Home > Cruise Reviews > Sea Voyager

Costa Rica Cruise Reviews: Sea Voyager

Costa Rica and Nicaragua Expedition - August 2005

This trip was myself, my husband 19-year-old daughter. All had a good time.

We were met at the airport by the Lindblad staff. Our luggage was taken care of, the bus was waiting for us, the staff was friendly informational and on top of everything. Many were delayed in customs but we ran right through and instead of having to wait for everything Lindblad took us in groups so we were on our way immediately.

We had a nice city tour of San Jose and a stop at the Britt Coffee Plantation. Fun educational tour and wonderful delicious buffet lunch was severed. They had traditional Costa Rican dishes along with a salad bar and a variety of choices. Kids were given the option of pasta and chicken sticks. We were then off to the ship, a beautiful 2 hour ride which ended up being in the pouring rain.

Our cabin was very comfortable and attractive with twin beds pushed together. Large window and good air-conditioning, which was needed, as it was hot and humid. Out daughter had her own cabin. That evening we met the staff, had briefings of what was to come, a delicious dinner and we met our fellow passengers. As this is a family cruise there are 30 kids on board. Happily there are a number of older teens aboard which makes my daughter happy.

Sunday- Curu Wildlife Refuge – We had an early morning excursion into this privately owned working ranch and farm that extends to a tropical dry forest. We saw all sorts of animals, from spider monkeys, bats, coatis, land crabs and many more. Our guides have high power telescopes and are able to spot everything and give us education and answer our questions. This is where Lindblad excels, the quality of their naturalists. Our afternoon was taken up by beach activities on a beautiful pristine private cove of white sand.

Monday – Ranch Los Inocentes and Bahai Santa Elena – We made a wet landing into a small fishing village, where buses were waiting to take us through the Guanacaste region to a spectacular horse ranch. Here we spent the day hiking, horseback riding through the rain forest, swimming, laying in a hammock and learning about the birds and wildlife in the area. Back to the ship in the afternoon where we re positioned for another afternoon of beach activities and zodiac cruises along the coastline. The banana boat was taken out and the kids had the time of their lives.

Tuesday – Island Murcielagos and Bahia Huevos – Here some of us went for an early morning long hike in an area of wild untouched beauty. We visited the ranger station where we found a lonely ranger who plays dominos with himself. Upon speaking to him we learned that he is alone with the wildlife 24/7 and looks forward to the Lindblad ship arriving once a week. He is stationed for a two months at a time since it is such a solitary assignment and then transferred to another park location. He has a number of large friendly iguanas around his shack to keep him company. As in most of our locations we see no one but the people on our ship, which makes it fun. Back to the ship for lunch and to another pristine deserted beach. Bahia Huevos is known for snorkeling opportunities and fish we did see. Our naturalists had fish guides for us to identify what we saw in the water. The underwater beauty here is incredible.

Wednesday – Nicaragua – This was the highlight of trip for me, who do you know who has visited Nicaragua? We had our usual wet landing from the zodiacs and were taken on buses to a small colonial town called Rivas. Here we visited a church and museum, ate ice cream from the local vendor, participated in a round of children’s local dances. We were told to bring things to trade with the children. We brought small stuffed animals, crayons and pencils. The kids in our group connected with the Nicaraguan kids and did trades of little gifts. This was very touching and I imagine a life long memory for our kids. We were taken on “pepanos” (the local mode of transportation) to a local market, which was busy with the townspeople and not touristy at all.

The afternoon took us to a private hacienda owned by a prominent Nicaraguan family for lunch and activities. Here we had a delicious traditional Nicaraguan lunch after which our kids played a game of baseball and soccor with the local kids. This was spirited, serious competition and all had fun. Afterwards a piñata was shared and friendships were made with a smattering of English and Spanish spoken. I know it is a day my daughter will forever remember in her connections with the Nicaraguan children.

Thursday – Tamarindo – This is a surf mecca attracting people from all over the world to live a beach bum surfers life if only for a week at a time. Lindblad provided surfing lessons and amazingly within an hour everyone was up and ridding the waves. This was a really fun day, visiting the town, shopping, hanging around the beach in a very lively cosmopolitan beach surfing community. I can only imagine this little village at spring break.

Friday – Manuel Antonio National Park – Another early zodiac to the beach to beat the heat. Here the rainforest comes right onto the white sand beach. What paradise!!. Hike into the rainforest was amazing. Monkeys, two toe and three toes sloths, all sorts of tropical birds, this forest is alive and moving at every turn. As usual we were in small groups of 10 of us, we were able to stop and watch as the animals moved through the rainforest, no time schedule, if we saw something we stopped and watched as long as possible. This park is amazing. After lunch a number of passengers went on the bus to do the zip line that Costa Rica is so well known for. We opted to again walk into the rainforest on our own. We meandered back and forth seeing all sorts of animals, birds and insects. Our afternoon was spent on the most spectacular beach with water clearer and warmer than my bathtub. Many went on a bird hike up along the ridge. For the first time we were hit with rain, thunder and lightening. It was so beautiful to be in such a setting with a storm brewing. But alas lighting hit a little to close and everyone was ordered back on the boat ASAP. It was a beautiful ending to a beautiful day and an incredible trip.

Lindblad is…

Informal, no dress up at any time. Breakfast and lunch is a buffet, dinner sit down with varied choices. Naturalists are what make the trip so enjoyable. They are there for you 24/7. They hike with you, swim with you, provide lectures, (even the kids came to the lectures which surprised me). The young kids have special meals at an earlier time and then activities of their own. The naturalists clearly enjoy what they do and interact with the passengers at all times.