So the $85 pp includes transportation...and if we get a group the cost gets lower from there.

Thanks for the info! :)

[A.Emgee]

This is the bit from Frommer's, FYI:

 

Canopy tours are taking off in Costa Rica, largely because they are such an exciting and unique way to experience tropical rainforests. It's estimated that some two-thirds of a typical rainforest's species live in the canopy (the uppermost, branching layer of the forest). From the relative luxury of Aerial Tram's high-tech funicular to the rope-and-climbing-gear rigs of more basic operations, a trip into the canopy will give you a bird's-eye view of a Neotropical forest. There are now canopy-tour operations in or close to nearly every major tourist destination in the country, including Monteverde, Manuel Antonio, La Fortuna, Tabacón, Punta Islita, Villablanca, and Rincón de la Vieja, as well as on Tortuga Island, and around Guanacaste and the Osa Peninsula.

 

With the exception of the Aerial Tram, most canopy tours involve strapping yourself into a climbing harness and being winched up to a platform some 30m (100 ft.) above the forest floor, or doing the work yourself. Many of these operations have a series of treetop platforms connected by taut cables. Once up on the first platform, you click your harness into a pulley and glide across the cable to the next (slightly lower) platform, using your hand (protected by a thick leather glove) as a brake. When you reach the last platform, you usually rappel back down to the ground. (Don't worry, they'll teach even the most nervous neophyte.)

 

While this can be a lot of fun, do be careful, as canopy tours are quite the rage and to date, there is no regulation on the activity. Some of the tours are set up by fly-by-night operators. (Obviously, I haven't listed any of those.) Be especially sure that you feel comfortable and confident with the safety standards, guides, and equipment before embarking. The most reputable operator is The Original Canopy Tours , but there are other safe, well-run operations around the country. My favorite canopy tours are the Original Canopy Tour's Kazm Cañon tour at Rincón de la Vieja, which zigzags back and forth through a deep canyon, and their operation in Monteverde, which features an ascent up the hollow interior of a giant strangler fig tree. Before you sign on to any tour, ask whether you have to hoist yourself to the top under your own steam, then make your decision accordingly.

 

Aerial Tram (tel. 257-5961; www.rainforesttram.com) is located 50 minutes from San José. For $50 (transportation extra), this modern tram takes you on a 90-minute trip through the rainforest canopy in the comfort and safety of an enclosed cab. The entrance fee includes an additional guided hike and access to its trail system. The best thing here isn't necessarily the tram ride, which I find somewhat disappointing, but the fact that this makes a good spot for a full-day excursion relatively close to San José.

 

The Original Canopy Tours (tel. 257-5149; www.canopytour.com) is the largest canopy-tour operator, with sites in Monteverde, Aguas Zarcas, Rincón de la Vieja, Tabacón, Mahogony Park, and along the banks of the Pacuare River.

[DisneyBlonde]

A.Emgee

Excellent info, thanks for posting it. The tours at Rincon and Monteverde sound very cool. :cool:

Thx!

Diz:)

[A.Emgee]

We just returned from the trans-canal voyage of the Coral Princess. We were in Puntarenas on Monday, October 4. We went with The Original Canopy Tour because it was recommended by Frommer’s and also the price was reasonable. We decided to go to Mahogany Park (45 minutes from Puntarenas) instead of Monteverde Cloud Forest (2-1/2 hours from Puntarenas) because we really didn’t want to spend so much time on the road. The communication with the sales agent, Limberth, by email was always fast and polite. We even emailed while aboard the Coral Princess to confirm pickup times and the response came within 12 hours.

 

We were dockside by 8:45am and we were met by our guide, Andres, at the pier at 8:55am. There were many other “guides” and taxi drivers trying to sell tours. They asked politely if we were looking for a tour and were not persistent if we declined their services (unlike in Mexico, where the aggressiveness is really quite bothersome). We took one brochure advertising a ziplining tour near Jaco, but didn’t inquire about the price. Considering ziplining requires trusting your life with a harness and a few cables, we thought it would be wiser to stick with a company that has been operating for 10 years as opposed to the luck-of-the-draw tour!

