Spent today with Odyssey Tours & Travel exploring Puntarenas, Costa Rica, with knowledgeable & friendly guide Alex. Traveling on NCL Jade, chose to go onshore for a Viator excursion.
Easy meet-up, new(ish) Mercedes van, 12 guest seats, we had 6, flexible and determined to please. Animals are fickle, and not always visible. We had exceptional encounters with White Face Monkeys and Macaws, crocodiles were not to be found (the site is currently under construction to provide an incredible upcoming experience over the water!) Alex & driver knew alternative locations to ensure wildlife sightings and picturesque scenery/ photos.
Monkeys were plentiful and adorable. NOT a zoo, these are "wild", but clearly know where the next snack comes from! DO NOT FEED the Monkeys if you don't want them climbing on you. (Reminded me of feeding the Stingrays in the Caribbean). This was so much fun, if at least one of you is willing! Words cannot describe - we were all laughing as not 1, not 2, but 3 white-faced monkeys jumped on the broad shoulders of my body builder son, for a 1/4 of an orange slice. LOL (See pics)
Driving between sites, or touring the main city, our guide entertained us with historical knowledge and species of birds monkeys, sloths and reptiles to look out for.
A stop for local fresh fruit (pineapple & mango) and the bathroom was refreshing. Lunch at a local restaurant, up in the hills with a great view, was enjoyed by all.
The pinnacle of our trip was an entire flock of Macaws in a high almond tree, near the beach. (Our trip up mountain was unsuccessful, thus we tried a local site). OMG!!! There were at least 20 Macaws, flying, perching, posing (?) So unexpected (and apparently rare to see so many together) we were all just mesmerized by these bright, spectacular birds.
A final stop at a souvenir shop, & so much more. Local artisans carving and painting Costa Rican animals/symbols and much local fare. (Ever been to Buc-ees in Texas?!)
The final highlight was a butterfly garden that included dozens of Costa Rican bright blue butterflies Blue Morpho and the Tiger Heliconian (see pic)s.
Dropped us off right where we began at the dock/walkway leading to the cruise ship. So much, in half a day (5 hours-ish) for so little. Definitely worth it!
We had a WONDERFUL time on this tour. The value for the price is really unbeatable. Ive been to Costa Rica before and we saw most of the highlights. Our tour guide, Alex, was very conversational and had a lot of info about the country and the wildlife. We even spotted a group of scarlet Macaws.
I did wish to have a little bit more time at the souvenir shop at the end because it is also a butterfly garden so we spent a good amount of time with the butterflies rather than shopping.
The pick up and drop off was easy and they keep track of your cruise ship in case of a port change.
We had a great day with our tour guide Albert and only 6 other people. The minivan was even equipped with free wi-fi! First stop was to visit Capuchin monkeys. Albert gave us bananas to bribe them and soon they were crawling on our shoulders. Long beautiful drive up to a remote village, a quick stop at the crocodile bridge, a break for a beer at a cute little bar, and a stop at a butterfly garden/gift shop. Overall, it was a great day. I would highly recommend this tour to anyone.