Caribbean Highlights Shore Excursion from Limon
Limon, Costa Rica
- 5 hours (approx.)
- Pickup offered
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
When your cruise ship docks in Limon, spend the day exploring highlights of Costa Rica's Caribbean side on this combo shore excursion. Taste farm-fresh tropical fruit and learn about the region's sweetest export and see a banana plantation. You'll also get an up-close look at Costa Rican wildlife like birds, monkeys, and frogs on a rainforest boat safari tour down the biodiverse Tortuguero Canals. Swim or sun at a local beach and take a tour of the bustling port city of Limon before getting back on your ship.
- Cruise along the Tortuguero Canals on a boat safari
- Relax and swim on Playa Bonita beach
- Take a sightseeing tour of Limon's port city
- Great way to get a taste of the region's nature and culture in one day
What's Included
- Transportation
- Bilingual tour guide
- Organic Farm and Small Banana Plantation tour
- Tortuguero Canals boat safari
- Limon port sightseeing
- Food and drinks
- Gratuities
- Lunch
Meeting and Pickup
You can head directly to the meeting point, or request pickup
Itinerary
1
Tortuguero Canal
1 hour 30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
2
Playa Bonita
1 hour 30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking, unless booked within 2 days of travel. In this case confirmation will be received within 48 hours, subject to availability
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Infant seats available
- Most travelers can participate
- Minimum drinking age is 18 years
- May be operated by a multi-lingual guide
- At time of booking, cruise ship passengers must provide the following information: ship name, docking time, disembarkation time, and re-boarding time
- Refunds will not be issued if tour/activity is missed due to late or non-arrival of cruise ship
- A minimum of 4 people per booking is required
- If infant seats are needed please inform us
- Please acknowledge that while we strive to provide opportunities to observe wildlife in their natural habitats, sightings cannot be guaranteed. The presence of animals can vary based on numerous factors, including time of day, weather conditions, and their natural behaviors. We encourage you to enjoy the journey and appreciate the beauty of nature, even if wildlife encounters may not occur during your visit.
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 40 travelers
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Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Reviews
4.6
based on 91 reviews
Lisa_S, Feb 2026
Juan, our guide, did an excellent job sharing info and taking us to great sites in Limón, Costa Rica. We took a great safari boat ride and saw a sloth, iguanas, howling monkeys and several bird species. The plantation visit was awesome! We learned about local fruits, coffee and sugar cane.
Elaine_R, Feb 2026
Juan with Gio Tours was a great travel guide. Antonio was the driver and also took great photographs during the canal ride. We saw at least two sloths, a baby crocodile, many birds, and several monkeys.
Response from Host, Feb 2026
Dear Elaine_R:
Thank you very much for taking the time to write us a review!
It is great to hear that you had an amazing time watching several animals and that Juan and Antonio made this a rich experience for you. We will be sure to let them know.
If you ever come back to Costa Rica again, don't hesitate to let us know.
We would be pleased to show you every detail of this beautiful country!
Best regards
GioTours
johanna_a, Dec 2025
It was just ok. I’ve been on many Viator tours and this wasn’t one to recommend. The canal boat ride wasn’t very impressive
Greg_S, Dec 2025
Great tour guide. Did all he could do to find wildlife and explained things in detail. He was not rushed at all!
Response from Host, Feb 2026
Dear Greg_S:
Thank you very much for taking the time to write us a review!
We are happy to hear that the tour guide made this tour an amazing time for you. We will be sure to let them know.
If you ever come back to Costa Rica again, don't hesitate to let us know.
We would be pleased to show you every detail of this beautiful country!
Best regards
GioTours
Keena_B, Mar 2025
Juan and Charlie were the best tour guides we’ve ever had. Very fun, polite, respectful and informative. I would highly recommend this tour to everyone, you will not be disappointed
Response from Host, Apr 2025
Dear Keena_B:
Thank you very much for taking the time to write us a review!
We are thrilled to hear that you had an excellent time on the tour and that Juan and Charlie made this a rich experience for you We will be sure to let them know.
If you ever come back to Costa Rica again, don't hesitate to let us know.
We would be pleased to show you every detail of this beautiful country!
Best regards
GioTours
Doug_L, Feb 2025
Great experience. Tour guide made it feel like we were spending a day being shown the area by a new friend.
