North of the Arenal Volcano in Costa Rica lies the Cano Negro Wildlife Refuge. You visit the park through a series of canals and waterways. This Way To Go tour is my number one and absolute favorite in Costa Rica. If you want to see monkeys and other abundant animal life, you need to add this tour to your itinerary without a second thought.
At the time we took the Cano Negro Tour, Sasha was 3 years old. We figured this was the perfect tour for her age as the walks were short and she loved to see animals. We left the Tabacon Resort and the guide informed us he had seen a sloth in a particular tree on the way to pick us up. I started to tremble in anticipation at the possible sloth spotting. I jumped for my bag and rummaged around for my camera. The guide announced that he had spotted the 3 toed mammal and that they would pull the coaster over for a good look. Obviously, I missed the latter part of his statement because I leaped up like a kid on Christmas morning and practically killed the guide as the coaster came to a stop. I turned around and my husband gave me that “look.” Just call me a mammal-junky, I guess. He was huge in size, but the guide informed us that they are very light in weight and only come down from the trees once a week to take care of “business.” They pull leaves from different trees and make a salad to eat.
We stopped at a local soda for a break. We picked up some tico chips and the guide directed us to walk on a little bridge. My daughter gasped as she saw over one hundred giant iguana staring back at her. Some looked to be over 30 pounds! There was one orange iguana on the tree that the guide said was a female trying to attract herself a mate. Luckily, my red hair had faded a bit in the hot springs. We arrived at the boat dock in the town of Los Chiles. After boarding the boat, a group of white faced Capuchin monkeys almost immediately greeted us in the trees. The boat driver cut the engine off and we quietly turned towards the family. Then out on a limb that hit the roof of our boat, a mere 2 feet away from my daughter, a mom capuchin with her baby riding her back leaned over to take a peek at my three year old. I believe my child’s squeal of delight could be heard back in Raleigh, NC. The guide then pointed out several Jesus Christ Lizards that run on water and small bats on a tree.
The Cano Negro is an amazing place to see all different types of birds. It is a huge migratory stop that is a birders paradise. The guide was so excited to see for the first time rare endangerd stork. They came in a pair and stood what seemed to be 4 feet high. Then out of clearing on the left a sloth was walking. It was almost like watching a Sunday morning cartoon as he slowly moved across the grassland. It seemed so unaturally slow and strategic.
Our guide and boat driver pulled the boat over to the side of the jungle for a delicious bite to eat. He set up a picnic for the guests consisiting of salad, arroz con pollo, past a, fruits and cookies. We watched the caymans float by and listened to the howler monkeys serenade us during our meal. He informed us that our next bathroom break would be in 10 minutes and if we had to go then the jungle awaited. Sasha was in the middle of potty training and it was a necessary to become one with the rain forest. My husband leaned over to her and told her that we needed to find a good spot by a tree. All of a sudden, my child took off into the jungle running as fast as she could. Her arms were flailing in all directions and she began screaming “ I AM NOT GOING POTTY IN THE JUNGLE!” We had our mutual look of shock and started running. She screamed louder, “ I AM NOT GOING POTTY IN THE JUNNGGLLLE!” We finally caught up to her and quieted her down by asking her to listen to the howler monkeys who were drowned out by her just a few minutes earlier. With some expert salesmanship, we convinced her to take a little break by a big tree.
The Cano Negro National Park is one of the best Way To Go tours you can take from Arenal to see the abundant animal life of Costa Rica. It has been my guaranteed “ Go To” for clients who want to see monkeys and birds. It is a great option for young kids, the eco enthusiast and the senior as it is easy to do. You need at least 2 nights in Arenal because the tour runs from 8:30AM-3PM daily. Perhaps you will be the next guest in the refuge? If you listen and look closely into the jungle from your boat, you may spot a 3 year old running from her parents.
By Jennifer Rakowski
WTG Sales Manager