Puerto Limón is where Costa Rica’s rainforest, Caribbean culture, and banana country meet. Built around your ship’s schedule, this shore excursion begins shortly after arrival and brings all three together in one port day. Walk beneath the rainforest canopy at Cahuita National Park, where the jungle meets the Caribbean Sea, looking for sloths, monkeys, and toucans. Then trade the trail for a covered boat and glide through the Tortuguero Canals, scanning the riverbanks and treetops for crocodiles, birds, bats, and wildlife. Beyond the rainforest, travel past banana fields and communities with deep Afro-Caribbean roots. A city tour connects Puerto Limón’s landmarks with the coastline where Christopher Columbus reached Costa Rica in 1502. By the time you return to your ship, Puerto Limón is no longer just a port—it’s the rainforest trails of Cahuita National Park, the jungle waterways of the Tortuguero Canals, banana country, and the unmistakable rhythm of Costa Rica’s Caribbean coast.
From the operator’s live schedule on Viator, checked Oct 3.
Your Caribbean adventure begins just outside the main entrance to the Puerto Limón Cruise Port, where your tour guide will welcome you before the city streets give way to coastline, rainforest, and tropical countryside. Set off in air-conditioned transportation with a group of no more than 20 guests. Along the way, pass rural communities, colorful fruit stands, and crops such as cacao and achiote while hearing the story of the region’s Afro-Caribbean culture. At Cahuita National Park, discover the place where the rainforest meets the Caribbean Sea. Follow a flat, shaded trail along the shoreline for an approximately 45-minute nature walk as your guide helps you look for sloths, monkeys, toucans, iguanas, colorful frogs, and other wildlife hidden among the vegetation.
From the wildlife of Cahuita, continue into another side of Limón’s story: the banana plantations that have shaped the province’s economy and communities for generations. Stop beside a working plantation and learn how bananas are cultivated, harvested, processed, packed, and prepared for export. Then visit a local souvenir shop reflecting the cultural influences of Costa Rica’s Caribbean coast, with time to browse regional products and handicrafts or purchase food and drinks.
Trade the road for the water as you board a covered boat for a relaxing 60-minute cruise through the Tortuguero Canals. Dense tropical vegetation surrounds the boat while your guide helps you search for howler monkeys, sloths, toucans, aquatic birds, bats, crocodiles, and other wildlife living along the waterways. After the cruise, enjoy a fresh tropical fruit snack before returning toward the port. Along the way, take in the historic streets of Puerto Limón and hear how the city developed into Costa Rica’s principal Caribbean port. Approximately six hours after departure, return to your ship having explored the Caribbean coast by road, rainforest trail, and jungle canal.
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For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Puerto Limon 6 in 1 Highlights Shore Excursion lasts about 6 hours. The itinerary has 3 stops.
Prices start at $169 per person for this Limon experience, booked through Viator with the price shown before checkout. There is 1 booking option, so the final price depends on the option you choose.
According to the operator’s current schedule, it runs every day.
Children aged 4–11 pay from $159, adults from $169. Infants go free.
Yes. Cancel at least 1 day before the start for a full refund. Later cancellations are non-refundable.
The meeting point is Meet your guide at the main entrance to the Puerto Limón Cruise Port at 8:00 AM or 30 minutes after your ship arrives, whichever is later. Pickup is not available inside the cruise terminal. Provide your ship’s full name and scheduled arrival time when booking. Hotel pickup is not part of this experience.
The experience is available in EN, ES.
It is a small-group experience with a maximum of 35 participants.
Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller Specialized infant seats are available
Yes, bookings are confirmed instantly.
Travellers rate it 5.0 out of 5 across 9 reviews on Viator and Tripadvisor; it is run by Next Experience Travel.
Reviews collected by Viator and Tripadvisor
Stephen was a wonderful guide! This tour was a highlight. We got to see so much wildlife and see how the bananas are processed. He provided a much better experience than expected and added some local insight. We were able to see sloths several times, howler monkeys, and toucans.