Lots of interesting history shared, modern times in the Limon province explained and a few fun jokes told.
Guide went as far as to "airdrop" is the pics he took of and for the group on the ride back to the cruise ship. What a nice "over and above" gesture
Want to come back to Costa Rica just to hang out with my (now old) friends again.
Response from Host, Feb 2025
Dear Doug_L:
Thank you very much for taking the time to write us a review!
We are happy to hear that you could watch several animals and that Pablo made this a great experience for you we will be sure to let them know.
If you ever come back to Costa Rica again, don't hesitate to let us know.
We would be pleased to show you every detail of this beautiful country!
Best regards
GioTours
Mary_S, Feb 2025
Tour guide was easy to find and their directions from the ship were great. But do give yourself a good 15 to 20 min to find them.
Juan was a fabulous tour guide. He is a Costa Rican native born in limon. Very knowledgeable and obviously loves his country.
Our boat ride down the canals was very good. The boat host and Juan were able to spot all the animals there were to see.
I would highly recommend this tour.
Response from Host, Feb 2025
Dear Mary_S:
Thank you very much for taking the time to write us a review!
We are glad to hear that you had an excellent time watching several animals and that Juan made this a great experience for you, we will be sure to let them know.
If you ever come back to Costa Rica again, don't hesitate to let us know.
We would be pleased to show you every detail of this beautiful country!
Best regards
GioTours
Mandy_W, Jan 2025
This seems to be a very popular trifecta of experiences in Limon and our tour guide, Delmark was excellent. He knew a lot about the native plants and animals and was able to communicate well. Although we did see a few animals on the canal tour thanks to the sharp eyes of our guides, it didn't seem worth the trouble of boarding a boat bc we were able to see all of the same animals from land with the exception of the very small and well-hidden cayman. Also, the tour description states that a fruit tasting was part of the tour, but we did not get any fruit to taste which was a big disappointment. I would skip this tour in the future and do something else, but this is not a reflection of the tour guide.
Response from Host, Feb 2025
Dear Mandy_W,
Thank you very much for taking the time to write us a review.
We are glad that you were able to learn so much about the plants and animals of the area from our tour guide!
As you were able to notice yourself, wildlife moves, and sometimes you are able to spot some aquatic animals from land; however, the intention of the Boat Tour is to see a different kind of ecosystem and learn about the different types of adaptations that both aquatic plants and animals that are native to this area have developed since most of them can only be seen from the water.
Best regards,
GioTours
Regina_B, Dec 2024
I think they tried to deliver a quality experience, but needed a little more organization. They need better instructions on finding their Van as it was outside the port and the instructions did not explain that. Another tour rep told us GIO Tours was outside and we had to exit the port. Two people were very late because of this. We did not visit a beach but it was raining so I understand. The plantation tour was also impacted by rain, so everyone jumped out and ran to the gift shop which made it so crowded (with other tours), you could barely move. Because our group of 8 was split up, we did not get a tour of the plantation together as promised. We walked through an area by ourselves, but there was no guide or information on what we were seeing. The owner seemed concerned that everyone have a great time, so they tried, but they needed more organization at each stop and full communication on what their customers will see and do. It was not the worst, but it wasn't the best either. Did appreciate the talk on Costa Rica and its biodiversity by their friendly guide.
Response from Host, Dec 2024
Dear Regina_B,
Thank you for taking the time to write us a review.
Thanks to your comment, we have improved our communication with our customers and now provide more detailed instructions on where to meet us in the pier.
Unfortunately, as you experienced firsthand, the weather in the tropics can be completely unexpected, and just as you may get a sunny day, you may have a rainy or stormy day, which will limit how easy it is to do some of the activities.
I'm sorry to hear that you got split up from your party, as if you had been able to find your tour guide, they would have been able to provide the banana plantation tour to all the group instead of you walking through the area by yourself; however, we will take your suggestion about including more information on the trails to the owner of the plantation for their improvement.
We are glad that you were able to at least enjoy the rest of the tour.
Best regards,
GioTours
Rachelmike22, Nov 2024
We enjoyed our tour of Limon with our guide Pablo, who was very knowledgeable about the area and kept things lively and interesting. Cruising down the canal was the best part of the trip because our captain and Pablo brought the boat up nice and close to see the sloths (one was actually moving around) and the howler monkey family and a boa constrictor. Lots of birds too. Unfortunately there is a fungus among the banana trees at the moment so we didn't get to tour the plantation and the gardens we stopped by to tour were extremely crowded because all of the tours had to change and stop there. Just FYI, there was no beach stop and our ship didn't leave early so that's not part of the tour at this time. It's still a great value for the price.
