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Costa Rica

April 18, 2023 – Tuesday – Puerto Caldera (Puntarenas) on the Pacific Coast of Costa Rica

2023 Panama Canal Cruise

I’m awake at 5am as the ship turns into the Gulf of Nicoya enroute to dock at Puerto Caldera near Puntarenas. Once the Explorations Cafe opens, I get a cappuccino to take back to my stateroom to enjoy on my balcony in the early morning sunshine. I have a bagel, lox and cream cheese with a passion fruit parfait for breakfast in my stateroom, since my excursion leaves at 8am this morning from the pier.

As our rather large group boards two buses, I’m happy to see that Swiss Travel are the excursion company today. I have lots of good experiences with this Costa Rican travel company, who provided services to TravelQuest on their Costa Rica astronomy tours in past years.

Small farms on the side of the highway

We drive for about an hour and a half along the Pan-American Highway (Carretera Interamericana Norte) inland from Puntarenas, passing small farms in the hills until we are almost at San Ramon. The Cloud Forest we visit today is in a private reserve – San Luis Adventure Park – San Luis Canopy Tour. We split up into groups and walk along the trails, and over four suspension bridges which offer elevated vantage points to view the cloud forest below. Each of these bridges stretche between 30 and 78 metres (95 and 253 feet) and are suspended up to 38 metres (126 feet) above the ground.

Our guide stops along the way to tell us about the flora and fauna found in the cloud forest. Our first stop is an open hummingbird garden, where I photograph Amazilia hummingbirds perched on the bushes in the area. Many people miss them, since they are busy talking and moving about. I keep still and move away from the crowds in order to get some good sightings.

Other than the hummingbirds, we don’t spot other birds, butterflies or small mammals. Our guide talks about the plants, such as orchids, heliconias, ferns, bromeliads and other species of aerial plants that are part of this habitat.

After we slowly hike up the hill back to the main office, we enjoy a traditional Costa Rican lunch of beans, rice, vegetables and a choice of chicken or fish. I have the fish, which is very good. There are also some fruit drinks available from a self-serve fountain that is included with the lunch.

On our way back to the ship we stop at El Jardín, which has a massive souvenir shop, a display garden and decorated ox carts in the back, along with a screened area containing some butterflies. I take video of the butterflies with my iPhone, since I know from past experience it is hopeless to take photos of butterflies as they constantly flit about our heads.

The excursion returns at about 3:15pm, just beating the All Aboard time of 3:30pm. The ship doesn’t pull away from the dock until 4:45pm, 45 minutes late due to excursions returning a bit late. We have three days at sea until we reach Puerto Vallarta, so being a bit late leaving port isn’t an issue.

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Puerto Caldera, Costa Rica

2011 Incan Empires Cruise

Monday, December 12, 2011 – Day 22 – Puerto Caldera, Costa Rica

The ship is docked at Puerto Caldera, which is located near Puntarenas and is the main deep sea port for Costa Rica on the Pacific Coast.

I take a tour this morning, which takes us over the new highway to San Jose, but we turn off early and go to the upper reaches of the Taracoles River for a mangrove swamp boat trip. We see nesting Scarlett Macaws (from a distance), Crocodiles, a Jesus Christ Lizard, and some birds. The boat trip really doesn’t live up to my expectations, since it is so rushed, and we really don’t cover much of the river. The mangrove boat trips I took on previous visits to La Ensenada Lodge and Tamarindo were so much better!

The bus then takes us to nearby Orotina for a train ride back down to the coast near where Rotterdam is docked. The train trip is interesting, especially when the middle passenger car derails! The train crew uses a diverter to manoeuvre the car’s wheels back on the rails in short order. We see lots of interesting things along the way, including fields of cantaloupe and watermelon, the backyards of many Tico houses, some cute kids waving at us as we pass by, a long tunnel, and we cross over a river and see ever changing vegetation as we descend to the Pacific Coast. The bus is waiting for us at the station at Mata de Limon to take us back to the ship, which is only five minutes away.

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Puerto Limon, Costa Rica

2011 Incan Empires Cruise

Sunday, November 27, 2011 – Day 7 – Puerto Limon, Costa Rica

Although this is my fourth time visiting Costa Rica, this is my first time in Limon. I came closest to Limon on my first trip to Costa Rica when I took a boat up to Tortuguero National Park to stay in the jungle for a couple of days.

