Best rainy season day trip in northern Costa Rica: Caño Negro

 

Rainy season in Costa Rica is the best time to visit the Caño Negro Wildlife Refuge. Known as the “everglades of Costa Rica”, its 25,100 acres have been designated a “world protected area” by conservation groups like the Ramsar Convention, for being home to some of the world’s rarest plant, animal and bird species.

Located near Costa Rica’s northern border with Nicaragua, by the small town of Los Chiles, Caño Negro Wildlife Refuge is one of the best places for bird-watching in Costa Rica. The best time to visit Caño Negro is now in rainy season, when the calm Rio Frio (Cold River) spills out over the grassy marshland creating a massive lake and intricate network of waterways.

The only way to explore these fascinating wetlands is by boat. You can go wildlife and bird-watching, or fishing, on guided tours in motorized covered boats. Early mornings or late afternoons are the best times for viewing wildlife.

More than 350 species of birds live in the Caño Negro tropical everglade, and record numbers of migratory waterfowl visit during migration season. You can see beautiful and interesting birds such as anhingas, roseate spoonbills, Jabiru storks, ducks, kingfishers, herons, egrets, Northern Jacanas, ibises and cormorants. The Frio River is full of fish like snook, silver-gold tarpon, the rare garfish, and also caimans. Along the shoreline and in the trees you may see other animals like emerald basilisks, White-faced Capuchin monkeys, howler monkeys, two and three toed sloths, iguanas, river turtles, anteaters and bats.

When visiting the Arenal Volcano and Northern Plains of Costa Rica, unique Caño Negro is one of the most amazing and worthwhile Costa Rica day trips. It is a good day trip also to do from Maquenque Eco-Lodge – or on your way from Arenal to Maquenque.

Top Costa Rica bird-watching hotel, Maquenque Eco-Lodge, records more than 410 bird species in its area by the San Carlos River and Maquenque National Wildlife Refuge. The Costa Rica eco-lodge offers guided bird-watching tours, and river canoeing, rafting and boating trips.

Article by Shannon Farley

Costa Rica Northern Plains and Arenal Volcano are hot spots to visit

Two must-see destinations on your Costa Rica vacation are the Arenal Volcano and Northern Plains of Costa Rica.

The tall, impressive Arenal Volcano rises 5,437 feet above the verdant rainforest and neighboring Lake Arenal, framing the skyline with its near perfect cone shape. The spectacular live volcano is easily one of the most photographed landscapes in Costa Rica.

Formed nearly 7,000 years ago, after four centuries of inactivity, Arenal Volcano roared into life with the famous 1968 eruption. From then on, the volcano became Costa Rica’s hottest tourist attraction with its nightly lava shows and regular pyroclastic explosions.

Although the much-loved volcano quieted into a resting phase in October 2010, Arenal and the town of La Fortuna, Costa Rica, are still hotspots for adventure activities. It is thrilling to stand close to an active volcano, and you can sometimes hear the volcano’s rumblings and see plumes of gas. Popular with everyone, of course, are the area’s natural volcanic hot springs.

Located northwest of the capital city of San Jose, the Northern Plains region offers an abundance of outdoor adventures. You can enjoy hiking in the Arenal Volcano National Park, tours on canopy zip-lines and suspension bridges, aerial trams, horseback riding, waterfall rappelling and canyoning, whitewater rafting and river float safaris. Lake Arenal offers kayaking, boating, fishing and world-class windsurfing and sailboarding.

The Maquenque National Wildlife Refuge lies
just north of Volcano Arenal in the Northern Plains by the San Carlos River. Maquenque is an important sanctuary for birds in Costa Rica, and is a migratory stop for many North and South American bird species.

One of the top bird-watching hotels in Costa Rica is Maquenque Eco-Lodge. More than 410 bird species have been identified in the area. The Costa Rica eco-lodge features guided bird-watching tours, and river canoeing, rafting and boating trips.

Maquenque Eco-Lodge is an excellent complement to any travel itinerary that includes the Arenal Volcano.

Article by Shannon Farley