Making the most of Puerto Caldera
Use these notes to shape a realistic day ashore, then confirm any time-sensitive information for the date of your call.
Arriving at the port
Some vessels, including Princess and Celebrity, call directly at Puntarenas, while others such as Holland America and Windstar use Puerto Caldera, a commercial port approximately a 20-minute taxi journey from the town of Puntaneras.
On docking in Puerto Caldera, passengers are welcomed by musicians and dancers displaying their exquisite showmanship.
Puerto Caldera has very limited facilities for cruise passengers.
See Puntaneras for further information.
Carara Biological Reserve, off the Orotina Highway and across the bridge from Río Tarcoles, is an excellent place to observe Puerto Caldera's animal and plant life. The reserve spans two forest types, with dry forest in the north and rainforest to the south. Visitors can appreciate plentiful fauna and flora across the region's hills and plains.
Poas Volcano is an attraction that should not be missed, but it is currently active and extremely dangerous, so visits are suspended until further notice. In the meantime, travellers wanting to see a volcano can go to Irazu Volcano, where as at Poas it is possible to drive right to the top, or Arenal Volcano. Manuel Antonio National Park, around 2 hours from Caldera, provides another alternative.
Getting around
Taxis at Puerto Caldera can carry visitors to surrounding destinations, including Carara Biological Preserve and the towns of Sarchi and San José.
Consult bus schedules for Costa Rica. Services leave hourly for the market in Puntarenas.
A cruise-ship excursion may be the best approach if you want to see a large part of Costa Rica.
When travelling beyond the towns, protection from mosquito bites is extremely important. The CDC recommends wearing lightweight long trousers and long-sleeved shirts and applying insect repellents with high concentrations of DEET.
Nearby places
Costa Rica translates from Spanish as rich coast, suggesting an ideal tropical paradise. A local song says that the Virgin Mary descended to Costa Rica and never returned to Heaven.
Costa Rica often carries the nickname Switzerland of Central America.
Costa Rica's remarkable biodiversity comes not only from its position as a land bridge between North and South America, but also from varied terrain and weather systems arriving from both the Pacific and Atlantic/Caribbean. Impressive volcanoes, mountains, rivers, lakes and beaches spread across the country. Many beautiful beaches lie on the popular Pacific coast, while the Caribbean side also has numerous excellent examples.
Food and shopping
Finding somewhere to dine is straightforward in Costa Rica. Kitchen hygiene standards are generally high wherever you go, so the danger of food poisoning is low. Expensive restaurants do not necessarily serve the finest meals; visitors are encouraged to try smaller establishments known as sodas, frequented by local people, where the food is highly authentic and often equal or superior in quality to costlier venues.
Money
The local currency is the Colón(es), with an exchange rate of about 575 Colones for 1 US Dollar. ATMs are available in most places and normally issue both US Dollars and Colones.
Staying connected
Spanish is Costa Rica's principal language. English is widely used in districts popular with international visitors.
Costa Rica's emergency number is 911.
Cafés providing free WiFi to customers are reasonably easy to find in visitor areas.
Opening Hours and
Shopping hours are Mon-Sat 0900-1800/1900, although they may vary between regions.
Costa Rica is a Catholic country whose holidays are largely connected to the church. Most businesses, banks included, close on official holidays. The nation shuts entirely during the main holiday period, Easter Holy Week, though only on Holy Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Some services may resume by Holy Sunday, but do not rely on this in remote areas.
The whole Christmas holiday week through New Year is now taken by most Ticos as an unofficial