I signed up to take a shore excursion today, but I’m glad it doesn’t leave until 9AM because I am having a tough time getting motivated this morning. After having some breakfast and my cappuccino, I am finally ready to get out there. When our group leaves the ship to go on our excursion, we discover we will be transported in a big, honkin’ tandem wheeled bus that is so high off the ground, we have to climb a set of stairs that folds down out of the back of the bus. It is air-conditioned and the seats are quite comfortable. There are big windows, and I’m happy the bus is only about half full, so there is lots of room to spread out. Another bonus is the weather – no rain, but overcast so it’s not too hot. The locals tell us the last few days have seen pouring rain, so we are lucky, since the good weather holds for the whole day.

Female Golden Orb spider
Female Golden Orb spider

Eric is our guide and Jose is our driver. They are business partners, and built this vehicle from scratch on a GMC truck chassis. We head south along the coast and then turn inland, traveling along the Banano River past the little community of Bomba, which is where the pumping stations are located for Limon’s municipal water supply. We driver further along the Banano River and then stop for a walkabout. Eric points out all sorts of flora and fauna, include the Golden Orb spider, a Balsa tree, and a red Poison Dart frog.

JoeTourist: Puerto Limon &emdash; Ticos swimming in the freshwater near the Caribbean coastal beach

We carry on along the river and then turn off the road into a banana plantation, where we stop to have a snack and listen to Eric as he explains all about the banana business. Eric mixes a drink called a “Missile”, which is a local liquor called Guaro, a squeeze of local (sweet) lemon, and topped up with Fresca. I prefer to have a local Imperial beer, but those who try the Missile say it is very smooth and refreshing. The good weather is still holding as we return to the ship by 1:30PM. As we travel along the coast there are many Tico families swimming and playing along the shoreline since it is Sunday. Of course they all stop to wave when they see our bus – a bit of a contrast from my experience in Colombia, where the locals either ignored the tour bus or just stared at us.

It is a welcome relief to get back on board the ship, which is really starting to feel like a home away from home. We depart on time, with the First Officer piloting us this afternoon. We now head for the port of Colon to transit the Panama Canal tomorrow morning.

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Costa Rica to Canada flights

2009 Southern Skies Fiesta & Tamarindo Coast

March 8, 2009 – Sunday – flying from San Jose, Costa Rica returning to Victoria, Canada

I’m up at 5am because I set my iPhone alarm, and it changed to Daylight Saving Time overnight. Costa Rica doesn’t observe DST, so the alarm is an hour early. I go back to bed for a half hour and then get up, have a shower, and finish packing. I haul my big bag down to the lobby and then give the room one last check before leaving. I’m prepaid, so check-out is easy. The front desk calls a taxi for me and I’m at the airport in a half hour. The taxi was off the meter, so I paid US$20 instead of 10,000 Colones – about double, but the guy was worth it. Perhaps I made his day.

They pull the American Airlines 757 to the Gate 3 jetway at 7:30am, so things are happening. As they board passengers at the Delta gate, they are doing another security check of carry-on bags. They don’t allow any liquids such as bottles of water and pop as you board aircraft in San Jose. As we board, they search all bags even though we have already passed through security before getting to the gates, but they sell this stuff in the gate area – goofy!

Lake Nicaragua

Mexicana, Frontier and Delta flights all take off while we wait for our flight departure, which leaves on time and arrives in Dallas/Ft. Worth a few minutes early. I’m seated next to two young Tico guys on the flight out of San Jose. There are some terrific views of Lake Nicaragua, and the coasts of Honduras, Belize and Galveston as the flight angles across Central America and the Gulf of Mexico. We are served an omelet for breakfast, which I appreciate, since I missed the breakfast they were going to serve at the hotel starting at 7am.

San Jose to Dallas/Ft. Worth to Seattle to Victoria - flight map
San Jose to Dallas/Ft. Worth to Seattle to Victoria – flight map

In Dallas/Ft. Worth I’m departing from gate A9 for Seatac, which is located in the original terminal. It is still nice, but not as grand as the D terminal where I departed for San Jose on my way down a couple of weeks ago. I take the train to get to this terminal. The train is designed better than Seatac’s since it is elevated and it is also behind the security lines, so I don’t have to go through that ordeal again. Oops I should be at gate C17 instead of A9 – back on the little train and 15 minutes later I’m there with time to spare! The flight attendants on my first flight gave me the wrong gate for my ongoing flight, so from now on I’ll just check the display boards once I get into the airport terminal.

