Caribbean Highlights Shore Excursion from Limon

Pablo was FANTASTIC

Pablo was our tour guide and he was INCREDIBLE!! He was informative, took sooo many pictures of our group and the animals in case we didn’t get any and sent them to us before everything was over. 10/10

Wonderful experience

Juan was our Guide Christopher was our driver. Together they were excellent, pleasant and informative. They represented themselves and your company extremely well.

Decent Tour

I think they tried to deliver a quality experience, but needed a little more organization. They need better instructions on finding their Van as it was outside the port and the instructions did not explain that. Another tour rep told us GIO Tours was outside and we had to exit the port. Two people were very late because of this. We did not visit a beach but it was raining so I understand. The plantation tour was also impacted by rain, so everyone jumped out and ran to the gift shop which made it so crowded (with other tours), you could barely move. Because our group of 8 was split up, we did not get a tour of the plantation together as promised. We walked through an area by ourselves, but there was no guide or information on what we were seeing. The owner seemed concerned that everyone have a great time, so they tried, but they needed more organization at each stop and full communication on what their customers will see and do. It was not the worst, but it wasn't the best either. Did appreciate the talk on Costa Rica and its biodiversity by their friendly guide.

See the local wildlife and learn about Limon on this interesting tour

We enjoyed our tour of Limon with our guide Pablo, who was very knowledgeable about the area and kept things lively and interesting. Cruising down the canal was the best part of the trip because our captain and Pablo brought the boat up nice and close to see the sloths (one was actually moving around) and the howler monkey family and a boa constrictor. Lots of birds too. Unfortunately there is a fungus among the banana trees at the moment so we didn't get to tour the plantation and the gardens we stopped by to tour were extremely crowded because all of the tours had to change and stop there. Just FYI, there was no beach stop and our ship didn't leave early so that's not part of the tour at this time. It's still a great value for the price.

Great experience!

Pedro and Carlos were great! Pedro knew so much about the wildlife and the history of the area. I highly recommend this trip.

Wonderful trip with a great guide

We were alone on the trip (6 people) with the guide Manuel, who had a comfortable vehicle. Cabrito Manuel took us along the Tortuguero canal, where we saw monkeys, sloths, caimans, beautiful birds,… Then we went to a banana plantations, Bonita beach, we also bought souvenirs. We had a great explanation, we got a lot of information about Costa Rica. We got a comprehensive answer to every question! TOP! Great trip, we really strongly recommend a trip with Cabrito Manuel (Cabritours Transports)!!

Great time with this tour

It was great. Alejandro and Juan were friendly, knowledgeable, funny, and polite. He answered questions well. Will recommend.

Awesome tour guide

The tour was awesome I enjoyed seeing the banana plantation and Juan And Alejandro were the best I recommend this to everyone

Best tour to see sloughs, money and perhaps even a croc

Fantastic tour. Canal trip was the highlight. Tour guide, Pablo knew his stuff and had a great blend of humor and information. Honestly, this is one of the best tours I've been on in eight different cruises. Highly recommend this tour.

Banana plantation and boat tour.

Juan made the day very fun! He was very energetic and spoke very good English. We had a wonderful experience. The small group made it quite enjoyable and easy to understand and hear the information.

Great Tour!

Hector and Juan were excellent. We saw so many animals! Howler monkeys, iguanas, birds and more. They gave us fruit and water and great narrative of the river and banana plantation.

Limon by Juan and Hector

What an amazing tour provided by Juan and Hector. From our first meeting to the very end of the trip, they were courteous, helpful, educational, and funny! We had my parents, both 85 and using walkers, with us and Juan started our trip by letting them know he was there to take care of them and he did. Both Juan and Hector ensured my parents had a most comfortable experience and treated them with the utmost respect. Juan provided a trip full of facts and information about Limon and Costa Rica. His sharp eye and knowledge of the area helped us to see the elusive animals found in Costa Rica. We were offered water to stay hydrated, given suggestions of things to try at a local market, and gave each of us a container full of delicious fruit. The tour was planned well with plenty of time. Juan even ensured we were able to stop at a pharmacy for some medicine for my mom. Do this tour AND request Juan and Hector. You won't regret it!

Great experience.

While floating down the canal, Pablo went out of his way to get our boat up close enough to see several sloths up in the trees. We also saw some monkeys. He let each of us go up front and take pictures. At the banana plantation, he explained the process in the hot sun. He took a group picture of all of us and air dropped it to us.

