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LAND AHOY!
This country´s port industry honors the name of “Costa Rica”,
which in English means “rich coast”. Each cruise ship that comes to
its coasts will find optimum conditions for disembarkation:
Specialized operators, excellent flotilla, surveillance and security
from the Ministry of Public Safety, traffic police, and ambulances.
Professional guides will be waiting to take tourists along the many
available tours that will attract everyone.
Costa Ricans value highly the great natural treasures they have
inherited. At the present time, approximately 25% of the territory
has several protected areas: National Parks, Biological Reserves,
National Wildlife Refuges. This exotic display of flora and fauna,
is waiting for tourists from all over the world in a unique place,
different from any other destination.
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All this natural beauty comes with advantages that will make
your trip more enjoyable: Tour operators with broad experience in
serving cruises, multi-cultural cuisine, a safe atmosphere, and many
recreational activities. The beautiful coasts of the Caribbean and
Pacific Region can also be easily accessed.
In addition to the above-mentioned facts, visiting Costa Rica
will be an unforget- table experience, not only for its natural
beauty and a world-known democracy, but also for its people. “Ticos”
are warm, friendly, and many foreigners who visit the country, find
their conservative manner, quite appealing. With all this, tourists
can feel free to explore and venture, traveling short distances –
less than one day – between each location.
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| COAST TO COAST, CLOSE TO ANY DESTINATION |
| Cruise disembarkation, in the Pacific as well as in
the Caribbean coasts, is done in a professional and safe manner.
Both have suitable infrastructure from where tourists can join
several exciting tours throughout the country.
The capital city, San José, is less than 3 hours away from any of
those ports of call, which is very convenient to reach the active
business center and enjoy the many opportunities for adventure this
country has to offer.
The uniqueness of Costa Rica lies in the numerous options
tourists can find to go on tours that will make them go deeply into
nature and fun. Some of these exciting choices include: Visits to
volcanoes, national parks, forests, expe - riencing the “tico”
culture, hiking, bird watching, and many others. The National
Theatre, located downtown, is an architectonic jewel that no one
should miss plus the Gold and Jade Museums for an enriching cultural
visit, creating a perfect complement for pleasure traveling.
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| PORTS IN THE CARIBBEAN COAST |
| Puerto Limón, the most important spot in the
Caribbean for cruise calls, awaits visitors with an exuberant
vegetation and its friendly Afro-Caribbean culture.
When you arrive in Limón, you will find many options to enjoy
your visit. In the Northern Caribbean region you can be more in
contact with nature while visiting the Tortuguero National Park.
This zone offers bird watch, turtle watch, sailing along canals, and
an enormous variety of flora to complete the tour.
The Southern Caribbean region has beautiful beaches. Cahuita,
Puerto Viejo, and Gandoca Manzanillo are the villages that best
represent the Caribbean flavor, shown in their architecture and
cuisine.
All this scenic beauty is complemented by an excellent tour
system. They offer a great variety of options for the visitor:
Canopy tours, horseback tours, nature observation, the canals of
Tortuguero, visits to pineapple plantations, tropical flower
plantations, sugar haciendas or banana plantations and even a city
tour.
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| Puerto Limón has a privileged location
in the Caribbean, for its proximity to the Panama Canal, the Gulf of
Mexico, and the Southern part of the United States. At 160 kms from
San José, this port is run by JAPDEVA ( Port Authorities for the
Atlantic Region). Located at 9°, 59´, 30 “ Latitude to the North,
and 83°, 01´, 48” Latitude to the West, Puerto Limón has a 280
m-long and 70 m –wide breakwater, with a new multipurpose quay.
Works to dredge a new harbor are presently under way. It will be 14
m deep with a 500 m turning diameter.
The cruise terminal and the roll-on/roll-off post were built in
1997, and modernized in 2003, to meet the requirements of passenger
ships. It is 10 m deep, 295 m long, and 16 m wide, and it also has a
tourist terminal. The port complex offers all the necessary services
for an adequate operation, such as drinking water, fuel, pilotage,
medical services, and others.
Distinguished cruise companies, such as Carnival, Royal
Caribbean, Norwegian, Premier Holland America, and many others come
to Puerto Limon during cruise season that runs from October through
April..
The Port of Moin is 8.2 kms to the west from Limón. It is located
at 10°00´ N and 83°05 W. The Limon-Moin port complex is one of the
most important of its kind in Central America. It connects Costa
Rica with major international markets in the United States, Latin
America, and Europe.
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| PORTS IN THE PACIFIC COAST |
| Puntarenas and Caldera are the two main ports in
the Costa Rican Pacific coast. These two ports are run by the INCOP
(Port Authority for the Pacific Region ).
Leaving from Puntarenas or Caldera, tourists will be less than 2
hours away from the many exciting tours of the zone: National Parks
in the Middle Pacific region, like Manuel Antonio and Carara. In the
Central Valley, there is the awesome Poas Volcano and Sarchí, where
tourists will find a wide display of the work of local artisans at
affordable prices. San José, the capital city, is approximately 2
hours away from Puntarenas.
The Central Pacific region has numerous interesting options,
like: tours on Horseback, alligator watch, aerial trams, white water
rafting, and walks along bridges suspended from the tree tops.
Base ships, which are those cruises with Costa Rica as their
final destination, come to Puerto Caldera. Passengers then fly back
to their country, or they sometimes choose to visit the country for
a few more days. This port has a marginal wharf with a 490 m- long
docking area.
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| The port of Puntarenas is located at
9°, 58 ´ latitude to the North. It has a jetty, divided in two
sections: the first one starts on the coast shore, with a 207 m-
long access bridge. The second one is a docking platform, with
fenders on both sides and bollards for mooring. A 16 x 8 cluster of
piles for docking and mooring, and an 8 x 8 m cluster of piles for
mooring connected by two zinc-coated steel bridges. It also has two
265 m – long docking areas, with a 14 m- wide floor. Average depth
is 10.5 m and the ocean current is at two knots. The port also has
pipes for a good supply of drinking water, fuel, cables for power
supply and telephone lines, plus all the necessary services to suit
large cruise companies, such as: Carnival, Princess Cruises,
Crystal, and Norwegian among others.
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| A COMPLETE TOUR
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| Because of its geographical location, Costa Rica is
an exuberant biological bridge for botanical and zoological species.
Its territory forms a narrow passage that shelters flora and fauna
from North and South America. There is also a wide range of
indigenous species that will amaze everyone.
The beauty of the natural resources found in the Caribbean and
Pacific coasts will invite you to return.
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