Costa Rica cruise ports
Costa Rica's calls fall on two coasts. Puerto Limón on the Caribbean and Puntarenas, Puerto Caldera and Golfito on the Pacific are alongside berths: Puntarenas's long pier lands you beside the town waterfront, Caldera is a commercial port where the day starts with a gate and a transfer, and Golfito's working pier sits on Golfo Dulce. Quepos, Playas del Coco, Playa Flamingo, Tortuga Island and the Curú Wildlife Refuge are small-ship calls by the ship's own boats, some of them wet landings onto a beach. Pick the guide for your berth or landing, then weigh a national park or rainforest outing against the transfer time back to the ship.
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Getting into town
A walkable port isn't necessarily step-free. At tender ports, the walk starts at the landing. A fare may cover only part of the journey, so check the guide for the full route.
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| Port | Destination | Walking assessment | Time / distance | Arrival | Shuttle / public transport |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Curu | Destination endpoint: not recorded. | Not recorded Route conditions: not recorded. | Walk: Not recorded Distance: Not recorded | Tender · walking starts after landing | Shuttle: not recorded Public transport: not recorded |
| Golfito | Destination endpoint: not recorded. | Not recorded Route conditions: not recorded. | Walk: Not recorded Distance: Not recorded | Dock | Shuttle: not recorded Public transport: not recorded |
| Playa Flamingo | Destination endpoint: not recorded. | Not recorded Route conditions: not recorded. | Walk: Not recorded Distance: Not recorded | Tender · walking starts after landing | Shuttle: not recorded Public transport: not recorded |
| Playas del Coco | Destination endpoint: not recorded. | Not recorded Route conditions: not recorded. | Walk: Not recorded Distance: Not recorded | Tender · walking starts after landing | Shuttle: not recorded Public transport: not recorded |
| Puerto Caldera | Puerto Caldera berth to the main port gate, the onward pickup point for independently booked transport on Star Clippers calls. | Not recorded Route conditions: not recorded. | Walk: Not recorded Distance: Not recorded | Dock | Shuttle: not recorded Public transport: not recorded |
| Puerto Limon | Destination endpoint: not recorded. | Not recorded Route conditions: not recorded. | Walk: Not recorded Distance: Not recorded | Dock | Shuttle: not recorded Public transport: not recorded |
| Puntarenas | Puntarenas cruise pier to Paseo de los Turistas at its landward end. | Conditional A practical route for passengers comfortable with the long pier approach, but pace yourself in the heat. Follow the marked pedestrian route to the waterfront. INCOP lists pedestrian signage; the tourism board places the promenade around the cruise pier. | Walk: Not recorded Distance: Not recorded | Dock | Shuttle: not recorded Public transport: not recorded |
| Quepos | Marina Pez Vela's cruise arrival dock to central Quepos. | Realistic A realistic option using the marina's marked pedestrian exit towards town; its visitor map identifies the boardwalk, central market and bus station. Marina map. | Walk: Not recorded Distance: Not recorded | Tender · walking starts after landing | Not needed: you can walk |
| Tortuga Island | Destination endpoint: not recorded. | Not recorded Route conditions: not recorded. | Walk: Not recorded Distance: Not recorded | Tender · walking starts after landing | Shuttle: not recorded Public transport: not recorded |
How to read these comparisons
We only compare shuttles and public transport where walking isn't a clear yes. A bus or shuttle may cover only part of the way, or go somewhere else entirely, so check the guide for the route and what the ticket covers. Free shuttles come first. Fares are only put in order when the tickets are the same kind.
Not recorded: we haven't checked this yet, though the guide may say more. None: the guide records no such service. Not applicable: the comparison doesn't fit, either because the guide covers a route or several places, or because you can walk and a shuttle doesn't matter. Unknown fare: there's a service, but we don't have its price. Service unknown: we haven't confirmed the shuttle runs.
Times and distances run from the berth or landing to the landmark named in each guide. That isn't always the city on your itinerary. On the walking page, realistic walks come first, then conditional ones, then ports where walking isn't practical. Within each group, the shortest walks come first.
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