Costa Rica UnCruise Adventures
By Heidi Sarna
I had a chat with Captain Dan Blanchard, Owner & CEO of UnCruise, to ask him all about his upcoming new 7-night Costa Rica itineraries. Dan loves getting his feet wet (and ours!) in some of the most beautiful natural places in the Americas, whether it's Alaska (UnCruise’s bread and butter), the Sea of Cortez, the Hawaiian Islands or Galapagos Islands — and now Costa Rica too, is back in the mix.
Starting in Oct 2026, UnCruise will offer weeklong cruises that take adventurous nature lovers to the Central American country’s Pacific coast aboard the 66-pax Safari Voyager, sailing round-trip from Liberia (no, not THAT Liberia). Hike through dense green rainforest, kayak in tropical fjords and look for colorful (and noisy) wildlife, from howler monkeys to sloths, toucans, and red-eyed tree frogs.
On UnCruise's 7-night Costa Rica “Pure Life Adventure” cruises, offered October – January, enjoy visits to wildlife refuges, national parks, and secluded bays, with time for snorkeling over coral reefs and relaxing on white sand beaches.
Note, besides the standard sailings, there are three theme departures of UnCruise's Costa Rica cruise:
- Nov 21, 2026 — for families
- Dec 26, 2026 — Captain’s Cruise (when the charismatic Dan Blanchard will be aboard!)
- Jan 2, 2027 — photography cruise hosted by a pair of expert wildlife photographers offering tips and guidance
And to really immerse yourself in Costa Rica's wild beauty, you can (and should!) add on a 7-night land tour UnCruise has created — Immersive Costa Rica By Land: Volcanoes, Rivers & Cloud Forest — to further explore Costa Rica’s interior jungles and do a deep dive into the country’s lush mountains and local culture.
So, let's get to my chat with UnCruise Owner/CEO Captain Dan Blanchard.
Blanchard has been to Costa Rica many times and shares his insights and motivations for offering up-close and personal Costa Rica cruises.
Quirky's Heidi Sarna: Is Costa Rica actually new for UnCruise? Have you done cruises there before?
Captain Dan Blanchard: We last sailed in Costa Rica, on a regular basis, in March of 2020; and we did two trips in 2023 enroute to and from Belize. Back then we mostly offered Costa Rica in combination with Panama, and so our new route is much different.
Starting this October (2026), thanks to a new law on the books in Costa Rica, our 66-passenger Safari Voyager will be able spend the entire season within the borders of Costa Rica, when based at the Flamingo Marina. This law is not applicable to typical cruise ships carrying hundreds or thousands of passengers
And so our Safari Voyager will not have to call on any outside/foreign port calls, allowing us to see the entire Pacific side of Costa Rica in great detail over the entire week. In the past, our route spent just 3.5 days inside Costa Rica.
Heidi: On your previous Costa Rica cruises, did folks fly in/out of Liberia in the past? I must say, until now, I had never heard of a Liberia in Costa Rica!
Captain Dan Blanchard: We had our guests fly into San Jose in the past, then board the Safari Voyager off Puntarenas and sail south from there to Panama. Liberia is a much more remote and dramatic area, and we are super happy more airlines are now using this airport in northern Costa Rica.
Heidi: How are your new Costa Rica cruises different to those past ones?
Captain Dan Blanchard: Our new ones focus entirely on Costa Rica for a full 7 nights/8 days. In the past, we were in the country for about 3.5 days. The longer cruise time in Costa Rica, plus going up North, is a huge difference, allowing us to visit the remote Santa Rosa National Park, Culebra Bay, and Playa Flamingo, which we love.
Heidi: Why exactly are you bringing Costa Rica back? For repeat UnCruisers who are asking for something different?
Captain Dan Blanchard: Costa Rica changed the law that lets us import our small 66-guest Safari Voyager into the country, similar to what we do in Mexico. Thus, we are able to run a better route compared to ships above 100 guests that need to make a foreign port call. And, yes, our past and new guests are all wanting us to go back to Costa Rica…but mostly it’s me:-)
5 Reasons To Go UnCruising in Costa Rica
Based on his many research trips to Costa Rica to develop the itinerary, Captain Dan shares his top reasons travelers should consider UnCruising in Costa Rica:
- We are an adventure travel company first. Cruise second.
The ship is the tool, not the end-all for us. This means that guests touch and feel our destinations outside of busy populated areas. We go to where the locals vacation and indulge in the outdoors. - Hike, kayak, paddle board, snorkel, enjoy inflatable skiff outings and more.
We truly touch the land and nature. But if someone just wants to look at the scenery, take a stroll on the beach and chill…that works too. - We work with local staff and explore local culture.