Worth the ride!

We had a great guide, very informative about the Island’s history and he did his best to accommodate us. This experience is worth the trip!

Not as advertised

We didn't go to beach or banana plantation which were both supposed to be included in this tour. I will say that the guide was very nice and knowledgeable.

"Pura Vida" for GIO Tours in Puerto Limon, Costa Rica

We had Randal as our driver and Juan as our tour guide. Both were excellent, and the van was new, comfortable, and well air conditioned. Juan had a true exuberance in showing his country to us and gave an excellent tour of the banana fields and helped on the river boat portion of the tour with his additional info above and beyond that of the boat’s guide. We can’t say enough about how much we truly enjoyed the tour with these Randal and Juan. There were only 6 people on the 20 passenger van and was SO MUCH NICER than a cruise ship large bus sized shore excursion. GIO Tours as purchased through Vacations to Go is definitely the way to go. And as they say in Costa Rica, “Pura Vida”!

Great tour

Our tour guide Pablo was great and knowledgeable! Jose was a great driver. Bus was comfy with AC and smelt nice. Saw a few sloths and learned a lot about the local flora and fauna. Recommend!

Best Excursion of our Cruise

Booked through TripAdvisor which turned out to be through Viator and GIO Tours. This tour group among others is not one that drives inside the port gates but the walk was minimal with helpful locals along the short distance. We had a large newer bus with great A/C and comfy seats. Saw Sloths, Monkeys, Hawks and Iguanas on the drive and canal trip. Banana plantation was informative. Didn’t enjoy the 2nd fruit tasting much, several buses there, the stand was overwhelmed and ran out of food. We chose not to go to the beach and left the tour group early to return to the ship. Did some shopping at the port for souvenirs. Remember to haggle. Best part of the shore excursion was our GIO Guide, Juan. He is friendly, informative, funny, helpful, pleasant, smiles ALOT, earnest and fun to be with. We will look for him next time in Limon.

No Beach, not as described

The tour was great and Pablo the guide was great, but the tour was to include a 90 minute beach break. That did not happen and none of the tour operators were aware of it. Disappointing.

Saw lots of wild life,...

Saw lots of wild life, including sloths. Brilliant, friendly, knowledgeable guide, nothing was too much trouble

Highlights

Liked getting up close to see the sloths when on the canal cruise. People up front on the bus said they didn't want to stop at the beach or the fruit stand stop so we missed those 2 experiences. Jose should have gone down the aisle and taken a vote to see who would like to make those stops! Disappointing for us. So highlights wasn't really accurate. Missed 2 important highlights.

Great informative tour

Really enjoyed a great tour with Pablo from Puerto Limon . He went out of his way to find interesting things to see. Very knowledge and helpful. We really enjoyed the canal and the banana tour.. Learned a lot about bananas from the small plants to harvesting to transportation. Also saw a baby howler monkey and sloth up close on our boat. Very worthwhile tour in a small group..

Broken air conditioning

Pablo, our tour guide, was very nice and knowledgeable…however he should not have allowed a very small minority of people dictate whether we saw certain things that we expected on this excursion…namely the beach and fruit stand. The worst thing was the air conditioning on the bus, which was almost non-existent. We have done many excursions with Viator all over the world and been pleased, but this was not one of those times.

Overbooked tour…. That led to a bad experience…

The tour operator overbooked the tour and there wasn’t enough seats, so I was forced to sit in the jump seat away from my young child and elderly mother…. I was the 1st to leave the bus and last to return so I had to Stan outside of the bus in the baking hot Costa Rican sun until the last passenger and tour guide returned… Playa Bonita Beach 👎👎 (dirty ugly beach) Quimbamba Bar/Restaurante 👎👎👎👎 (rude and slow service, waited 55 minutes for food that never arrived) Reina's Restaurante 👎👎 slow and poor service Due to the greed of the tour operator it led to a horrible experience for my family. Will never book Rio Tours again…

More educational and fun than you can imagine

Guide was amazing and informative. He knew everything about the plants, animals and locations we went. this was very educational and very fun. The time flew by. Family loved it. Out of all the tours we took this was their favorite.