Response from Host, Nov 2024
Dear Rachelmike22, thank you very much for taking the time to write us a review!
We are thrilled to hear that you had an enrichment time watching several animals and that Pablo made this a good experience for you we will be sure to let them know.
Also, I apologize for the inconvenience on the banana tour! If you ever come back to Costa Rica again, don't hesitate to let us know.
It would be our pleasure to show you every detail of this beautiful country! Best regards GioTours
Barbara_T, Apr 2024
We were alone on the trip (6 people) with the guide Manuel, who had a comfortable vehicle. Cabrito Manuel took us along the Tortuguero canal, where we saw monkeys, sloths, caimans, beautiful birds,… Then we went to a banana plantations, Bonita beach, we also bought souvenirs. We had a great explanation, we got a lot of information about Costa Rica. We got a comprehensive answer to every question! TOP! Great trip, we really strongly recommend a trip with Cabrito Manuel (Cabritours Transports)!!
Response from Host, May 2024
Dear Barbara_T,
Thank you very much for taking the time to write us a review!
We are glad to hear that you had such a good time with Manuel and that you enjoyed your tour so much.
If you ever come back to Costa Rica again don't hesitate to let us know as it would be our pleasure to show you every detail of this beautiful country!
Best regards
GioTours
Patricia_H, Feb 2024
While floating down the canal, Pablo went out of his way to get our boat up close enough to see several sloths up in the trees. We also saw some monkeys. He let each of us go up front and take pictures. At the banana plantation, he explained the process in the hot sun. He took a group picture of all of us and air dropped it to us.
Response from Host, Feb 2024
Dear Patricia_H,
Thank you very much for taking the time to write us a review!
It seems like you had a great opportunity of seeing sloths and other animals, we are glad to hear that you enjoyed the tour.
If you ever come back to Costa Rica again don't hesitate to let us know as it would be our pleasure to show you every detail of this beautiful country!
Thelma_Z, Feb 2024
We had a great guide, very informative about the Island’s history and he did his best to accommodate us. This experience is worth the trip!
Response from Host, Mar 2024
Dear Thelma_Z,
Thank you very much for taking the time to write us a review!
We are glad to hear that you enjoyed the tour on the island and that our tour guide Made this an enjoyable experience for you.
If you ever come back to Costa Rica again don't hesitate in letting us know as it would be our pleasure to show you every detail of this beautiful country!
Best regards
GioTours
fred, Jan 2024
We didn't go to beach or banana plantation which were both supposed to be included in this tour. I will say that the guide was very nice and knowledgeable.
Response from Host, Mar 2024
Dear fred,
We appreciate that you took the time to write us a review.
Unfortunately, when the ship leaves a bit earlier than expected, we need to cut off the beach visit to guarantee a safe return.
If you ever come back to Costa Rica, we would love the chance to make it up to you.
Best regards
GioTours
John_B, Dec 2023
Our tour guide Pablo was great and knowledgeable! Jose was a great driver. Bus was comfy with AC and smelt nice. Saw a few sloths and learned a lot about the local flora and fauna. Recommend!
Response from Host, Mar 2024
Dear John_B, Thank you very much for taking the time to write us a review! We are glad to hear that you enjoyed the tour and that both Pablo and Jose made this an enjoyable experience for you and we are happy to know that you learned about the local flora and fauna. If you ever come back to Costa Rica again don't hesitate in letting us know as it would be our pleasure to show you every detail of this beautiful country!
Stephanie_A, Feb 2023
Saw lots of wild life, including sloths. Brilliant, friendly, knowledgeable guide, nothing was too much trouble
Response from Host, Feb 2023
Dear Stephanie_A,
Thank you very much for taking the time to write us a review!
We are happy to know that you had a nice tour, got to see so many animals and that the tour guide did a good job.
If you ever come back to Costa Rica again don't hesitate in letting us know as it would be our pleasure to show you every detail of this beautiful country!
