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Orientation & Information

Caño Negro refuge is part of the Area de Conservación Arenal–Huetar Norte and is accessible primarily by boat. Close to the park entrance (that’d be the dock) is the tiny community of Caño Negro, which has no banks or gas stations. All visitors to the park must go to the Minae office and ranger station (2471-1309; adult/child under 12yr US$10/1;8am-4pm) to pay the entrance fees; it’s located about 150m behind (north) of the green and pink pulpería (corner grocery store).

The ranger station can provide information and arrange guided tours. In addition to administering the refuge, rangers are contact points for local guides and a few community projects, including a butterfly garden put together by a local women’s association (Asomucan). You can camp (per person US$2) by the river, or stay in the rangers’ house for US$6 with advance reservations. There are cold showers, and meals can be arranged. At the time of writing, all park offices, research labs and accommodations were scheduled to move in late 2010 to the new Estación Biológica Caño Negro, located 6km north of the church at the end of the gravel road past the radio tower.

Local guides for fishing and ecological tours can also be arranged at most hotels and restaurants in town. You can usually find a guide (US$10 to US$20 per hour) on short notice, but they can get booked up during peak fishing and bird-watching seasons.

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Wildlife-Watching

Caño Negro is regarded among bird-watchers as one of the premier destinations in Central America. During the dry season, the sheer density of birds in the park is astounding, and you’ll be impressed with the number and variety of different species that inhabit the park. In the winter months, migratory duck congregations can be enormous, and very well represented groups include kingfisher, heron, egret, ibis, rail, anhinga, roseate spoonbill and stork. The refuge is also the only reliable site in Costa Rica for olivaceous cormorant, Nicaraguan grackle and lesser yellow-headed vulture.

Reptiles are easily seen in the park, especially spectacled caiman, green iguana and striped basilisk. Commonly sighted mammals in Caño Negro include howler monkey, white-faced capuchin and two-toed sloth. Despite increasing incursions from poachers, puma, jaguar and tapir have also been recorded here in surprising numbers.

Caño Negro also possesses an abundant number of river turtles, which were historically an important part of the Maleku diet (see boxed text). Prior to a hunt, the Maleku would appease the turtle god Javara by fasting and abstaining from sex. If the hunt was successful, the Maleku would later celebrate by feasting on smoked turtle meat and consuming large quantities of chicha, or alcohol derived from maize.

Mosquitoes in Caño Negro are huge, abundant and most definitely classifiable as wildlife. Bring bug spray, or suffer the consequences.

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Tours

If you don’t have your own car or you’re not a fan of public transportation, it’s easiest to organize a day trip to Caño Negro from La Fortuna, San José or any hotel within a 150km radius. Tours are geared toward wildlife-watching, although travelers report that a boatload of noisy tourists tends to scare away most animals. If you’re looking to do a little sportfishing, it’s best to organize your trips through one of the lodges in the park. Fishing licenses, valid for two months, can be arranged through the lodges or at the ranger station for US$34; you will need a photocopy of your passport and a small photo.

THE WEEPING FOREST

Extensive deforestation of the Caño Negro area began in the 1970s in response to an increase in population density and the subsequent need for more farmland. Although logging was allowed to proceed in the area for almost 20 years, the government took action in 1991 with the creation of the Refugio Nacional de Vida Silvestre Caño Negro. Since its creation, Caño Negro has served as a safe