Friday, January 14, 2022 – Photo of the Day – Puntarenas, Costa Rica

Harbor of Sands

FRIDAY, 14 JANUARY 2022 PUNTARENAS, COSTA RICA
Arrival: 8:00AM All Aboard: 4:30 PM Departure: 5:00PM

DRESS CODE: CASUAL
For Ladies: DRESSES OR BLOUSES AND PANTS
For Gentlemen: SPORT SHIRTS AND SLACKS

No shorts or flip flop type footwear after 6:00 PM in indoor venues

TODAY’S WEATHER
Mostly Sunny High: 88°F 31°C Low: 74°F 22°C

The mud and soil brought down to the ocean by the Barranca River and the action of some of the smaller rivers to the north
of Puntarenas have led to a tongue of sand known by 1722 as Puerto de Arenas (Harbor of Sands).

Were it not for a very narrow stretch of land known as “La Angostura” the city would be an island.
The city of almost 100,000 inhabitants is the capital of the province of the same name, which hugs
most of Costa Rica’s Pacific coast. Connected by road to San Jose, the country’s capital,
Puntarenas is used by Costa Ricans to cross by ferry over to the Nicoya Peninsula which is part of
the Puntarenas Province and by cruise ships as a gateway to visit the various national parks in the
interior.
Puntarenas still is Costa Rica’s most important fishing port, while cargo is handled some 15
kilometers southwest on the mainland at Puerto Caldera, a port created in the 1980s. To cater to
visitors, the beach area has been remodeled and the Paseo de Los Turistas runs parallel to the
beach with many seafood restaurants, cafes, and bars.
SIGHTS
• Paseo de los Turistas
• Catedral de Puntarenas
• Parque Marino del Pacífico
• Playa Puntarenas
• Natuwa Rescue Centre
CUSINE
A variety of souvenir stalls and casual restaurants known as kioscos are there to greet cruise
passengers. The kioscos specialty is the Churchill, a bizarre dessert concoction of condensed milk,
syrup and chopped fruit, which got its name in the 1940s from a local who regularly ordered it
and looked like the British prime minister.

Our Excursion

We toured NATUWA Wildlife Sanctuary which provides refuge and protection to the wild animals that have been victimized by human actions, such as hunting, removal from their environments, and deforestation. Many of these homeless animals find the attention they need at the Macaw Sanctuary Natuwa to be able to live in captivity with dignity or find the possibility to return to their natural environments.