Port Limon, Costa Rica - Cruise Port
Five Things We Learned!
Port Limon is a gateway to so much! It’s every bit as cool as we imagined—and then some.
Located on the east coast Caribbean side of Costa Rica, Port Limon is about 160 km from the capital, San Jose. With 29 national parks (three of which are UNESCO World Heritage sites), Costa Rica is the place for ecotourism, boasting an almost dizzying amount of rainforest activities like zip lines and hikes, as well as water activities like river trips and ocean adventures. For biodiversity, Costa Rica is one of the best!
Here are five things we learned during our visit:
1. The Port is Funky—in a Good Way
The port features two berths and fronts a large parking lot where tour buses and port-sanctioned operators meet you. This setup is pretty standard, with only a short walk to the cruise terminal building. However, Port Limon is an older pier and doesn’t sport shiny Duty Free shops or chain restaurants. This is a good thing; it retains a local feel, with warmth and charm that we really enjoyed. A local band greets you at the parking lot, and you can hear their music from the ship. The barrels turned into benches are a nice touch.
After navigating through the gauntlet of tour hawkers, you enter a souvenir market with interesting local finds, as well as a massage and haircut center. There are plenty of places to wash your hands and clean bathrooms, enhancing the local experience. You get a better feel for life here, with a post office and old-style revolving gates nearby. Be sure to take a picture of the local walking tour map, but bear in mind…
2. You’ll Need a Tour for Most of the Day
While Port Limon town has real charm, with classy architecture, a beautiful park, and local stores to explore, it won’t cover a whole day. The downtown area is good for a few hours of exploring and shopping at most; it’s smallish and lacks heavy-hitter attractions. That’s fine, though—it’s an opportunity to soak in local life, where many ethnic groups, particularly Jamaicans, have made their mark.
We recommend exploring the town to round out your time after a tour. Since we’re all about local tours, we won’t speak to ship-run excursions, but not to worry because…
3. You Have Solid Local Tour Options
Tours are a huge part of the tourism market here, with many operators to choose from. Did we say many? You’ll get plenty of offers right off the ship. However, for peace of mind, we recommend pre-arranging your tour with high-quality guides online to save the guesswork about quality and dependability. It’s a competitive market, which means you have a wide selection.
We used Cruise Critic forums and cross-referenced with TripAdvisor to create a shortlist of reputable companies that are local, have been in business for several years, and come with positive reviews from cruisers (because getting back to the ship on time is crucial). Through this, we found Jorge with Port Limon. Everything was arranged ahead of time, making it a smooth process to meet him outside and get started ASAP.
4. It’s All About the Nature!
The main reason for coming to Port Limon is the abundant flora and fauna. Many tours will cover at least a few aspects of the rainforests—it’s Costa Rica, after all! Jorge exposed us to ziplining across 11 lines of deep treetop canopy, an activity that originated in Costa Rica. We also enjoyed a trip down the Tortuguero Canals, the second-largest wetland in the country, nicknamed the Amazon of Costa Rica. Here, you can get up close to birds, iguanas, monkeys, sloths, and the famous Jesus lizard that can run on water! Jorge helped us spot wildlife using laser pointers, charts, and books. Even this small taste of nature felt like a lot!
5. Pura Vida!
“Pura Vida!” means “Pure Life,” and it can cover not just a greeting but also excitement, fun, or anything positive. It’s Costa Rica’s unofficial national slogan, an expression of a carefree and generous attitude. You’ll see it everywhere, so go with it! Jorge suggested a local restaurant over a tourist beachside one—Pura Vida! The friendliness we encountered made us want to come back again.
We eagerly await another trip to Port Limon. Even if you’re not a nature person per se, this place grows on you fast.
