We did a one day excursion on our cruise, and I would love to go back to really experience the country. Because most of the better things to do in Costa Rica are in the interior, it's about a 2 hour ride each way, at least from the west coast. For that reason, some people just stay on the ship. I am very glad I did not. Things to see:

• The capital city of San Jose. The opera house is supposed to be beautiful and the rest of the city received good reports too.
• The town of Sarchi. Craftsmen make leather goods and donkey carts here that many people buy for souvenirs (I did NOT buy a donkey cart!, but I did buy a very well made purse in Costa Rica)
• The National Parks. Costa Rica is volcanic, so there are several parks with active volcanos that you can see. These parks also have nature walks and animal preserves
• Ziplining! We did not go, but this would be a great place to go. You go through well maintained rainforests. The lines and rigs for this are well-maintained as well.
• Waterfalls
• Hot springs. This is what we did. Not far from the Arenal Volcano, there is an area where the ground water is heated from vents below. The whole area was like what I imagine paradise to look like. I would LOVE to go back, but it would have to be for several days, since the ride to and from the springs is long and bumpy. But take a look and see what you think: www.tabacon.com
• Beaches. These are not as far from the port.

Jim, I did not see barbed wired around Puntarenas, and that area is extremely poor. There is not much to do there, unless you go on an excursion, but I did not hear of people being bothered they way they do in some of the Caribbean ports.

Since Costa Rica is volcanic and in a rain forest, the roads need constant maintenance, and that is not always easy to come by. I can say the worst part of our excursion was having to be in a bus on bumpy roads for long periods of time. But for one day, I can put up with it! We also only had 4 ports on our cruise, so I did not want to miss this one!

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