KMMGeller, Feb 2023
Liked getting up close to see the sloths when on the canal cruise. People up front on the bus said they didn't want to stop at the beach or the fruit stand stop so we missed those 2 experiences. Jose should have gone down the aisle and taken a vote to see who would like to make those stops! Disappointing for us. So highlights wasn't really accurate. Missed 2 important highlights.
Response from Host, Feb 2023
Dear KMMGeller,
Thank you very much for taking the time to write us a review!
We appreciate your comments about the experiences, we have talked to our tour guides and will make sure that our tour guides keep the expected schedule and if anything needs to be changed for them to discuss it with the whole group.
If you ever come back to Costa Rica again don't hesitate in letting us know as it would be our pleasure to show you every detail of this beautiful country!
floridawineaux, Feb 2023
Pablo, our tour guide, was very nice and knowledgeable…however he should not have allowed a very small minority of people dictate whether we saw certain things that we expected on this excursion…namely the beach and fruit stand. The worst thing was the air conditioning on the bus, which was almost non-existent. We have done many excursions with Viator all over the world and been pleased, but this was not one of those times.
Response from Host, Feb 2023
Dear floridawineaux,
Thank you very much for taking the time to write us a review!
We are sorry to hear that the way the activity management was not ideal, we have talked to our tour guides and will make sure that this is avoided in the future. We also apologize for the situation with the A/C, the bus we were using for the day had a mechanical failure in the middle of the tour that kept half of the bus without the air conditioner. As soon as the bus came back to our headquarters we send it to the shop to fix it. Unfortunately this was an out of the ordinary situation that happened the very day of the tour.
Scott_O, Jan 2023
Guide was amazing and informative. He knew everything about the plants, animals and locations we went. this was very educational and very fun. The time flew by. Family loved it. Out of all the tours we took this was their favorite.
Response from Host, Jan 2023
Dear Scott_O,
Thank you very much for taking the time to write us a review!
We are very pleased to know that you and your family liked and had fun in our tour.
If you ever come back to Costa Rica again don't hesitate in letting us know as it would be our pleasure to show you every detail of this beautiful country!
Sookyeon_K, Jan 2023
Do yourself a favor and please avoid playa Bianca. The canal safari was decent and we had fun. But the beach is so lame. And the tour guide told us to go to restaurant called quinbamba on the beach. That was a nightmare. The guide said the other restaurant was too expensive. Ha! That true. We waited for food for 50 minutes and still no sign of food. So we went to reina‘s that tour guide said was too expensive and not good. Liar! We wasted time on the beach and the restaurants
Are really bad and the beach is super bad. Skip the beach.
On top of that, they overbooked and my husband had to sit on the some tiny stool on the bus
Response from Host, Jan 2023
Dear Sookyeon_K,
Thank you for taking the time to write us a review
We are glad to know that you had fun in the Safari Boat tour and the other portions of the tour.
We are sorry that the beach portion at the end of the tour was not of your liking. Since you visited our country for such a small period of time our options to go to beaches close by are limited.
As you were able to notice, you came to Costa Rica on peak season, our tour guide made recommendations of restaurant options, however, they were probably full and that was the reason why it took so long, as you may understand, the serving capacity of a restaurant is out of our control and our tour guide made recommendations based on their experience of the local area.
We are very sorry about the overbooking and are working hard to avoid this situation from happening again.
Stacy_S, Dec 2022
Pablo was an incredible guide. He spotted wildlife and helped us get great pictures. We enjoyed the canal and found the banana plantation that was created for tourists to keep the real plantations safe and was neat. He broke open a cacao pod for us to taste. The fruit stand was fun also. We enjoyed many small bananas.
We would do the tour again.
Response from Host, Jan 2023
Dear Stacy_S,
Thank you very much for taking the time to write us a review!
We are happy to learn that you enjoyed our our tour and the banana plantation experience.
If you ever come back to Costa Rica again don't hesitate in letting us know as it would be our pleasure to show you every detail of this beautiful country!
Shawn_H, May 2022
Fantastic tour and fantastic tour guide. Pablo was amazing and we felt safe and secure the entire trip while seeing beautiful scenery, visiting awesome local spots and hearing about rich Colombian history. Would recommend.
Response from Host, Aug 2022
Dear Shawn_H,
Thank you very much for taking the time to write us a review!
We are glad you were able to enjoy our Caribbean Highlights Shore Excursion tour here in Costa Rica.