Not a good time. Very bad ending

Do yourself a favor and please avoid playa Bianca. The canal safari was decent and we had fun. But the beach is so lame. And the tour guide told us to go to restaurant called quinbamba on the beach. That was a nightmare. The guide said the other restaurant was too expensive. Ha! That true. We waited for food for 50 minutes and still no sign of food. So we went to reina‘s that tour guide said was too expensive and not good. Liar! We wasted time on the beach and the restaurants Are really bad and the beach is super bad. Skip the beach. On top of that, they overbooked and my husband had to sit on the some tiny stool on the bus

Limon Canal and bananas

Pablo was an incredible guide. He spotted wildlife and helped us get great pictures. We enjoyed the canal and found the banana plantation that was created for tourists to keep the real plantations safe and was neat. He broke open a cacao pod for us to taste. The fruit stand was fun also. We enjoyed many small bananas. We would do the tour again.

Great Experience

Fantastic tour and fantastic tour guide. Pablo was amazing and we felt safe and secure the entire trip while seeing beautiful scenery, visiting awesome local spots and hearing about rich Colombian history. Would recommend.

Great experience

Great experience with Jesus!! Spotted lots of animals for us!! Knowledgeable and great guide. Would recommend if coming to Limo n.

Best shore excursion ever!!

We booked this as a shore excursion. It was fantastic the tour guide was amazing , pick up and drop off right at the port terminal. I would highly recommend this trip.

A personal Guided Tour Shore Excursion from Limon

This was an excellent tour from the port for $25.00 a person. It was 3 to 3.5 hours long. We had a driver and a tour guide and both spoke english. It was a good tour and we saw a wild three toes sloth climbing down from a tree as well as a large Aguana. We tasted fruits, cocao, and coconut milk. We got to see lots of the small city and the country side.

Great tour

Many thanks to our great tour guide during this day. Very informative day, we saw sloths, he found a beautiful frog and I really liked the respectful way he treated the animals, the wildlife and his country.

Local flavor tour

Very good tour. Tour guide Adonys was well spoken, informative, humorous, and an overall nice guy. Good history of Costa Rica and Limon. Banana plantation was disappointing as we could only drive close to the fields. Beach tour was no more than having a 15 minute look-see. The river tour was pretty neat although the resident animals were difficult to see. The market tour was very good as we were able to sample fruits and other foods and do some shopping for local merchandise.

Misleading and overpriced

Arrived to Limon by cruise ship. Instructions were not clear regarding where to meet the tour guide. 4 people no showed. Tour guide was frustrated and swore loudly in front of us. Very unprofessional. "Swim or sun at a local beach" for 90 minutes was a quick first stop at Playa Bonita beach. .Water was rough. Not sure why we'd stop there at the beginning. Basically, a stop to use the restrooms for a fee! The Tortuguero river tour was the best part. The boat operator was very skilled at sighting the wildlife. We were able to get close to a sloth and get some great photos. Other than that, the monkeys were hard to see. A few birds and a lizard or two. The tour also states you'll taste farm fresh tropical fruit. We received a bowl of pineapple, watermelon and honey dew melon. It was good but not anything you can't get at home. The tour description also says that you'll see a banana plantation. This involved parking outside the locked gate while the tour guide told us about the banana industry, showed us a banana root, explained how they grow, etc.. We couldn't go into the plantation because they are attempting to prevent the spread of a disease impacting the bananas. This is understandable but the tour description is misleading. Then a stop at a very crowded souvenir shop. More tropical fruit to sample was a tiny piece of papaya or pineapple. One person on our bus lost her cell phone and the tour guide did his best to help her. I need to give him credit for his kindness there.

Amazing trip

This was a fun and informative excursion. Our guide was Jesus and he did an amazing job. We saw a sloth which had come down from a tree and got close up photos and videos of it walking on the ground before climbing up another tree. The boat ride on the canals was a little disappointing due to limited wildlife observations and lots of other boats around. Jesus grew up in the area and he took us out into the jungle a little ways where he found a strawberry dart frog to show us for up close photos. We highly recommend this excursion.

Pablo and Victor gave us their all

We saw everything promised and more. Very friendly tour guide and driver who traveled 4 hours to work and back that day. Recommend highly.

Great experience.

Our guide Pablo was excellent. It seemed like he loved the country and was excited to share everything with us. We enjoyed the tour.

