PUNTARENAS & CALDERA, COSTA RICA. SHORE EXCURSIONS AND LAND TOUR

The best tour you can take during your visit to Puntarenas, Costa Rica. Come with us and enjoy our 6 in 1 tour with a professional naturalist tour guide, who will explain you the most important aspects of the Central Pacific Culture of Costa Rica and show you the rich wildlife of this fascinating region along with our famous Zip Line Canopy Tour.
During this tour you will enjoy:

1) Wildlife Safari Boat Tour: Famous for its large American Crocodiles, the Tarcoles River forms the Northern border of Carara Biological Reserve on the Central Pacific coast of Costa Rica. The Tarcoles River is home to one of the world’s largest crocodile populations in the wild. Board a custom-built, flat-bottom river boat at our private botanical garden. Then, glide along this placid river with our naturalist guide, who describes the birds, animals, and habitat in great detail. After visiting the river mouth, you venture up a mature mangrove estuary, where the guide stops to learn about this remarkable ecosystem. Aquatic birds, Scarlet Macaws, parrots, Iguanas, monkeys and many other interesting species are very easy to see during this amazing tour.

2) Zip Line Canopy Tour Experience. The adventure of the "Villa Lapas  Zip Line Canopy Tour" starts at the front desk of the Villa Lapas hotel where you will meet your guides, who will take you to the conference room to get you geared up. Each person that goes on the tour will be carrying a harness, two Carabineers, a pair of welding gloves, a pulley and two strings (one for the pulley and the other one for safety on the cables and platforms). Once you are ready to go we will hike for approximately 15 minutes going across de "Tarcolitos River" twice using two small suspension bridges and then trough the forest on the traditional way, by foot. The forest where the "Villa Lapas Canopy Tour" was built is a transitional forest in between the dry and rain forest and it is of secondary growth, that makes it a very bio diverse area because you have a combination of species that inhabit the north (dry region) and the south (humid region) all together in the central pacific area of Costa Rica. Villa Lapas Canopy Tour has six cables that go from 180 to 900 feet in length, four single platforms and three double platforms located at a maximum height of 60 feet above the ground. This combination of nature and adrenaline will make this experience an unforgettable memory of your trip to Costa Rica.

3) Santa Lucia Village: A Shopping Experience.  Having experienced the tropical forest trails, time is allowed for guests to relax and stroll around in the beautiful shopping Village of Santa Lucia, a quaint replica of a Spanish settlement during the Colony. At this complex, our passengers will be able to purchase that special gift from a big array of items, including local gourmet coffee and small oxcarts and enjoy complementary tropical fruits and Ice Tea.

4) Visit to Orotina Town. At Orotina stop at the farmers' market and fruits stands and take the opportunity to interact with the friendly locals. Browse for a variety of truly exotic tropical fruits, such as Caimitos (star apples), cashew fruits, mangos and many more amazing fruits, most endemic to Costa Rica. Orotina is well known in Costa Rica as the Fruit’s city due its huge production. At this picturesque town, some free time is allowed for have lunch or eat something light in one of the multiple typical restaurants.

5) Countryside  Drive and Sightseeing. After leaving Orotina continue your journey down to sea level while admiring the sweeping views, green rolling hills covered by pasture lands, colorful homes with large gardens, mango plantations and the ocean in the distance.

6) Puntarenas City Tour. Puntarenas City 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 sea port. 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 sea foods 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 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. It is definitely worth exploring this city, 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.

Do you have questions ?

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