If you ever come back to Costa Rica again don't hesitate in letting us know as it would be our pleasure to show you every detail of this beautiful country!
Just access our website for information or write us directly to our email!
Dona_H, Dec 2021
Great experience with Jesus!! Spotted lots of animals for us!! Knowledgeable and great guide. Would recommend if coming to Limo n.
Response from Host, Mar 2022
Dear Dona_H,
Thank you very much for taking the time to write us a review!
We are glad you were able to enjoy this tour as much as we did! We are happy that you were able to see so many animals and that Jesus our tour guide did a good job.
If you ever come back to Costa Rica again don't hesitate in letting us know as it would be our pleasure to show you every detail of this beautiful country!
Just access our website for information or write us directly to our email!
Rcbiggert, Dec 2021
We booked this as a shore excursion. It was fantastic the tour guide was amazing , pick up and drop off right at the port terminal. I would highly recommend this trip.
Response from Host, Mar 2022
Dear Rcbiggert,
Thank you very much for taking the time to write us a review!
We are glad you were able to enjoy this tour as much as we did!
If you ever come back to Costa Rica again don't hesitate in letting us know as it would be our pleasure to show you every detail of this beautiful country!
Just access our website for information or write us directly to our email!
Thomas, Mar 2020
Many thanks to our great tour guide during this day. Very informative day, we saw sloths, he found a beautiful frog and I really liked the respectful way he treated the animals, the wildlife and his country.
Response from Host, Apr 2020
Dear Thomas,
Thank you very much for taking the time to write us a review! We appreciate your comments and are glad you were able to see a small section of this beautiful country.
If you ever come back to Costa Rica again don't hesitate in letting us know as it would be our pleasure to show you every detail of this beautiful country! Just access our website for information or write us directly to our email!
Owner,
Gian Carlo Granados
David_P, Mar 2020
Very good tour. Tour guide Adonys was well spoken, informative, humorous, and an overall nice guy. Good history of Costa Rica and Limon. Banana plantation was disappointing as we could only drive close to the fields. Beach tour was no more than having a 15 minute look-see. The river tour was pretty neat although the resident animals were difficult to see. The market tour was very good as we were able to sample fruits and other foods and do some shopping for local merchandise.
Response from Host, Apr 2020
Dear David_P,
Thank you very much for taking the time to write us a review! We are glad to know that you considered our tour very good as well as our tour guide. Unfortunately due to the banana disease Fusarium we cannot enter the fields due to mandatory phytosanitary restrictions and well being of the local economy. We are happy to know that you also enjoyed the tour even though animals, as you can understand, live on their own and move freely across the rain forest.
If you ever come back to Costa Rica again don't hesitate in letting us know as it would be our pleasure to show you every detail of this beautiful country! Just access our website for information or write us directly to our email!
Owner,
Gian Carlo Granados
James_P, Feb 2020
This was a fun and informative excursion. Our guide was Jesus and he did an amazing job. We saw a sloth which had come down from a tree and got close up photos and videos of it walking on the ground before climbing up another tree. The boat ride on the canals was a little disappointing due to limited wildlife observations and lots of other boats around. Jesus grew up in the area and he took us out into the jungle a little ways where he found a strawberry dart frog to show us for up close photos. We highly recommend this excursion.
Response from Host, Feb 2020
Dear James_P,
Thank you very much for taking the time to write us a review! We are happy to know that you were able to enjoy the excursion and even see a sloth! As you understand sometimes wildlife may be complicated to spot as it moves freely but that's just part of been in the tropics and not a zoo!
If you ever come back to Costa Rica again don't hesitate in letting us know as it would be our pleasure to show you every detail of this beautiful country! Just access our website for information or write us directly to our email!
Owner,
Gian Carlo Granados
misch99, Jan 2020
Our guide Pablo was excellent. It seemed like he loved the country and was excited to share everything with us. We enjoyed the tour.
Sue_E, Jan 2020
Jesus our guide was excellent. i use a walker. Staff were great in assisting me, They even made sure I had the first seat on the bus.
JMM-LA, Jan 2020
Pablo & driver Jose were eager to share their city with us - stopping along the route to view wild monkeys and sloths in the trees - INCREDIBLE! Absolutely loved the cruise along Tortuguero Canal - spotted lots of wildlife. This was the best tour on our Panama Canal cruise!
From $79.00
per personup to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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