What to do while in Puntarenas on a Panama Canal Cruise?

[cloudninecat]

We're taking a full transit through the Panama Canal in September and one of the stops is Puntarenas Costa Rica. Forgive me if I put this in the wrong place I didn't see a place for Central American Ports. I wondered what was some things people have done there that they enjoyed or if there was a must see item ? Any info would be helpful. We're in our late 50's and early 60's and reasonably fit for our age though I have a bum knee that acts up sometimes. My husband won't do anything that puts his life in jeopardy so zip lining is out, though I'd love it. Thanks in advance. 

[Turtles06]

2 minutes ago, cloudninecat said:

Forgive me if I put this in the wrong place I didn't see a place for Central American Ports.

 

Five years ago, before our first Canal cruise, I too was looking for info here on CC regarding Costa Rica and could not find any despite all the time I spend on this site!  🙂   Finally, by accident, I stumbled upon a  post concerning Puntarenas, traced it back, and realized that CC has Costa Rica in the *Caribbean* forum, even though it also has a Pacific Coast!   (Other geographic anomalies here on CC exist as well. One of my favorites: Lisbon is under "Other Mediterranean Ports.")

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/120-costa-rica/

 

You'll find discussions of Puntarenas in the above forum.  In a nutshell, I'll just mention that we did a private tour with others on our Roll Call that included a boat ride along the Tarcoles River.  It sounds hokey but it was fabulous. Lots of crocodiles (up close, too), birds, cows ...  There was more to the day as well.    We really enjoyed it.

 

 

(photo by turtles06)

[cloudninecat]

Thank you so much for pointing me in the right direction. 

 

[njhorseman]

1 hour ago, Turtles06 said:

a boat ride along the Tarcoles River.  It sounds hokey but it was fabulous. Lots of crocodiles (up close, too), birds, cows ...  There was more to the day as well.    We really enjoyed it.

I second the recommendation of a Tarcoles River boat ride.

[Heidi13]

In this port we have done the following tours:

 - Zip line, which if memory is correct could be Monteverde, as it was about 1 hr from the pier. This was about 20 yrs ago and you had to use a gloved hand on the wire above to control speed at the end of each run. This may have changed to a more normal operation now

 - Jungle Canopy walk - walking through the jungle on elevated platforms. Also about 1 hr from pier

 - Tarcoles River and Crocodile cruise

 - San Jose, little less than 2 hrs each way and then drove by or stopped at the usual sights and markets.

[SueMo]

In 2020 we took a four hour hike in Punta Arenas through the Reserva Forestal Magallanes with Jamie from Borealis Adventures.  Borealis Adventures no longer has a website, but its Facebook page directs you to Indomita Adventures dot com, and sure enough, Jamie is now one of their guides.  We had a very positive experience with Jamie and if you like a hike through great scenery, look her up.  

[Ashland]

Thumbs Up Tours was an amazing private tour we booked with our rollcall this past October during our full Panama Canal itinerary.

[9tee2Sea]

Been to Costa Rica several times on cruises.  If you want something really relaxing, just stroll the seaside promenade, look into all the vendors ( very nice art work made out of Leather).  I would recommend a tour that does go out to the Tarcoles river.  Very scenic along the way ( you might see Macaws or Howler Monkeys). Even if yo don't go onto the river cruise, there is a big rest area there with food, beverages, and bathrooms ( and small handmade souvenirs). You can get a small private tour right off the ship.  you will see many operators milling around with signs of the tours available with prices.

[SueMo]

On 12/15/2022 at 1:15 PM, SueMo said:

In 2020 we took a four hour hike in Punta Arenas through the Reserva Forestal Magallanes with Jamie from Borealis Adventures.  Borealis Adventures no longer has a website, but its Facebook page directs you to Indomita Adventures dot com, and sure enough, Jamie is now one of their guides.  We had a very positive experience with Jamie and if you like a hike through great scenery, look her up.  

I have to correct myself.  I did this tour in Punta Arenas, Uruguay, not Costa Rica!

[piper28]

On 4/24/2023 at 1:03 PM, SueMo said:

I have to correct myself.  I did this tour in Punta Arenas, Uruguay, not Costa Rica!

I'm guessing you actually probably mean Chile, not Uruguay based on the tours that were offered on that site :).

[SueMo]

2 hours ago, piper28 said:

I'm guessing you actually probably mean Chile, not Uruguay based on the tours that were offered on that site :).

OMG, I'm losing it!  Punta del Esta is in Uruguay.  In my defense, my trip there was in March 2020 and DH and I came down with raging cases of covid.  Yes, we were on one of the ships that circled aimlessly around the Pacific Ocean since all of the ports in S. America closed due to the pandemic.