We employee many Costa Rican citizens aboard the Safari Voyager from expedition staff to skiff drivers, as we believe you must travel with locals as your guides. Why anyone would go to Italy and be guided by a foreign national is beyond me. The same fits here. - This adventure cruise itinerary is very efficient, time-wise.
There is no cruising from other countries for your Costa Rica vacation. We are in the country 100% of the time, meaning guests don't waste time sailing an ocean to get there [like other cruise lines do it]. It takes about 30-45 minute from the airport to get to our ship. You’re in our hands from the moment you enter the airport to when you head home again. - Our ship Safari Voyager is cozy and well designed for play and safety.
From our toys (paddleboards, hiking poles and snorkel gear) to the kayak and skiff-lift platform, our activities are safe and easy. For example, when a skiff comes back to the ship, it drives straight onto a platform which lifts the skiff out of the water. This means guests and crew are not trying to get aboard a skiff that is bouncing around the sea. They board the skiff while it is about a foot above the sea with no movement.
Heidi: Dan, I assume you have been to Costa Rica. What are your impressions and favorite places and adventures there?
Captain Dan Blanchard: Yes, I have visited Costa Rica many times, I would guess 12-18 times in total. My most recent trip was in October of 2025 when I went down for research and to meet up with old friends.
I am heading back in May to film our new pre-cruise tour and go over the details of our upcoming trips with vendors, park officials, agents, etc. I have headed up all our product development since day one, and I am very involved in this area.
As to my favorite places…hmm, that is tough, as I adore them all. However, if forced, I would choose:
- Santa Rosa National Park at Santa Elena Bay
- I adore Curu Wildlife Refuge, mostly for the critters and the locals we spend time with.
- Then Drake Bay, where we go on trails leading to Corcovado National Park. Our skiff drivers live here, and I love seeing their families…so rich.
Heidi: When Safari Voyager isn’t doing Costa Rica (Oct – Jan), the ship is doing Baja, correct, from January – June? So will Safari Voyager stay down south all year?
Captain Dan Blanchard: In 2027 we start Costa Rica itineraries in late August, actually.
And yes, the Safari Voyager is our Central American vessel and has sailed Mexico, Costa Rica, Panama, Belize and even Colombia in past years.
She goes through an annual shipyard visit each summer in Mazatlán where our ships’ engineers and chief mate live. Cleanest shipyard I have ever been to:-). That means a lot to a boat guy.
Heidi: There aren't many small ships (under 300 pax) hitting Costa Rica; a few years ago I did a Star Clippers cruise that stopped along the Pacific coast of Costa Ria and Panama (here’s my review). I enjoyed this cruise, but my main gripe might be we didn't actually get to go very far into Costa Rica, it was a lot of beaches, and not so active. Different than what you’re offering with your new itineraries. Can you make any comparison between what you're offering and what Star Clippers does?
Captain Dan Blanchard: It is tough to make a decent comparison as your Star Clipper cruise was a combination of Costa Rica and Panama. This means the same 3.5 days in Costa Rica that most ships make as standard, with no sailing north of Isla Tortugas which is a local hot spot.
The real difference is due to time…with 8 days you get to see the whole Pacific side in much more detail.
We are also starting a new Costa Rica and Panama combined itinerary that will be 15 days and starts in September of 2027 (we’ll be offering four of them that fall). This cruise travels one way between Costa Rica and Panama (both directions), and it will stop at all the same Costa Rica areas we visit on our eight-day trip and then go to Panama for a full week which will include Coiba National Park, Daren Jungle, Canal Crossing, San Blas/Guna Yala Islands and Portobelo.
Heidi: Wow, these adventure cruises sound very exciting! I certainly would love to do one! Thank you for your time, Dan.
Captain Dan Blanchard: So nice to share the Costa Rica love with you!
Hope You Enjoyed Learning More About Costa Rica UnCruise Adventures
If you're interested in booking one of these wild and adventurous Costa Rica cruises, check out more details on the UnCruise website here.
If you'd like help booking your UnCruise Costa Rica sailing as well as the land extension and perhaps airfare or any additional hotel stays, we highly recommend our favorite travel advisor Kevin, who has personally experienced UnCruise himself and can help with the booking process. Show your interest in the form below.
Interested In A Costa Rica Cruise?
For years, we've been referring our readers to our favorite travel advisor, Kevin Flink, because of his excellent customer service and expertise in travel planning. Kevin owns a franchise of Cruise Planners, one of the highest producing land and cruise travel agencies in the world, which means he gets access to various discounts and perks from cruise lines, hotels and insurance companies that he can pass on to his clients.
To show your interest in booking a Costa Rica cruise (or any cruise!) with Kevin, please tell us a bit more about what you’re looking for and we will be happy to get you both connected.
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HEIDI SARNA
