When we were in Arenal we did a one day boat trip to the Cano Negro with our guide Giovanni from Leaves and Lizards. It was probably our favourite day in the Arenal area. The Cano Negro is a wetland area in the north of Costa Rica and is a haven for wildlife. We saw numerous birds, wading birds as well as kingfishers, toucans and parakeets. We also managed to see a caiman, some Jesus Christ lizards, a sloth and a pack of howler monkeys. The pack of howler monkeys included the “golden” howler monkey, which is pictured below. This howler monkey has pigmentation and is probably the only one of its kind in the world. Giovanni made it his mission to find it for us, especially after we spotted his favourite bird for him. In the car on the way to Cano Negro we had asked him if there was anything he was hoping to see. He told us it was his dream to see a certain type of kingfisher (I believe it was the Green and Rufus Kingfisher). He hadn’t seen one before. Five minutes into our boat trip I pointed out a kingfisher and asked him what it was and it was the kingfisher he’d been hoping to see. Even the pilot of the boat hadn’t seen one for 8 years and he was on the river every day. So Giovanni made it his mission to find us the golden howler monkey and he succeeded. This monkey had such great expressions on his face and we spent 5 minutes or so getting some great photos. Unfortunately we had decided to stop in the bushes on the side of the river and we got attacked by mosquitos. I think I received 2 bites for every photo I took.
So would I recommend the Cano Negro? I definitely would if you’re planning a trip to Costa Rica. However having now also visited the Pantanal in Brazil I would definitely choose the latter option if you’re interested in photographing a wetland habitat. Having said that Costa Rica offers more in the way of a family holiday, especially around Arenal, so it is definitely somewhere you can take family members who aren’t into photography and they can do different activities (hiking, zip lining, horse riding, etc) and you can sneak off to the Cano Negro for a day’s photography.
Responsible Travel offer a Costa Rica adventure holiday , which includes an optional excursion to Cano Negro
Golden Howler Monkey, Cano Negro. Costa Rica
Silhoutte of Spider Monkey, Cano Negro. Costa Rica
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Tags: cano negro, costa rica, family holiday, guide, kingfisher, monkey, review, sloth, wildlife