We are flying through slush as we approach Seattle, but it clears by the time we are on final approach. Needless to say I’m wearing my coat in the terminal – so cold compared with Costa Rica! It’s controlled chaos at the Horizon Airlines gates, but I have lots of time before my 11pm departure to Victoria. Lots of people are waiting for flights to Kelowna, Edmonton, Montana, and other destinations. I strike up a conversation with some folks who are flying to Montana after vacationing in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico – their first trip outside the USA. They have premium Tequila stashed in their checked bags. I don’t have the heart to tell them it will either be smashed or stolen by the time they arrive home.

My flight to Victoria leaves on time, and thank goodness my checked bag shows up in Victoria all in one piece. I clear Canada Customs and Immigration and take a taxi home, arriving around 1am. When I get up in the morning, there is snow coming down!

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Tamarindo to San Jose

2009 Southern Skies Fiesta & Tamarindo Coast

March 7, 2009 – Saturday – flying from Tamarindo to San Jose, Costa Rica

We are up early again this morning, and take one last walk down the beach looking for turtles. We find two dead baby turtles, however we also see 32 tracks leading to the sea, so most of them obviously made it early this morning after hatching.

I have an 11:15am flight with Nature Air (no longer operating) from Tamarindo Airport to Pavas Airport in San Jose. My friends are also leaving Hotel Las Tortugas this morning, driving to San Jose using transportation arranged through Swiss Travel. I try to get a ride to the airport, but their driver doesn’t want to cooperate, so I take a taxi instead…another US$30! My flight is delayed until 1pm (taking off about 1:15pm) however this is a direct 45-minute flight to San Jose. I add to my aerial photo coverage of the Costa Rican countryside on the flight, since there are clear skies.

High oblique of urban development in the valley, and cloud-covered Poas volcano

The taxi from the airport to Hotel Casa Roland only costs 2,000 Colones (about $4). The hotel is really funky, with corridors and lobbies all over the place, the rooms are decorated with fine art, folk art and sculpture and antique furniture, and there are ceiling fans throughout the place, including one in my room. It is about 30ºC in my room – a welcome relief from the afternoon heat at Tamarindo, however I still want to cool things down a bit more, so I figure out how the air conditioner works and get the room temperature down to 25ºC. I then have a bit of a siesta and work on my computer afterwards, since the hotel has high speed wireless. It’s sure nice to travel in a country that is so well connected to the Internet.

I have dinner at Paragon Restaurante (now closed), which is recommended by the hotel, and is right across the street. It is a fancy place and they give a 10% discount for hotel guests, but the place is empty except for one couple. I have a glass of Chardonnay wine, a chicken breast with roasted potatoes and vegetables, and an Americano to finish. The total with taxes is US$15.29 after the discount – very reasonable! I leave the servers a couple of US$ as a tip and get out of there. The service is impeccable, the food is excellent, and yet there is nothing Costa Rican about the restaurant, so it doesn’t appeal to me. It’s as if I was in a restaurant back home.

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Tamarindo – days 4 to 6

2009 Southern Skies Fiesta & Tamarindo Coast

March 4, 2009 – Wednesday – Hotel Las Tortugas, Tamarindo, Costa Rica

My friends knock on my door at 6:15am wanting to walk down the beach to see if there are any turtles. We don’t walk quite as far as we did yesterday morning, but we see some baby turtle tracks in the sand leading from a nest pit in the sand to the waterline. There are also some egg fragments in the nest, but no sign of the baby turtles. We see a very colourful orange and blue crab on the way back, who has quite the attitude when I get close for a photo.

Since the restaurant doesn’t open until 8am, we make some coffee in my friends’ room and then go up to my room to enjoy it on the balcony. There is a warm breeze as we sit in the rocking chairs and chat – what a wonderful way to start the day.

There were some intense colours in the sunset with reflections off the ocean swells this evening as we sat on the beach enjoying our time in such a sublime place.

It’s good for the soul to have a day for yourself…nothing planned, no obligations.

March 6, 2009 – Friday – Hotel Las Tortugas, Tamarindo, Costa Rica

This is our last day in paradise. Tomorrow we travel back to San Jose and leave for home on Sunday flights. If we had known about Liberia being an international airport, we could likely have saved ourselves a day’s travel time and the expense of transportation to and staying in San Jose. File this away for future reference, if I ever return to this part of Costa Rica.

I have delicious banana pancakes and fruit for breakfast, which we’ve enjoyed several times during our stay. We have to watch out for the Magpie Jays when eating meals on the dining patio. By lunch time it is very hot at 39ºC (100ºF) in the shade and windy – often the case while we’ve stayed here. I cool down by joining some young Tico men in the pool this morning, and then listen to some music on my iPhone while I recline in a hammock. Lunch is chicken quesadillas and fresh watermelon juice.

