Costa Rica excursion questions

[jlazz]

Aerial Tram (booked want to change)

Eco Adventure

Meet the Sloths

(All ship excursions)

 

Trying to choose. I am 60, mobile but out of shape, and afraid of heights. The Aerial Tram for 45 minutes each way scares the hell out of me! On the Eco Adventure, I might be better able to handle 10 mins on an aerial tram. Both say moderately strenuous. I would love to see the sloths,  but it says a canoe ride. I don't see me rowing a canoe. This excursion says easy tho, so does that mean you get in but somebody else rows?  

 

We leave on the Eurodam this Sunday, the 15th. Costa Rica is the 22nd. All excursions are currently open. What are your thoughts on the 3 excursions, and how difficult to change?

 

Thanks so much!!

 

 

[OlsSalt]

We have done several excursions in CR and liked the Mt Poas coffee plantation with lunch the best. Least strenuous and you stay on the ground. Even saw a sloth hanging from a telephone wire along the way to Mt Poas.  Loved trying their famous "Lizano" sauce and now order it specially - not hot, just  savory.

 

The arial tram felt safe - but it also was not that interesting - little to see besides greenery, which is very lovely but also found pretty much everywhere. On the wildlife  boat trip, one saw only one or two alligators. 

 

I had traveled CR extensively on my own once, and it is a fabulous country for wildlife and dramatic scenery - but none of the later ship's excursions were of similar interest, sad to report.  It really takes nature hiking into the jungles with a guide at a nature lodge (Selva Verde for one)  to see all that it has to offer in real depth. 

[AncientWanderer]

The excursion descriptions seem to change a bit every time we go down there.  Our favorite was a full day where we did a boat ride to look for crocodiles (saw a lot), stopped at a coffee plantation briefly, and also went for a short ride on a historic train through the jungle, where we saw a lot of monkeys.  

That day was one that both DH and I remember fondly.

[foodsvcmgr]

The canal boat and train is an enjoyable tour.

We stopped at a banana farm on ours.

[Lady President]

8 hours ago, jlazz said:

I would love to see the sloths,  but it says a canoe ride. I don't see me rowing a canoe. This excursion says easy tho, so does that mean you get in but somebody else rows?

I took the Meet the Sloths excursion several years ago, and it was one of my favorites!  I wouldn't call it a "canoe" ride at all.  You're on a canoe-shaped boat with about 10 passengers and it's motorized.  They take you to around a small river to see wildlife and see plants/flowers.  No effort involved!  There is a covered restaurant and lovely gift shop too.

[0106]

HAL visits 2 ports in Costa Rica; I believe you will be at Puerto Limon.  
 

I visited Puerto Caldera during a Panama cruise in February but have a few insights.  Sloths are very cute and equally boring.  Truly, they do not move.  I had seen them on a previous trip to CR but my husband really wanted to go to the sanctuary, after a long bus ride (generally bad roads in CR), we arrived.  There were many sloths, often needed to be pointed out by the guide, asleep in trees. I believe some of the other tours mentioned above also are in Calderas, not Limon.
 

I looked at the reviews for tours in Puerto Limon.  Have you?  I always filter by Most Recent.  https://www.hollandamerica.com/en_US/ports/puerto-limon-san-jose-costa-rica.excursions.html?sort=name asc&start=0&rows=12

The Meet the Sloth tour is rated easy.  One review states that the owner’s son paddled the canoe.  Based on how you described yourself and what you want to see if you decide against the sloths , I’d recommend CARIBBEAN TRAIN, COUNTRYSIDE & TORTUGUERO CANALS