Puerto Limon Cruise Port

Puerto Limón sits on the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica and serves as the country's main port, positioned strategically close to the Panama Canal to connect the country with North America, South America, the Caribbean, and Europe. The city is the second largest in Costa Rica by population after the capital, with around 60,000 residents. Ships dock at the Hernán Garrón Salazar cruise terminal, which was fully refurbished in 2019. Puerto Limón is primarily a port of call on Caribbean itineraries rather than a turnaround port.

The city's population is multicultural, with many residents of Afro-Caribbean descent, and both Spanish and Limonese Creole are spoken here. Christopher Columbus first dropped anchor in Costa Rica in 1502 at Isla Uvita, just offshore from Puerto Limón. The town was founded in 1870, and part of its population traces roots to Jamaican, Chinese, and Italian laborers who worked on a late 19th-century railroad connecting Puerto Limón with San José.

The rainforest is the main draw for most cruise passengers visiting the port. The rainforest offers many options for exploration while in port. The Veragua Rainforest Park, a 3,212-acre nature reserve with views of the remote Talamanca Range, allows visitors to fly over trees on an aerial tram, zip-line through the tropical forest or spot three-toed sloths while hiking. The Tortuguero Canal offers a more contemplative outing where you can paddle among water lilies, orchids and sea turtles, with sloths dangling from trees, iguanas jumping into the water and tropical birds overhead.

The climate is temperate and pleasant, hovering around 77F (25C) throughout the year. The beaches in Limón province are known for their Caribbean character, with white sand and warm waters at spots like Playa Bonita, Playa Blanca and Puerto Viejo. The city center is only about 250 yards (230 metres) from the cruise terminal. Local food reflects Caribbean and Spanish influences, including distinctive dishes such as rondon, a hearty ginger-spiced stew of coconut milk, yams and seafood, along with patacones (fried plantains) and agua de sapo (ginger lemonade). Puerto Limón is famous in Costa Rica for its yearly carnival, which occurs in early October and was started in 1949 by local community leader Alfred Josiah Henry Smith.