NCL Port: Puerto Limon, Costa Rica

My family and I recently went on a 10 night cruise, over Christmas 2016, on Norwegian Cruise Line.  The itinerary was Miami –> Aruba –> Cartagena, Columbia –> Panama Canal / Gatun Lake –> Colon, Panama –> Puerto Limon, Costa Rica –> Miami.

This last post is about Puerto Limon, Costa Rica!

For this trip my mum, sister and I booked a trip to Tortuguero National Park and Cacao Trails chocolate tour in Cahuita.

First up was a boat tour of the canals of Tortuguero National Park.  Plenty of wildlife to see here, including sloths, caiman, plant life, and lots of birds!

Tortuguero National Park

caiman!
caiman!

Tortuguero National Park

sloth!
sloth!

Tortuguero National Park Tortuguero National Park

bats!
bats!

There was also a coast guard station along the tour which included piles of small boats which had been numbered.  Turns out these boats were seized from drug runners just off the coast of Limon.

Tortuguero National Park

After this boat ride, we were given some delicious fruit of pineapple, papaya and watermelon before we headed off for the long drive to Cahuita.  On the way, we saw white faced capuchins.  Unfortunately, they were too hidden in the trees to get a good photo, but even the tour guide was impressed to have seem them at all.

At the chocolate place, called Cacao Trails, we were taken on a walk through their gardens to look at the different plants and talk about how the cacao plant is grown.  We saw more howler monkeys and sloths here too.  Then we were given a demonstration of how to make the chocolate.  This included tasting the raw cacao bean directly from the pod, as well as roasted cacao and then the final product which was delicious!  I purchased some roasted beans so I can attempt to make some myself 🙂

Cacao Trails, Cahuita Cacao Trails, Cahuita

 

*All photos are the property of Charlotte Moore, unless stated otherwise, and may not be used without written consent

NCL Port: Panama Canal / Gatun Lake

My family and I recently went on a 10 night cruise, over Christmas 2016, on Norwegian Cruise Line.  The itinerary was Miami –> Aruba –> Cartagena, Columbia –> Panama Canal / Gatun Lake –> Colon, Panama –> Puerto Limon, Costa Rica –> Miami.

This third post is about our tour at Gatun Lake and visiting the locks on land!

Once arriving in Gatun Lake, the ship dropped it’s anchor and we were tendered to shore in the life boats.  From here we were picked up by bus to head over to a resort area that did the boat tours on the lake.  On the way, we drove across the new expansion locks and I was able to get a quick picture of a container ship in the first lock!

img_7425

Below are a few photos from the boat tour on Gatun Lake.

Gatun Lake tour

sloth!
sloth!

Gatun Lake tour

Howler monkeys!
Howler monkeys!

After the boat tour, we came back across the expansion locks and I was able to get another photo of a container ship on it’s way out! The new locks don’t use the locomotives (mules) as the Gatun Locks do, instead they use the tug boats.

Panama Canal expansion locks

We stopped at the visitor’s centre next to watch the locks operation from land.  The timing worked out that we watching our ship, the NCL Pearl, transit on it’s way to Colon where we would eventually meet the ship.  At the visitor centre, they told us that the NCL Pearl is the largest passenger ship to transit the Gatun locks.   The new expansion locks only allow 1 cruise ship to transit per day, and as of last summer only one ship was scheduled (see article: http://www.travelweekly.com/Cruise-Travel/Just-one-cruise-ship-scheduled-to-use-new-Panama-Canal-locks).

NCL Pearl in the Gatun Locks, Panama Canal

NCL Pearl in the Gatun Locks, Panama Canal NCL Pearl in the Gatun Locks, Panama Canal

It’s pretty incredible to watch this massive operation in progress, between the locomotive drivers, linesman, and pilot. The Canal employs about 9,000 people and approximately 40 ships go through daily, every day of the year.  We transited on Christmas Day, December 25th!

*All photos are the property of Charlotte Moore, unless stated otherwise, and may not be used without written consent

NCL Port: Transiting the Panama Canal

My family and I recently went on a 10 night cruise, over Christmas 2016, on Norwegian Cruise Line.  The itinerary was Miami –> Aruba –> Cartagena, Columbia –> Panama Canal / Gatun Lake –> Colon, Panama –> Puerto Limon, Costa Rica –> Miami.

This second post is photo post of our transit through the Panama Canal!

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*All photos are the property of Charlotte Moore, unless stated otherwise, and may not be used without written consent

NCL Port: Cartagena, Columbia

My family and I recently went on a 10 night cruise, over Christmas 2016, on Norwegian Cruise Line.  The itinerary was Miami –> Aruba –> Cartagena, Columbia –> Panama Canal / Gatun Lake –> Colon, Panama –> Puerto Limon, Costa Rica –> Miami.

This first post is about Cartagena, Columbia!

My dad, sister and I decided to book an eco-canoe tour through the mangroves.  First we started off with a stop at the San Felipe de Barajas Fortress.

San Felipe de Barajas Fortress San Felipe de Barajas Fortress

Then our bus headed to the La Boquilla fishing village via a beach road.  From here, we’d be picked up in canoes for 4 people, plus the guy paddling, through the Cueva de Manglar.  The canoes here have certainly seen better days, and required bailing periodically throughout our hour long canoe trip.

La Boquilla Fishing Village - Eco-canoe tour La Boquilla Fishing Village - Eco-canoe tour La Boquilla Fishing Village - Eco-canoe tour

These guys were conveniently throwing the nets as we came around the corner - tips appreciated ;)
These guys were conveniently throwing the nets as we came around the corner – tips appreciated 😉

La Boquilla Fishing Village - Eco-canoe tour

After arriving back to the dock, we were treated to a delicious coconut before heading back to the city and finally the cruise ship pier.

The cool thing about the Cartagena pier is that there is a small wildlife park which you have to walk through to enter/exit the pier.

Cotton-top tamarin... we think?
Cotton-top tamarin… we think?
A prehensile-tailed porcupine!
A prehensile-tailed porcupine!
Toucan outside the bird aviary! Me...inside!
Toucan outside the bird aviary! Me…inside!

Port of Cartagena - Wildlife Park Port of Cartagena - Wildlife Park*All photos are the property of Charlotte Moore, unless stated otherwise, and may not be used without written consent