Costa Rica (Lonely Planet, 9th Edition) - Matthew Firestone [469]
However, illegal logging and poaching have continued around the perimeter of the park, and the wildlife has accordingly suffered. In the last two decades, one-time residents of the park including ocelot, manatee, shark and macaw have vanished. Tarpon and caiman populations are decreasing, and fewer migratory birds are returning to the park each year. Additionally, anglers are reporting record lows in both the size and number of their catches.
Satellite images show that the lake is shrinking each year, and that water levels in the Río Frío are dropping rapidly. It’s difficult to say with certainty what is causing these changes, though the farms surrounding Caño Negro require extensive irrigation, and sugarcane is nearly 10 times as water-intensive as wheat.
Locals are extremely worried about the stability of the park as entire communities are dependent on fishing and tourism for their survival. In response to the growing need to regulate development in the region, area residents have formed a number of organizations aimed at controlling development in the northern lowlands. If you want to support the Caño Negro community, avoid booking your tour in another town and spend your tourist dollar locally.
Caño Negro is not as difficult to access as it once was, and you’ll have a much better experience if you avoid the tour operators and head directly to the park. Hiring a local guide is quick, easy and full of advantages – you’ll be supporting the local economy, you’ll have more privacy when you’re out on the water and, of course, there’s the satisfaction of doing things independently. You can usually find indie guides hanging around in the park or at the docks during the day. A recommended company is Pantanal Tours (8816-3382, 8825-0193), which offers boat trips through the park, plus fishing, kayaking and horseback-riding tours.
Either way, the key to Caño Negro is to get there as early in the morning as possible when wildlife is still active, and it’s worth paying extra for an overnight adventure that puts you in the water by 7am. Folks staying in town basically have the refuge to themselves at daybreak, with boat-trippers from Puerto Viejo de Sarapiquí and Los Chiles arriving by 9am.
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Sleeping & Eating
There are a few budget lodging options in town, plus a handful of nicer accommodations down the road, most of which are geared toward fishing.
Albergue Caño Negro (2471-2029; r without bathroom per person US$12; ) The cheapest accommodations in the area is this family-run venture of small cabinas overlooking the lagoon. Rooms are simple and share cold-water bathrooms, but the proprietors, Manuel and Isabel, are relaxed and friendly. Look for the little blue ‘cabinas’ sign and the stilt cabinas past the bend in the road after the Caño Negro Natural Lodge.
Kingfisher Lodge (2471-1116/369; s/d from US$25/50; ) These rustic cabinas are about 100m from the town center, and there is a variety of rooms to accommodate travelers of all budgets. They’re owned and operated by the Sequera brothers, who are recommended refuge guides and boat captains. Two-hour fishing or naturalist trips for up to five people cost US$55, and you can also arrange horseback riding here. Stop by the pink house with the sign advertising the cabinas to have a look.
Hotel de Campo Caño Negro (2471-1012; www.hoteldecampo.com; s/d incl breakfast US$75/95; ) Set in an orchard of mango and citrus trees next to one of Caño Negro’s lagoons, this Italian-run hotel is a fisherman’s paradise. You can rent any combination of boats, guides (who speak English, Spanish, French and Italian), kayaks and fishing equipment here at the well-stocked tackle shop. And after angling for gargantuan tarpon all day, relax in comfortable, high-ceilinged rooms with air-con and private hot shower, or soak in the grotto-like Jacuzzi. There’s also a restaurant (mains ₡4000 to ₡7000; open 7:30am to 9:30pm) specializing in, yep, fish.
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