 

As promised, Andres was wearing an Original Canopy Tour T-shirt and had a sign as well. We walked a few steps to a Hyundai 12-person van which was driven by Julio. We left the Puntarenas pier area and headed westbound on the main highway towards San Jose. We turned off the highway onto a smaller country road which was full of potholes. Our driver had to zigzag all over the road to avoid the huge potholes. Andres even admitted he was embarrassed that he had to take us through a road such as this as it poorly represented his country. Along the way, he pointed out banana trees, mango trees, sugar cane plantations, and several manufacturing plants (dairy, fish, clothing, etc. – Puntarenas is an important export port).

 

We arrived at the Mahogany Park at about 10:00am. We were greeted by several guides who showed us the bathroom facilities and offered to store our small bag. We were given written instructions then asked to sign a waiver, which required a passport number. We had our harnesses put on by a guide and then we were fitted with helmets. We were repeatedly asked whether we had any questions before continuing. It is a wise idea to carry water with you and in fact the written instruction sheet suggests at least 500ml of bottled water. Keep in mind that the water has to fit in your pocket or somehow attach to you as holding it is not an option. The same applies to bags, cameras, sunglasses, etc. – carry it, or don’t bring it. The other thing is that there are gigantic mosquitoes and other strange-looking insects in the rainforest – use a lot of insect repellant, and don’t forget places like elbows, behind the knees, and ankles. We got a few “souvenirs” even though we had applied some DEET.

 

We then walked through the rainforest for about 15 minutes on a dirt trail with multiple steps and an incline – definitely not for the physically unfit. We had three guides and since our tour group was so small, both Andres and Julio came along to do the canopy tour as well. It was Julio’s first time at ziplining, just like us. We stopped along the way to look at termite nests, at the different trees, and we even saw a few white-faced capuchin monkeys! Prior to arriving at the first platform, we were seated and instructed about how to correctly use the equipment. At this demonstration area, there was a sample line and the guide demonstrated the correct use of your hands (one hand on cable attached to the harness, and the other hand acting as a brake). One of the guides took our cameras and he preceded us on the circuit so that he could take pictures of us zipping and rappelling.

 

After the harnesses and helmets were tightened, we traversed our first line and then rappelled down to a short distance to another platform. We continued on four lines, with the third one being the longest (you cannot see the target platform!). At the end of five lines, the guides asked if we would like to maximize our experience by going BACKWARDS on the final line so that we could go forwards again! Unfortunately, this required pulling yourself along the line with your arms! We gave it a try and managed to get about halfway back on the line before deciding to just zip forwards to the final platform. Pulling yourself backwards is quite difficult, so don’t try it unless you are up to a challenge! After this, we rappelled to the rainforest floor. This was great fun as the guide would ask you if you wanted to go in a controlled fashion or “fast”. It turns out that “fast” meant a free fall until almost the bottom, at which point the descent would be slowed and a guide would be there to catch you. Our guide Andres was falling so fast that he screamed and kept on muttering “Jesus Christ!” when he reached the bottom!

 

After reaching the forest floor, we walked back to the “front desk” where we gathered our belongings. There was a small selection of souvenirs and T-shirts but nobody pushed us to look or buy. As we felt that we had an outstanding experience, we placed a generous $20 tip in the locked box labeled ‘Tips’ and then headed back towards Puntarenas. Andreas asked us if we wanted to view the city and since it was still early, we took him up on his offer. He showed us the college, the fish market, and the cathedral. He asked us if we wanted to get out to take some pictures but we decided against it. He offered us a map of Costa Rica and some of the local coin currency (Collones) to take home as souvenirs.

 

After viewing the city, we were dropped off at the entrance to the long pier and Andreas even inquired with the security officer as to whether he could drive us all the way to where the ship was docked. He was denied access (only the tour buses can enter) and so we got off. Adjacent to the entrance of the pier, there were some shops and a small stretch of beach, so we took a look around before heading back to the ship.

 

All in all, this was a terrific experience with a first-class outfit. I would highly recommend The Original Canopy Tour if you are interested in a zipline experience from Puntarenas. The guides we had were professional and courteous, spoke English, and were a lot of fun to spend time with. As for the choice between Mahogany Park and the larger Monteverde Cloud Forest, I think the latter would have provided an even better experience but the five hour roundtrip journey didn’t sound too inviting. The traffic on the two-lane “highway” was rather congested at times, and the prospect of missing the ship is none too appealing.

 

As an aside, the weather in the area can be terribly unpredictable. It was partly cloudy and 30 degrees Celsius (83 degrees Farenheit) at 7:00am but by 5:00pm it was pitch black, pouring rain, with a very impressive display of thunder and lightning.