--- title: "Puntarenas Cruise Port" url: https://cruisello.com/destinations/caribbean/puntarenas description: "Costa Rica's Pacific coast of cloud forests and volcanoes" --- # Puntarenas 🇨🇷 · Costa Rica · Caribbean > "Costa Rica's Pacific coast of cloud forests and volcanoes" ## At a Glance - **Avg. Ships/Day:** 1.1 - **Avg. Time in Port:** 10.7h - **Visiting Sailings:** 99 - **Cruise Lines:** 10 ## Peak Season Busiest months: Apr (35 sailings), Dec (26 sailings), Oct (16 sailings) ## About Puntarenas Puntarenas is a narrow, flat peninsula on Costa Rica's Pacific coast. Ships dock right in town, and the Malecón, a waterfront walkway, starts near the pier with restaurants, souvenir shops, and small sodas (local eateries) serving casados, the typical rice-and-beans plate with meat or fish. The town itself is modest and doesn't take long to walk through, but it functions as a base for excursions into the surrounding countryside. The Aerial Tram near Jacó takes you on a gondola ride above the rainforest canopy, with guided commentary on the wildlife below, including howler monkeys and toucans. Zip-line tours are available nearby. Crocodile tours on the Tárcoles River are popular and reliably deliver sightings of large American crocodiles basking on the banks. Back in town, fresh ceviche is cheap and good. The currency is the colón, but US dollars are accepted almost everywhere, and taxis are affordable. ## Quick Facts - **Currency:** CRC (CRC) - **Language:** Spanish - **Timezone:** America/Costa_Rica (UTC-6) ## Location Coordinates: 9.9788, -84.8332 - [Open in Google Maps](https://www.google.com/maps/search/cruise+terminal+Puntarenas/@9.9788,-84.83321,13z) - [Open in Apple Maps](https://maps.apple.com/?q=cruise%20terminal%20Puntarenas&ll=9.9788,-84.83321&z=13) ## Things to Do in Puntarenas Top-rated shore excursions that fit a typical ~11h port call. Prices are starting prices per person. | Tour | Rating | Duration | Fits Port Day | From | Provider | |------|------|------|------|------|------| | [3 Hour ATV Medium Waterfall Tour (Swimmable Pool)](https://cruisello.com/gogogo/excursion/9133d667-94ad-4985-853d-21b7b68b2825.md?via=markdown) | 4.9★ (459) | 3h | ✓ | €91 | Viator | | [4 Hours ATV Exclusive Jaguar Waterfalls](https://cruisello.com/gogogo/excursion/b4c9efd8-16fe-43f2-b4b6-c7dbd1b9a48b.md?via=markdown) | 4.9★ (297) | 4h | ✓ | €118 | Viator | | [2 Hour ATV River Tour](https://cruisello.com/gogogo/excursion/12f0b5ac-f2aa-4699-8d46-55323c214cd6.md?via=markdown) | 5★ (175) | 2h | ✓ | €68 | Viator | | [EXCLUSIVE Night Tour with Night Vision- small groups 8 people max](https://cruisello.com/gogogo/excursion/448e0c3b-3137-432b-9c1c-11b5ab41bf4d.md?via=markdown) | 4.8★ (144) | 2h | ✓ | €36 | Viator | | [2-Hour Surf Lesson in Montezuma](https://cruisello.com/gogogo/excursion/b352d80a-d65b-4ed2-b185-f3abeb27ca79.md?via=markdown) | 5★ (101) | 2h | ✓ | €66 | Viator | | [Monteverde Night Walk: Sloths, Snakes & Nocturnal Wildlife](https://cruisello.com/gogogo/excursion/ee5152ae-1c1f-4e1d-8afc-9f434b129249.md?via=markdown) | 4.8★ (118) | 2h | ✓ | €32 | Viator | | [Half day surf and adventure in Montezuma](https://cruisello.com/gogogo/excursion/a7cc61a9-6ba6-4285-b9eb-fbe01d557905.md?via=markdown) | 5★ (86) | 4h | ✓ | €64 | Viator | | [Small Group Wildlife Refuge Monteverde Night Walking Tour](https://cruisello.com/gogogo/excursion/61ec345e-b02e-4a01-877b-13e8526e64d4.md?via=markdown) | 4.9★ (88) | 2h | ✓ | €26 | Viator | | [PRIVATE Guided Walk to