We take you on an unforgettable journey visiting old fishing towns, meandering through mangroves along the Tarcoles River on Safari, past mango plantations and up high into the rain forest for panoramic views of the Nicoya Peninsula. Along the way chances are high for spotting white-faced monkeys, American Crocodiles and majestic tropical birds like Toucans and the Scarlet Macaw.
Prices depend on group size. Inquire at info@outstandingcostarica.com to secure the best guaranteed rate and your space today!
| DEPARTURE/RETURN LOCATION | Cruise ship Terminal, Puntarenas or Caldera | ||||||
| DEPARTURE TIME | Depends on ship arrival time. | ||||||
| RETURN TIME | Approximately 3:30 PM (or 1-2 hours before ship departure) | ||||||
| WEAR | Comfortable clothing, hat, and sunscreen. | ||||||
| INCLUDED |
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| NOT INCLUDED |
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BOOK NOW: info@outstandingcostarica.com
Additional information
| Location | Puntarenas |
|---|---|
| Physicality | 1/5 |
| Groupsize | 6-18 |
| Dates | Sept – June |
8AM Your day begins when you are greeted by our friendly staff who will meet you at the cruise dock or hotel. From there, you’ll be escorted to a clean, comfortable, air-conditioned tourism vehicle by one of our certified English speaking guides.
8:15AM The first stop will be in an area where we commonly spot the white-faced Capuchin monkeys, sometimes even the Howler monkeys come out for the show! But have your camera ready as these monkeys are very curious and active and sometimes come close to greet us! They might even try to steal your cookies or camera! As the tourism industry in Costa Rica is one of the strongest and largest industries, monkeys have grown accustomed to seeing people on a daily basis and are typically very friendly and smart creatures! After learning interesting information about them from our guides we will board the van and travel on the new highway passing by seasonal plantations as your guide entertains you with rich history and facts of our amazing country!
9:00AM On the way we make a stop at a fresh fruit shop so you can try and learn about our various exotic fruits such as lychee, tamarind, sour sop, as well as commonly known fruits such as mango, watermelon, pineapple and more! The fruit shop, owned and operated by a Costa Rican family of farmers make some of the best tropical smoothies we have ever tasted!
10AM This is the most popular bridge in all of Costa Rica! You will have the opportunity to see up to a dozen crocodiles up to 20 feet long sunbathing under the bridge!
11AM Next is the main event – a 75-minute safari boat tour on the Tarcoles river with an experienced naturalist guide. You’ll see egrets, herons, storks, cara-caras and many other migratory birds “on vacation” here in Costa Rica, but the kings of the river are the american crocodiles, some reaching lengths of nearly 20 feet long! In addition to having one of the largest population of crocodiles in the Americas, the river also supports more than 50 species of migratory, native and coastal birds, including a variety of heron and egrets, crested cara-caras, roseate spoonbills, scarlet macaws and more. Iguanas can often be spotted along sides of the river as well. If you are lucky you will spot a rare specie of lizards famously known as the Jesus Christ lizards! These lizards have the ability to run across water whenever a predator or boat closes in. See National Geographic video
12:30 PM Your trained naturalist tour guide will work hard to spot these beautiful birds for you to photograph in the wild. You will visit an area in Tarcoles by the beach where the macaws are normally found amongst the almond trees. These beautiful red macaws birds are endangered all across the world but with a little luck we will spot them, of course we will climb off of the vehicle for photos!
1PM Afterwards, enjoy a traditional Costa-Rican style lunch prepared by a local chef. Enjoy beach views with your delicious meal, of fresh sea-bass filet, chicken breast filet or the vegetarian option all accompanied with rice, beans, salad and natural fruit beverage- this delicious meal is included in your tour cost.
2PM After lunch we’ll travel 1,000 feet above sea-level to a majestic lookout point overlooking the Tarcoles River, Carara National Forest, Gulf of Nicoya, and Puntarenas coastline- complete with a picture taking stop for you cherish this memory. These are also common grounds to find wild Toucans! We will climb off of the vehicle here for photos! If time and weather permits, we will enter an eco hotel on the way that was built inside the forests of Carara with a flat and leisure, paved walkway, the trees will provide use with shade and there are beautiful trees, plants to see and learn about, green iguanas and the amazing colony of leaf cutter ants that transport leafs on their backs in single file lines (nick-named the last standing Costa Rican military) are very common to spot here as well! There are colonial style architecture and trees over 400 years old that you will witness on this leisure 25 minute walk!
3:30 PM On arrival in Puntarenas, we’ll take you on a loop through town past points of interest like the church, soccer stadium, light house and ferry station, before dropping you off at your hotel or cruise port. For anyone interested in making a run to the supermarket, we can gladly take you and bring you back after the tour is finished.
4:00 PM If drop-off is at the Puntarenas or Caldera cruise ship port, be sure to admire the hundreds of artisanal handicrafts and souvenir shirts from over 100 local vendors selling their goods at the most competitive prices. These English speaking local vendors have kiosks by the pier where we drop you off, prices are duty free and you can negotiate a great deal with them.
With so much to see packed into one day, we’re confident you’ll have an OutStanding day in Costa Rica!
