Puerto Caldera, Costa Rica

[wines60]

Taking the Zuiderdam Apr. 20, 2010, and one of the ports of call is Puerto Caldera. Any info on this stop would be appreciated. Take ship sponsored excursions; independent tours; strike out on our own? Thanks for any help!

[CtWolfpacker]

Puerto Caldera is a small commercial port. There are no permanent tourist facilities on site. There is no town to speak of close by. With a ship as large as the Zuiderdam docked there, there may be some tour operators present on the quay on the day you're there, but you never know. Most ships dock at Puntarenas which is further north than Caldera.

[wines60]

Thanks for the info. I guess selecting an excursion through HAL would be the best bet. I appreciate your reply.

[arlodog]

We docked in Punterenas and there were tour operators available at the pier. We booked in advance with Tucan Limos. They did a great job!

 

There really isn't much at the port to speak of--a small shopping area with vendor stalls. Some of the people on the ship tried to make it to the capitol to tour, but with the road contruction going on they had to turn around and we met up with them in a small town where we visited the local fruit stands.

 

The only feedback that I got from others that did a HAL tour was that the tour to see the painted ox carts was a huge waste of time and money!

[mcmarya]

We stopped at Puerto Caldera in November on the Oosterdam--looks like Holland American mostly uses this port instead of Puntarenas. There were plenty of tour operators offering tours the day we were there. We hadn't really planned on doing anything so we just got on a party bus to Puntarenas which was $20 each and OK. There are 3 stops, a quick stop at a market, a stop at the Catholic church and surrounding area, and a stop near the port.

 

Next time, I would take a tour to the Tarcoles river where you can take a boat ride and see the crocodiles being fed. Several shipmates did this and ending up touring most of the day for about $40 each including the boat ride.

 

There is free wi-fi at the port building. We were able to get a signal in the Explorers lounge on the ship. There is also a small shopping area where you can purchase local craft items. Hope this helps.

[wines60]

We stopped at Puerto Caldera in November on the Oosterdam--looks like Holland American mostly uses this port instead of Puntarenas. There were plenty of tour operators offering tours the day we were there. We hadn't really planned on doing anything so we just got on a party bus to Puntarenas which was $20 each and OK. There are 3 stops, a quick stop at a market, a stop at the Catholic church and surrounding area, and a stop near the port.

 

Next time, I would take a tour to the Tarcoles river where you can take a boat ride and see the crocodiles being fed. Several shipmates did this and ending up touring most of the day for about $40 each including the boat ride.

 

There is free wi-fi at the port building. We were able to get a signal in the Explorers lounge on the ship. There is also a small shopping area where you can purchase local craft items. Hope this helps.

 

 

Thanks so much for the infomation. The Tarcoles trip does sound like what we were looking for. Also thanks for the tip regarding free wi-fi!

[Drummond Creek]

Our cruise is leaving out of Puerto Caldera. Wanted to pick up a few supplies (like a case of Diet Coke!) before we board. Any body see a corner/grocery store close to the pier?

[mcmarya]

There is pretty much nothing close to the pier. It is a commercial port, not really a tourist port.

[tbtraveler]

Interesting that I am just now in the middle of editing my photos from this port from last October. We were on the Statendam. We took the Mangrove River Cruise on the Tarcolas River cruise offered by HAL. We originally wanter the Train Ride and River tour, but train ride had been cancelled because of problems. Although it is an industrial port, there were alot of artisans set up at the port, and I bought some lovely souveniers...rose wood wine bottle holders for $5, and phone wire bracelets for about that same amount...unique items for gifts, and everyone was very friendly...not pushy like in Mexico.

 

Although people hired people at the port, we are not real comfortable with that from the "get back late to the port" aspect, which did happen on our tour, but the ship was waiting for us. Our tour had a guide - Wilhelm - who was most knowledgeable of the country, the politics, climate, flora, fauna, etc. We really enjoyed this part of the cruise, and it made us want to go back to more of Costa Rica in the future...Enjoy!!!