Welcome to Day 9 of our 15-day Panama Canal Cruise aboard the Island Princess. Join us as we enjoy another exciting port day, this time in beautiful Puntarenas, Costa Rica. Our days starts with a relaxing breakfast in the Horizon Court. Since our tour is not until after lunch, we decided to disembark the Island Princess to visit the port town. Upon disembarking, we were greeted by a choo-choo train that took us to the port exit. Right at the exit, we cross the main street to visit a flea-market style shopping center. We managed to get good deals on souvenirs, refrigerator magnets and baseball caps. After shopping, we walk along the beach, enjoying the warm sunny morning and picturesque views of palm trees, the port, the ocean, the surrounding mountains (and islands) and the Island Princess. We continue our walk along the beach, exploring the shops, restaurants, and hotels lined up along the beach and the main street.
We then headed back to the ship to get lunch, again taking the choo-choo train. Lunch was in the Horizon Court. After lunch, we disembarked the ship with the rest of our tour group and found our tour bus and tour guide waiting for us right next to the ship.
The first part of the tour is a s scenic one-hour journey with our very knowledgeable and charming tour guide, Adrian. Throughout the journey, Adrian provided us with a wealth of information about Costa Rica, its history, geography, and culture. The bus ride took us through the town of Tarcoles and to the eco-adventure Jungle Crocodile Safari, home to one of the world's most prolific crocodile populations and a sanctuary for over 50 species of colorful birds. After a brief restroom stop and a quick visit to the shops, we boarded a motorboat, and enjoyed a fun-filled cruise that took us along the mangrove-lined Tarcoles River to the mouth of the Guacalillo Estuary. During the boat ride, Adrian was again very effective and informative in spotting wildlife, identifying them (by exhibit number provided in the Safari brochure), providing enlightening information and explanation about the characteristics, habits, adaptation, and behavior of the animals. We saw a wide variety of birds including egrets, herons, kingfishers, vultures, pelicans, macaws, and many others. We also saw many lizards, including the Jesus Christ lizard, the basilisk. But the big attraction of the day was surely the huge crocodiles that bask in the sun on the clay banks. Among them is the biggest one, named by locals as Mike Tyson, for having bitten off body parts of other crocodiles. In between sightings of wildlife, Adrian showed us and explained the natural beauty of this environment, its geology and conservation efforts, including the Carara National Park. After the Jungle Safari, we were served a refreshing tropical fruit buffet accompanied by fresh juice and Costa Rican coffee. Before heading back to the ship we stopped at a shopping complex called “El Jardin” to shop for handicrafts and other souvenirs produced by local artisans.
By the time we get back on the ship, we have missed our dinner reservations at the Provence Dining room, so we had our dinner in the Horizon Court buffet. The memorable port day concluded with an entertaining show in the Princess Theater featuring Magician Greg Moreland.
Негізгі бет 2024 Island Princess Cruise to Panama Canal Day 9: Puntarenas, Costa Rica @CurachaBuhayAmerikaAtbp
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