You learn a lot about the country and get to see a tour that is very much to you. Highly recommended
Interesting trip Nice guide, very knowledgeable about animals and plants. He knew the schedules, so that we could avoid mayor crowds.
Already in advance we were informed extremely courteously about the course of our tour. At the port we were welcomed with a smile from Stephan. We spent the entire day exclusively with him, which made the tour very individual and personal. Stephan showed us numerous highlights and explained to us patiently and with a lot of expertise everything worth knowing about flora and fauna. We were particularly impressed not only by the well-known sights, but also by the many little information and places off the beaten track. Thanks again for this great tour and the unforgettable experience in this beautiful country!
Natalie and our driver Juan Carlos were a great team. She was delightful and very knowledgeable and he was a safe and friendly driver. We thourghly enjoyed our tour.
This excursion is a great way to discover the flora and fauna of the country. We have seen monkeys, sloths and caimans, among others. The tour guide was very competent. The bus was new and comfortable.
We had a great time with a small group of 12 exploring the national park, banana plantation, and boat ride on the canal, where we got an up-close view of a sloth climbing down a tree. Our guide Josue was informative and knowledgeable. Our driver Fernando was also very good. Overall, a very enjoyable day!
Great tour to get an overview of limon. Involves bus ride, boat ride and a little walking. Covers some history and culture. Got to see monkeys, sloths , snakes, green lizards and various birds
Hi Thomas, We’re thrilled you enjoyed our Puerto Limón 6-in-1 Highlights Tour during your cruise vacation onboard the Norwegian Jewel! It’s great to hear you had such a complete Costa Rica shore excursion, from the bus and boat rides to spotting monkeys, sloths, snakes, green lizards, and colorful birds while learning about the local history and culture. Thanks for choosing Next Experience Travel to spend your day in beautiful Puerto Limón, Costa Rica. Feel free to share your amazing stories and tag us on Instagram and Facebook @NextExperienceTravel so other travelers can discover this incredible destination too! Hope to see you again on your next cruise adventure. Warm regards, The Next Experience Travel Team 🌴
Extremely knowledable guide in a nice air conditioned medium size bus. We visited a rain forest where we saw monkeys, sloths and a horned viper as well as several other animals and plants. The pace was reasonable not too slow. We saw how chocolate was made and bananas farmed and then we took a boat ride and saw more sloths.
Hi Rich_H, We’re thrilled to hear you had such a fantastic day exploring Puerto Limón with Ariel! He’ll be so happy to know you enjoyed his knowledge and passion for sharing Costa Rica’s amazing wildlife and culture. Seeing monkeys, sloths, and even a horned viper sounds like an incredible rainforest adventure! Thank you for choosing us during your cruise on the Emerald Princess to spend your day in beautiful Costa Rica. We’d love to see your favorite moments—share your stories and tag us on Instagram or Facebook at @NextExperienceTravel so other travelers can discover this unforgettable destination too! Pura vida, The Next Experience Travel Team 🌴
| Tour | Duration | Rating | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Puerto Limon 6 in 1 Highlights Shore Excursion | 6 hours | 5.0 (9) | $169 | |
 Cahuita Park & Prospect Plantation. Puerto Limon Shore Excursion | 5 hours | 4.9 (14) | $99 | View |
 Puerto Limon Shore Excursion to Cahuita Park & Tortuguero Canals | 5 hours | 5.0 (1) | $179 | View |
 Puerto Limón Scenic Highlights Shore Excursion | 4h 30min | — | $119 | View |
 Tortuguero Canals Including Playa Bonita and Puerto Limon Highlights | 3–4 hours | 4.8 (394) | $70 | View |
 Full-Day Tour to Cahuita National Park from Puerto Limon | 6–8 hours | 4.9 (251) | $110 | View |
 Cahuita National Park Tour and Water Experience in Puerto Viejo | 5–6 hours | 4.9 (159) | $90 | View |