Great substitute for cancelled tour

We had booked the 5 towns & I cart factory tour. Unfortunately, bad weather prevented us from doing that tour & the company let us know by email & offered an alternative trip. Although we were initially disappointed, we ended up having a really enjoyable day. Jesus was our guide, Juan the driver . On the river tour another guide, Pablo, who was extremely knowledgeable about wildlife came with us & made that section of the tour memorable. Although there were the usual shopping stops, these were kept to a minimum. We also had a pleasant lunch stop.

Really enjoyed the tour.

Jesus our guide was excellent. i use a walker. Staff were great in assisting me, They even made sure I had the first seat on the bus.

Guides had as much fun as we did!

Pablo & driver Jose were eager to share their city with us - stopping along the route to view wild monkeys and sloths in the trees - INCREDIBLE! Absolutely loved the cruise along Tortuguero Canal - spotted lots of wildlife. This was the best tour on our Panama Canal cruise!

Avoid at all Costs! False Advertising and total Bait and Switch.

Let me first note that the tour guides themselves were wonderful and had nothing to do with this falsely advertised tour. However, there was NO opportunity for any Rainforest hike as described in the tour description. In addition, when we arrived to the banana plantation, we were told that due to a long-running "fungus" affecting the banana crop, we were not allowed to get off the bus. Instead, we sat on the bus and looked at the entrance while being told about bananas. Choose this tour if you only want to sit on the Tortuguero Canals in a boat for 2 hot hours looking for wildlife. Really? We only signed up for this tour because it described "You'll also get an up-close look at Costa Rican wildlife like birds, monkeys, and frogs on A RAINFOREST HIKE and a boat safari down the biodiverse Tortuguero Canals." Too bad, there was NO rainforest hike. We would not have even signed up for this tour if we had known it was only a boat tour. And Viator has not been of very much help either. Do NOT go with GioTours unless you wish to be deceived.

Fun time in Puerto Limon

We booked this tour direct rather than thru the Holland America cruise desk. The tour leader met us just outside the terminal gates and not on the pier as described in the booking receipt. We were led to a modern comfortable bus here we started out tour. The canal boat ride was very interesting but we did not see as much wildlife as we hoped for. Our guide was very informative and gave us a lot of information about the area. The banana plantation tour is very limited due to the spread of a banana fungus that threatens to eradicate the local crops, a very serious issue in all of South America. There was a stop at the beach and a tour thru the town. Our tour guide stopped the bus for a few passengers to get some meds at a local pharmacy. Gio did a great job for us and would recommend them highly. A comfortable bus and a great guide made for a very nice day.

Excellent tour!

When I first boarded the big bus and had to sit in the back, I was concerned that I would not be able to understand the tour guide. (Due to a hearing impairment, I usually need to be close to person speaking; and audio on buses is not usually good.) But once driver Jose smoothly took off and tour guide Jesus began speaking, I relaxed--the audio was perfectly clear and not too loud! Even better, Jesus had so many fun, interesting, thoughtful things to say throughout the five-hour trip. It wasn't a constant battery either, but well paced like a good conversation. I really, really enjoyed his narration and lively spirit, and it seemed like everyone else did too, as the mood on the big bus was happy and friendly. Our stops were as advertised, and all were worthwhile. The Tortuguero Canal trip was a highlight, with Jesus's astute eye catching monkeys, sloths (two- and three-toed), baby croc, various birds hidden in the forest. Halfway through, he asked us to sit silently for a minute just to listen to the forest. That was a lovely touch. The final stop at a souvenir stand (operated by the tour company I heard, which is usually the case) was also nice. Good food and beer, with reasonably priced, attractive souvenirs. I got two batik sarongs, which was basically the only thing I wanted out of my trip, and sampled a local Imperial beer (since trip was almost over). All in all, a fun, informative day with a packed itinerary but relaxing mood. I recommend these guides!

Great deal!

Great opportunity to see much of the area. Boat trip especially good with guide who pointed our various creatures living near the water: lizards, sloths, birds, and more.