We take photos of a couple of green iguanas, which are on top of the nearby roof – they love the heat. I take video of the pelicans diving into the surf to feed.

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Tamarindo Estuary

2009 Southern Skies Fiesta & Tamarindo Coast

March 3, 2009 – Tuesday – Tamarindo Estuary, Costa Rica (day 3)

My friends and I are up at 6am in order to be picked up at 7am for a taxi ride to the Hotel Bula Bula, the starting point for our two hour motorboat trip up the estuary. Since we’re up so early, we have time to quickly go down the beach in search of turtle tracks. We find no new tracks but some turtle egg remnants are around a former nest, and there is a Frigate bird soaring over the beach. We return in time to take the taxi to our launch point for the boat trip. We have time for a very nice breakfast in The Great Waltini’s restaurant (now closed), where they have a tame parrot who entertains everyone with his antics.

Crocodile in the water

After breakfast we board the little 8-seater boat and wind our way through the narrow channels of Estero Tamarindo, a national wildlife refuge. Since we depart at 8am, the temperature is pleasantly cool. We see lots of birds, a group of Howler monkeys, and a couple of crocodiles. We return to our launch point by 10am and our taxi is waiting to take us back to the hotel. Cost of the boat trip is US$25 each, plus US$10 each way for the taxi – breakfast extra of course.

My friends join me on my balcony and bring some cold coffee to sip while we watch the action at the pool. After they leave, I take my iPhone and earphones down to a hammock and spend an hour listening to music before wandering up to the restaurant for lunch – a beer and a quesadilla. What a life! We meet Wilson, the owner of the hotel, who is a real character with lots of stories to tell.

I return to my room to download the latest photos from my cameras to have a look at the results from today’s excursion to the estuary, and I also check my email from home. I am really enjoying having my notebook computer with me while I travel. It gives me something familiar to do, helps me to stay in touch with home, and I can process the travel photos I’ve taken. Of course, on this particular trip I’ve also used it to process my astrophotos, so I can see if I’ve had some success the previous night.

I do some laundry in the bathroom and hang them over the rail to dry in the hot afternoon sun and strong winds – they are dry in an hour! After tramping around in the muck to see the Howler Monkeys this morning, I decide to also wash off my running shoes, and put them out on the balcony to dry overnight.

A crowd of people gather on the beach to watch the spectacular sunsets each evening. As with elsewhere in the tropics, the sun sets in about twenty minutes…by 6:15pm it’s all over. I’ve taken some good photos of the sunsets over the last few days. Getting some subject matter in the foreground is always a challenge, but the colours are spectacular.

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Tamarindo – day 2

2009 Southern Skies Fiesta & Tamarindo Coast

March 2, 2009 – Monday – Hotel Las Tortugas, Tamarindo, Costa Rica

My friends return from their morning walk on the beach and tell me about the turtle tracks they saw. I grab my camera and take my morning walk along the beach at about 8am. The day heats up quickly at this location, so it is important to get out as early as possible if there is any outside activity to be done. I find the turtle tracks and while I’m taking photos a woman approaches me to tell me she saw a turtle returning to the sea about 15 minutes ago just up the beach a bit further. She suggested I get out on the beach a bit earlier and try to see one. I thanked her for the suggestion, since the turtle tours are not offered in this area after Feb 15th.

Female turtle tracks leading to a nest on the shore margin

There are lots of surfers out this morning riding the waves that are breaking just offshore. There is a woman with a Canon 600mm telephoto setup on the beach taking photos. What a monster lens! Apparently she is from a local surfer shop, where they sell packages which include taking photos of their customers as they ride the waves. The winds are strong and the surf continues throughout the afternoon, so the surfers are out there until the Sun sets.

I am settling into a lazy routine here at the hotel. After last week, it is nice to have little planned, so I find a hammock setup in the shade and listen to a Rick Steeves podcast on my iPhone. He had Fred Plotkin as a guest, who is a travel food writer, has written a book about Italian cuisine, and lives in Italy for six months of the year. He has some valuable insight into Italians and their food and wine. I well know how fanatical Italians are about using fresh, locally supplied food! A more recent Rick Steves interview with Fred about Italian cuisine.

