Caño Negro Wild Life Refuge Costa Rica
Near the border of Nicaragua, Caño Negro is one of the hardest places in Costa Rica to travel independently. At the height of dry season, there are some hiking and horse trails along the river, but most of the time, boats are the only way to explore. To visit this unique locale, it is worth joining a Caño Negro day tour. Most tours begin on Río Frío, where visitors glide through green river canyons toward lake Caño Negro, an area similar to the Florida Everglades in its appearance. In the case of this tour, getting there is half the fun. There are literally thousands of birds, plants, fish, mammals, reptiles, and amphibians. (If you are lucky, the fin of a freshwater shark may slice the water surface.)
Bird watching: During the summer's green season, mountain water is plentiful and the banks of Río Frío overflow in Caño Negro. The entire reserve becomes a shallow lake, a wintering site for migrant American birds. Then during the winter's dry season, which lasts from November until April, the water level continually falls. By the beginning of summer, all that remains is Río Frío's main channel. Among the many birds present in winter, there are species such as: Glossy Ibis, Black-necked Stilt, Anhinga, American Widgeon, Northern Shoveler, Wood Stork, White Ibis, Black-bellied Whistling-Duck, Snail Kite, Green Backed Heron, and Blue-winged Teal. Caño Negro is one of the best places to see the Nicaraguan Grackle, whose only Costa Rican habitat is Cano Negro and other marshy areas south of Lake Nicaragua.
Wildlife: Boat rides down the Río Frío provide an excellent opportunity for spotting any or all of three species of monkeys, as well as the hundreds of amphibians and reptiles that frequent the river's banks.
Tour to Caño Negro
The Caño Negro Wildlife Refuge together with Río Frío is a biologically humid area, one of Costa Rica's richest areas of biological diversity. Here you can find a great variety of resident and migratory birds, three different species of monkeys, iguanas, sloths, turtles, and caimans.
The tour starts from the Arenal Volcano area at 7: 30 a.m. We will pick up all Nature Lovers from their hotels in a comfortable bus. It is a 1-½ hour drive to Los Chiles, a culturally mixed village that sits only 4-km from the Nicaraguan border. Here, the boat awaits our river adventure. The tour consists of a 4-hour floating safari through tropical rainforest, pastures, and marsh. An experienced bilingual (Spanish-English) guide will lead the tour, and we will bring you back to the hotels at 4:30 pm.
Some birds are residents in the area, and it is possible to see hundreds of them, especially during the dry season. There are Anhingas or Snake-birds (Anhinga anhinga), Wood Storks (Mycteria americana), and Roseate Spoonbills (Ajaia ajaja). It is possible to see the Spoonbills in small groups eating from the river surroundings. Jabirus (Jabiru mycteria) is the largest bird in Central America and very endangered. It can also be found in the Caño Negro area. The Olivaceous Cormorant (Palacrocorax olivaceus) makes its nest in Caño Negro, and it is the most populus bird in the refuge. Finally, Caño Negro has the largest colony of cormorants in all of Costa Rica.
Along the river, we can see howler monkeys (Alouata palliata), spider monkeys (Ateles geoffrogi), white-faced monkeys (Cebus capuccinus), three-toed sloth (Bradipus variegatus), reptiles such as the caimans (Caiman crocodilos), turtles, and Jesus Christ lizards (Basiliscus basiliscus) that walk on water!
Includes: A home made box lunch, regional fruits, canned drinks, natural juices, beers, bottled water, and cookies. This lunch is served in green country side surroundings.
What to bring: Light clothing, camera, binoculars, sun screen, and insect repellent.
Cano Negro location: Los Chiles and Guatuso Lowlands, 210 km (131 mi) from San Jose. (Alajuela, 25 km (16 mi))
9,940 Ha. (24,552 acres) Average Temperature: 26 C (79 F) Annual Rainfall: 3,000 mm (117 inches)
| Cano Negro Schedules, Rates, and Online Booking Forms | ||
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| Cano Negro | The Cano Negro wildlife refuge & the Rio Frio are biological humid areas and considered one of the richest in biological diversity in Costa Rica. You will encounter tropical birds, a variety of monkey species, Iguanas, Sloth’s, Caymans & turtles. It is truly a nature lovers tour. |
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