Exceeded expectations

From the time we got off our cruise ship and were met at the "blue gate" by Jesus, to the time we were dropped off, we couldn't have asked for a better tour or tour guide(s). We started off on a large bus for the first half with Pablo and our driver, Christian. As we started driving, Pablo had Christian stop the bus then back up until we could all see a pair of collared aracari birds (a type of toucan) in a tree on the side of the road. This was just the beginning of a day filled with interesting creatures and views. Pablo and Jesus then accompanied us on the canal boat trip pointing out things I would have never seen in the trees on the banks of the canal. It rained until the afternoon, so we did not stop at the beach, but after the canal trip we were transferred to a smaller van with Jesus and his driver, Charlie. They took us to the banana plantation and I will never look at a banana plant the same way, it was mind boggling how many tiny bananas are in one bloom of the banana plant. We also got a first hand view of a cocoa bean plant and got to taste the fruit that contains the beans from which chocolate is derived. Jesus and Charlie then took us to a beautiful area overlooking the banana river where we saw poison dart frogs, howler monkeys and sloths. The day was magical as we are big animal lovers and to see so many species in the wild was a treat. The knowledge that Jesus and Pablo possess about their environment was outstanding. I highly recommend this tour.

Bravo for Pablo!

My husband and I are on a Holland America Line cruise, with a stop today in Costa Rica. Just for convenience sake I usually book tours through HAL, but their tours for this stop had no or few reviews so I checked Tripadvisor for alternatives. The glowing reviews I for this Gio Tours excursion convinced me to book it, easily done through Viator. Our expectations were exceeded! The tour bus was very comfortable and our guide Pablo and driver José were exceptional! I was particularly impressed with Pablo’s energy and enthusiasm - he must do the same thing every day, but he was entirely engaged with us all during the tour. Very little walking is required and Pablo was considerate of the few people with mobility issues. The canal part of the tour was fascinating, with many sloths, cranes, iguanas and other creatures to be seen. All in all, this is one of the best excursions we have ever been on!

With a Zip Line Trip

We went on this excursion with Pablo as our tour guide and Leo as our driver. After doing immediate shopping and the port terminal (which was the best setup in any port of this cruise), we met with Gio Tours outside of the terminal. The groups were separated into vehicles based on what we had planned, so our van had a family going to the beach, and we were going zip lining. As we drove through and out of the city, Pablo gave a few details on locations and their history, as well as some of the information about how their government and businesses works to assist the people. We drove along the coast and learned about the earthquake of 1991, and then stopped by the beach to see it. Afterwards, we drove up to the canal and took a small boat up and down to see wildlife. There were sloths, an iguana, a basilisk, many types of birds, and howler monkeys. The only croc we saw was the footwear version, which made a dad-joke moment come to life. After the ride back and forth, we were given some fruit back at the loading area and were able to buy a few souvenirs right there. Then we drove to the banana plantation, were we set up at the entrance. Tourists are not allowed inside due to the fungus that might be on our persons which have eradicated so many species of bananas already. Pablo, instead, went out and got some different things to explain the process of how the bananas grow, get harvested, and then move to be processed. It was a fascinating and incredible bit of information, and makes me now realize how much I took for granted how food comes to the store from places like this. We then stopped at a fruit stand and gift shop, which had a lot of souvenirs that we got. Prior to arriving, we sampled some yummy cocoa beans and ended up buying quite a few bags, as well as an awesome mask. The fruit stand offered coffee, smoothies, and fruit, and we also saw several types of the fruit growing there. There were restrooms available here as well, and the gift shop took credit cards. The last stops were to the beach to drop off the family, and then up to the zip line place. As we were the only two people there, this was a very quick adventure, but definitely worth it. It was so fun going down nine different lines, and they offered pictures to be taken for 45 dollars for the two of us. If there is a large group going, expect to have some wait times at each station. What was also fantastic was that the staff does everything for you, as it regards buckling in and attaching the carabiners. They also have a small gift shop, but nothing that really mentions the zip lining itself. After picking up the family from the beach, we returned back to the port terminal with enough time to finish shopping and make it back to the ship with an hour left of our departure. The trip took a total of 7 hours, but it was full of information, fun, and adventure. Thank you to Leo for getting us to and from safely, and to Pablo for being an awesome guide.

Wonderful tour

This was the best tour we did on our Caribbean cruise, it is excellent. The guides and especially Jesus are amazing. Costa Rica is great.

Jesus was great

5 star Jesus was great. we got to go places other tours did not go! If you have a chance to go with him grab it.

Caribbean highlights

Best Excursion we have ever taken seen places that no other tour would ever take you ,the guide loved his island his lsland and new we agree.