Avellanas the hotel dog having a snooze on the beach

This evening’s sunset over the Pacific Ocean is spectacular (see banner image above). People are walking and playing on the beach while this light show goes on to the west. Of course I’m out there too, and meet Avellanas the hotel dog, who is having a snooze on the beach now that it’s cooler.

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Tamarindo – day 1

2009 Southern Skies Fiesta & Tamarindo Coast

March 1, 2009 – Sunday – Hotel Las Tortugas, Tamarindo, Costa Rica

I had only finished my first cup of coffee and placed my order when my friends join me for breakfast. Afterward, we do some computer work in the Wi-fi area near the front desk, since there is no Wi-fi in the rooms or other areas of the hotel. I walk the beach this morning – a sublime day with light winds, clear skies and not too hot. There are a few Ticos (local Costa Ricans) enjoying the surfing. Later in the morning, we have some coffee in my friends’ room, since they have a fridge and a coffeemaker.

I have a very good chicken quesadilla for lunch. The rather slow Internet allows me to post four astronomy photos to my online gallery and also setup an email account on my notebook computer so I can maintain contact with home. There was no connectivity at La Ensenada Lodge where we were staying previously, so it’s nice to be able to catch up with friends and family.

We make arrangements with the hotel staff to on a boat trip up the estuary to see the birds and other wildlife. Initially, we read in the pamphlet about renting canoes and a guide, but none of us are too keen on the canoe concept, so this boat trip appeals to us. Cost is only US$25 each for about a two hour boat trip, so we book it for Tuesday at 8am. That will get us back to the hotel before it gets too hot.

Here on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica, the winds often pick up in the afternoon, sometimes being quite fierce. The temperature also climbs to the point where it’s uncomfortably hot, so afternoons are a good time to take a siesta or hang out in the shade by the pool, which is protected from the wind.

My friends and I enjoy beer, natcho chips and salsa around 6pm, and eventually ordered dinner. I enjoy a local mahi mahi fish burger, since I am still pretty full from the quesadilla I had for lunch. My friends order a Tico entrée and a palmito (palm heart) salad to share between them – a good idea to get some variety and keep the cost reasonable.

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San Jose to Tamarindo Flight

Feb 28, 2009 – Saturday – Flying from San Jose to Tamarindo, Costa Rica

2009 Southern Skies Fiesta & Tamarindo Coast

This morning I share breakfast with several of the Southern Skies group before they leave for home. I also hook up with a couple from our group to share a ride with them to Pavas airport (Tobías Bolaños International Airport), where we catch a flight to Tamarindo. My friends I’ll be spending the next few days with in Tamarindo have arranged for a private driver and van to drive them to Hotel Las Tortugas. I’m glad to be flying to Tamarindo, since it takes about an hour, whereas my friends will be on the road for over four hours.

Nature Air (no longer operating) charges me US$25 for my overweight bag, which I expected since they have a strict 35lb limit for baggage because they use Twin Otter aircraft. They also weigh each passenger (including carry-ons), so they are pretty careful to avoid overloading their aircraft. Pavas Airport is small enough to make it easy to find the airline counter you are looking for, and the staff are casual, friendly, and helpful.

Flights versus driving San Jose to Tamarindo
Flights versus driving San Jose to Tamarindo

Our flight leaves at 11:45am, which is a bit later than the 11:15am departure time printed on my e-ticket, but who cares since we don’t have to make any connections. I get some really nice aerial photos as we fly to Liberia, and then to Tamarindo. Liberia’s Daniel Oduber Quirós International Airport has flights from American Airlines, Continental, and Air Canada landing here. If I had known that, I would have returned home from Liberia instead of taking an extra day to fly back to San Jose and having to stay overnight before flying home.

The taxi ride from Tamarindo airport to the hotel costs me US$30 – I think the taxi driver saw me coming on that one, since I was expecting to pay $20 for the short drive. The staff at Hotel Las Tortugas are very friendly, although not all speak English, they all understand some of what I say. I am booked into my room #10 as previously arranged, and have some time to settle in and have a shower before my friends arrive mid-afternoon. We have a beer and a chat before they go to their room to have a siesta.

I see the Sun setting at 6pm from my balcony, so quickly go out to the beach to take some photos of the beautiful panorama. There are quite a few people on the beach watching the sunset, which reminds me of Long Beach on Vancouver Island, Canada where my family and I stayed for a few days last September. By the time I return to my room, my friends are ready to have dinner. I take a photo of the Crescent Moon & Venus from my balcony before going to bed. I have turned off the air conditioner in my room, since I want to acclimatize to the local warm temperatures.