Rainforest and Banana Exploration

We really enjoyed this tour. It was raining going thru the rainforest which it does often. It was nice but didn't see many things except monkeys and sloths which are everywhere. We didn't get to to thru the banana plantation but did get to see it and how it works. The best was the unexpected boat ride down the canal which was very cool.

We started off with a river cruise. The guide and driver went out of their way to make sure that we saw as much wildlife as possible. We went right in among the trees to see sloths. Also saw howler monkeys, a cayman and many birds. Then we were off by bus to a national park for a walk in the rainforest. We saw monkeys, raccoons and even a viper. I highly recommend this excursion.

This tour went pretty well. We were met at the cruise pier by Greenway Tours holding up a sign. We were taken by the banana plantation for a tour, tasted some fruit at the fruit stand. The best part was the walk thru the trees by the beach where we saw a monkey, some rather shy slouths, birds, and some snakes, one that was a really bright yellow. Then we stopped by a place that we could get a snack & a drink. Some people got a meal and delayed our bus leaving on time. Should have been given a more definate time to be back on the bus.

The young guide was very knowledgeable but a couple of things prevented us from giving this tour 5 stars. Firstly we only stopped at the banana plantation and did not walk through and explore as we were led to believe would happen. Secondly on our way back to the ship, the bus stopped at a store and we were told we had 20 minutes to buy something to eat or drink. One couple stupidly ordered a full meal and nearly 1 hour later they still has not been served. There were several frustrated passengers who wants to get going and the couple ended up bringing th food back on the bus! The tour guide should have been much stricter with timing and made sure that everyone knew what time we would be leaving. Otherwise the rain forest was interesting and she was very pleasant and had made us all handmade cards which was lovely.

Our tour guide was very informative and knowledgeable. The driver was great. I learned a great deal about Costa Rica and the lunch was great. the only problem was that the trip was on a Sunday and the Banana factory was closed!

On our cruise with Holland American we went on this excursion I believe it was November 6th, 2016. Our guide, Alberto Gonzalez Vargos was absoulutely wonderful. Even though it was a Sunday and we couldn't see the Banana plantation in action, Alberto made up for it with his wit, education of the area, humor, treats, and consideration of all on his tour. This young man loves his country and went above and beyond. The boat ride was fun, the aloe plant was interesting and I would recommend this tour to anyone. My only reservation is that it was not through the cruise lines and God forbid if something happened. Alberto reassured us and got us back in plenty of time! Thank you again Alberto!

Rey, our guide was knowledgable, protective and interesting.

Roberto was the best tour guide you could ask for. He was on time, friendly, great smile, very accommodating. He was great at giving everyone on the bus (there were less than 10 of us) interesting information about Costa Rica during the trip. He was extremely organized and attentive to safety. The river tour was an amazing opportunity to photograph birds, caymen, lizards, etc. The boat operator on the river tour had an eye like a hawk. He could spot everything of interest so easily which made for seeing a lot of things we would have missed. They had great selection of fruit & water after the river cruise. All the facilities were clean & people were friendly. Then in the rainforest, some people went zip-lining & the rest of us went on a walk through the rainforest. He was great at pointing out everything of interest & was able to answer all our questions. Again, attentive to safety on the sometimes slippery trail. More fruit & water after this trip. The banana plantation had sprayed pesticides that day so we weren't allowed to go in for safety reasons but the tour guide had a banana heart in the van and explained how bananas grow. This was very interesting. He stopped at a roadside banana shop & bought mini bananas for everyone on board. He was so friendly & knowledgeable. On the way back to the ship we stopped to see a Sloth he spotted in the trees which gave me one of the best pictures of the trip! Got back to the ship in plenty of time. Loved this trip. Thank you, Roberto (I think that was his name...see picture)

Guides worked well together and seemed to enjoy sharing their knowledge of the rain forest

We liked this excursion - the tour guide was excellent. It was obvious he liked his country and wanted us to know everything he knew. We enjoyed learning about the rainforest and the guide's enthusiasm was contagious.

Zip line sounds detracted from the rain forest experience Banana explanations were very interesting. disappointed that we didn't get into the factory

We really enjoyed the small group. Guide made the trip fun and educational.

This was above and beyond what we expected in experience, education, and activities! Our guide was absolutely wonderful - full of so much information about Costa Rica, Puerto Limon, its history, current culture, economy, education, politics, etc. We had a comprehensive tour of the town en route to a lovely boat ride, with flora and fauna pointed out to us in detail. Then, a long walk through the rain forest, again with lots of plants and critters introduced. The banana plantation tour was fascinating - so much info we had no idea about - loved that our guide popped into a market and brought us out some REAL bananas - yum! Also, there was wonderful tropical fruit for us after the boat ride and after the hike. We could not have been more pleased with our guide and this tour!!

Excellent guide. Good commentary on the various venues. Small group contributed to the value of the trip.

The excursion on the river and in the rain forest was a great experience. Alberto, our guide, was wonderful. He was exceptionally friendly, knowledgeable, and went the extra mile to make sure we had a good experience. Really enjoyed the river trip, the hike through the rain forest, and Alberto's pointing out the different wildlife species. He provided us multiple photo opportunities. The banana plantation was much more interested than we had anticipated. All in all a great day; would highly recommend to all.

The tour guide and the bus driver were experience and friendly. We had not seen so many varieties of frog before. The hiking is easy and the distance is a little short.

The tour was great!

Excellent guide, Andrés. This was the Rainforest trip.

The tour guide was very knowledgable and personable. The group was small enough to feel 'involved'.

Our guide was outstanding as he provided hand-drawn maps of Costa Rica for each of us and kept up an almost constant running commentary of the points of interest, cultural information and personal human interest items. We could tell he really loves his job.

Rainforest walk was easy but very informative. Knowledgable guide made it fun and interesting. Would recommend this to others.

Culturally informative. Excellent, experienced guide. Gained a whole new appreciation for the people and the process that provide the bananas we consume daily. Rainforest walk was a wonderful experience, but possibly not the best option for those who have difficulty walking on steep, uneven, and slippery terrain.

Nice small group, the guide was entertaining, full of humor and very knowledgeable

We enjoyed the ride to the banana plantation but we did not see anyone cutting or working with bananas. The hike down the mountain was lovely as the trail was well suited to our level. The guide was a dear!

Guide was excellent and rainforest tour driver brought back frogs and other examples of life in the rainforest for us to view up close.

The Costa Rican Coffee was an extra bonus to an already amazing excursion.

The high point of our cruise was this guided tour of the rainforest and the Banana plantation. Best excursion we did

We were meet at the ship ontime. Treated well and shown a great adventure.

We were met at the ship by our guide who was very informative. We both enjoyed the excursion and will recommend it to others. Thank you.