Panama Canal Cruise Day 8

Day 8 was another port of call at the beautiful Puntarenas, Costa Rica. About six months before this cruise, I had previously taken a ten-day trip to Costa Rica. One of the places we went on that trip was near Puntarenas, so it was awesome to go back so soon. I was hoping to meet up with the guide I had from my previous trip to Costa Rica. Sadly, the schedule didn’t work out. Instead, we still got off and walked around for a while. This worked out well since it was such a beautiful day.

A view of the Puntarenas Port from the ship — Some photos of the port in Puntarenas, Costa Rica

Giant letters spelling Puntarenas in the port in Costa Rica — Some photos of the port in Puntarenas, Costa Rica

The other incredible thing about this port is the Carnival Splendor was there with us that day. The Splendor is the ship that took the opposite route. So they had just finished with the Panama Canal, and we were getting close to going through the canal. See picture below of both ships in port; you can tell the difference in the size of them pretty quickly in the photo.

Two cruise ships in the port of Puntarenas, Costa Rica — Carnival Miracle and Carnival Splendor in port together

Costa Rica is magnificent, and I was so glad to have spent so much time there. As far as beach areas go, Puntarenas is a pretty good place to visit in Costa Rica. There is a park a short drive south called Manuel Antonio National Park, and you can have a beautiful beach day as well and see some local animals such as sloths and monkeys.

Manuel Antonia National Park on my last trip

On my last trip to Costa Rica, we spent a few hours at Manuel Antonio National Park, and it was a fantastic time. This trip was taken with EF Ultimate Break. I also included a couple of photos below of the monkeys and sloths from my last trip. The only concern is that the monkeys like to steal things, so you have to keep a close eye on everything you bring with you. Another incredible place that I loved in Costa Rica was Monteverde. Monteverde is up in the mountains and is a great place to go for some of the more adventurous activities like zip-lining. Keep reading the next pages as we get closer to the Panama Canal!