the Monteverde Cloud Forest Preserve](https://cruisello.com/gogogo/excursion/ec299fde-b0e0-472a-8f26-f71cf8a1b76d.md?via=markdown) | 5★ (60) | 3h | ✓ | €62 | Viator | | [Monteverde Night Walk: Guided Wildlife Tour](https://cruisello.com/gogogo/excursion/05027e63-8179-456a-b566-6c06d21c2b44.md?via=markdown) | 5★ (51) | 2h | ✓ | €23 | Viator | | [From Cow to Cheese: Authentic Farm & Cheese Tour in Monteverde](https://cruisello.com/gogogo/excursion/37f0757c-f175-4d1f-9d69-7d6814430c33.md?via=markdown) | 5★ (51) | 2h 30m | ✓ | €36 | Viator | | [White Sand Beach Jaco Snorkel Adventure with Monkeys](https://cruisello.com/gogogo/excursion/5ffa260e-751a-49dc-b867-477e8721975a.md?via=markdown) | 5★ (49) | 3h | ✓ | €81 | Viator | Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews. ## Nearby Ports - [Quepos](https://cruisello.com/destinations/caribbean/quepos.md): 51 nm - [Puerto Limon](https://cruisello.com/destinations/caribbean/puerto-limon.md): 107 nm - [Colon](https://cruisello.com/destinations/caribbean/colon.md): 294 nm ## Cruise Lines Serving This Port - [AIDA Cruises](https://cruisello.com/cruise-lines/aida-cruises.md) - [Carnival Cruise Line](https://cruisello.com/cruise-lines/carnival-cruise-line.md) - [Celebrity Cruises](https://cruisello.com/cruise-lines/celebrity-cruises.md) - [Costa Cruises](https://cruisello.com/cruise-lines/costa-cruises.md) - [Holland America Line](https://cruisello.com/cruise-lines/holland-america-line.md) - [MSC Cruises](https://cruisello.com/cruise-lines/msc-cruises.md) - [Norwegian Cruise Line](https://cruisello.com/cruise-lines/norwegian-cruise-line.md) - [Princess Cruises](https://cruisello.com/cruise-lines/princess-cruises.md) - [Royal Caribbean](https://cruisello.com/cruise-lines/royal-caribbean.md) - [Virgin Voyages](https://cruisello.com/cruise-lines/virgin-voyages.md) ## Cheapest Available Sailing **[View this cruise →](https://cruisello.com/cruises/panama-canal-passage-cartagena-cabo~CCL-SPIRIT-20270329-16.md)** - **Price:** €812 per person (€1,624 total for 2 guests) - **Cruise Line:** [Carnival Cruise Line](https://cruisello.com/cruise-lines/carnival-cruise-line.md) - **Ship:** [Carnival Spirit](https://cruisello.com/cruise-lines/carnival-cruise-line/carnival-spirit.md) - **Duration:** 16 nights - **Departure:** 2027-03-29 - **Itinerary:** Panama Canal Passage – Cartagena & Cabo ## Featured Cruises from Puntarenas Prices are per person, two sharing, in the fare's own currency. | Cruise | Ship | Line | Departure | Nights | Price | |------|------|------|------|------|------| | [Isthmus Crossing – Panama Canal & Puerto Vallarta](https://cruisello.com/cruises/isthmus-crossing-panama-canal-puerto-vallarta~PCL-IP-20261212-16.md) | Island Princess | Princess Cruises | 2026-12-12 | 16 | €920 | | [Panama Canal Passage – Cartagena & Cabo](https://cruisello.com/cruises/panama-canal-passage-cartagena-cabo~CCL-SPIRIT-20270329-16.md) | Carnival Spirit | Carnival Cruise Line | 2027-03-29 | 16 | €812 | | [Panama Canal Quest – Cartagena & Cabo](https://cruisello.com/cruises/panama-canal-quest-cartagena-cabo~NCL-JOY-20270421-15.md) | Norwegian Joy | Norwegian Cruise Line | 2027-04-21 | 15 | €1,361 | ## Browse Cruises - [All cruises visiting Puntarenas](https://cruisello.com/cruises.md?stopoverPorts=puntarenas) (99 sailings) ## Browse - [Caribbean cruises](https://cruisello.com/destinations/caribbean.md) - [All Destinations](https://cruisello.com/destinations.md) - [All Cruises](https://cruisello.com/cruises.md)