EPIC World Quest – Puntarenas (¡Pura Vida! From Colorful Costa Rica)
Don’t Judge a Book by its Cover
The port town of Puntarenas, Costa Rica is lined with long sandy beaches and is an attraction for both locals and tourists alike. However, it’s evident that the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have hit this small port town especially hard. When we embarked on this 196 day Around the World Cruise, we looked at the short duration at each port as a giant “Sampler Platter” of the World. If our impressions of Costa Rica were based solely on a one-day visit to this port town, we probably wouldn’t give Costa Rica a second thought for future travel. If you are visiting this port as part of a cruise, I highly recommend booking a shore excursion and moving inland exploring more of this ecologically diverse country.
Thankfully for both of us, we’ve spent nearly a month in this country and enjoyed much of wonderful places it has to offer. I (Jason) celebrated my divorce and newfound singleness by booking a 16-day Costa Rican Adventure through a small-group tour company called G Adventures (formerly GAP Adventures). GAP Adventures got its name through a double meaning of “Great Adventure People” and bridging the gap between “backpacking” and other forms of travel. Pricilla and I started our international adventures together on another G Adventures trip to Costa Rica. On the 9-day Costa Rica Quest, I proposed to Priscilla during a beautiful sunset dinner after a fantastic day of exploring Manuel Antonio National Park.
Neither of our trips to Costa Rica visited the port and beach town of Puntarenas. After reviewing the cruise line coordinated shore excursions, we decided to book the “Jaguar and Macaw Sanctuary” visiting the NATUWA Wildlife Sanctuary (https://www.natuwa.com/macaw-conservation-sanctuary/). On a previous trip, I (Jason) visited the Jaguar Rescue Center (https://www.jaguarrescue.foundation) on the Caribbean Coast and wanted to share a similar experience with Priscilla. The mission of the NATUWA Wildlife Sanctuary and the ability to view the wildlife up close made it a worth while experience.
Walking through Puntarenas
Before embarking on our shore excursion to the NATUWA Wildlife Sanctuary, we had several hours to explore the port town of Puntarenas on our own. We walked to the end of the pier to the Antigua Capitania del Puerto (Port Authority) building. This building has since been repurposed as a tourist information building. Outside the building I spoke to a gentleman working for the tourism board who asked me where I was from. He was very excited when I told him “Wyoming”. He grew up in the Lander area, just over the Wind River Mountain Range from where my parents retired.
From the Antigua Capitania del Puerto we turned left and walked a couple miles down the Paseo de los Turistas (beach boardwalk) enjoying the beach, local shops, and street vendors as we made our way to the lighthouse. Along the way we passed the Parqueo Puntarenas (large Puntarenas sign) for the obligatory photo stop and the old Port Customs House that now houses the Universidad Técnica Nacional. During our walk we encountered several older American Muscle Cars (Camaros and Mustangs) and a refurbished VW Dune Buggy. We also observed a brightly colored Cuban Food Truck with a rowboat mounted to the roof. We returned to the pier through interior town streets walking past several brightly colored murals, a small Church built in 1902 – the Catedral del Sagrado Corazon de Jesus, and the Casa Fait which housed the US Consulate from 1950 to 1960.
As I mentioned in the opening paragraph, Puntarenas’s economic woes are evident throughout the town. However, we witnessed a heart-warming moment that restored our faith in humanity. We observed a young man distributing bag lunches to each homeless person he encountered along his way.
NATUWA Wildlife Sanctuary
The best way I can describe wildlife in Costa Rica is downright magical. The vivid colors and variety of animal species and large swaths of unspoiled wilderness really brings out Costa Rica’s natural beauty. I will share more of our experiences in a future blog about Jason’s and my more extensive trip in 2018. However, even on this quick stop to Puntarenas and the NATUWA sanctuary will give you a little taste of Costa Rica’s magical landscape. Our tour started at the cruise terminal, and we traveled via a small sprinter van on an hour-long ride through large tracts of farmland deeper into the rainforest. Along the way we learned a lot about the “Pura Vida” culture, natural history, and the importance of coffee growing and eco-tourism to the Costa Rican economy.
Once we arrived to the sanctuary we were led by a guide through a small path in the rainforest and learned about the flora and fauna of the area. The guide also told us how animals come to the sanctuary and what the process was to return animals into the wild. Many of the animals such as the macaws, jaguar, jaguarundi, monkeys, tamarins, and tapirs, are kept in fenced enclosures. While this makes it difficult to get “in-the-wild” photos, it is part of the rehabilitation process for many of the animals and they will eventually be returned to the wild. The “openness” of the sanctuary attracts lots of wildlife that interact with the rescued animals and provides opportunities to capture photos of these wild visitors as they come and go.
The highlight of this tour was when I was walking along a path I look up in a tree, only two-to-three feet above my head and see a three-toed sloth hanging out. I was able to get a sloth selfie and amazing video! This sloth was a resident of the sanctuary due to the fact he was missing his left arm. This is one of several animal sanctuaries in Costa Rica and if you get a chance to visit this beautiful and magical place make sure to check one out!
