Costa Rica’s jungles come alive after sundown with the sounds of lots of of species of animals, a lot of that are practically unattainable to see through the daytime. All through the nation, many parks supply night time excursions in order that guests can witness the magic of seeing so many creatures of their pure habitat.
Throughout my go to to Manuel Antonio Nationwide Park, I made a decision to e-book such a tour to see what all of the hype was about. Preserve studying to seek out out whether or not or not it was price it:
What You’ll See and Do
Very first thing first: Manuel Antonio Nationwide Park shouldn’t be open to the general public (or excursions) at night time. That’s why this night time tour takes place on personal property, Rainmaker Conservation Park. Though many individuals are bummed to know that it doesn’t really undergo Manuel Antonio, I assumed it was utterly high quality. Rainmaker is about an hour away and doesn’t have the identical number of animals, however there was nonetheless loads to see. Let’s get into what you may anticipate:
Principally small critters
Rainmaker Conservation Park focuses on preserving the pure habitat of a wide range of frogs, snakes, bugs, and arachnids. Whereas the night time tour often witnesses a mammal or two, these sightings are uncommon. What you may anticipate is to see a complete host of tree frog species, plus some toads, snakes, spiders, and different bugs. The information is an authorized naturalist, with a particular eye for recognizing them. It was wonderful how simply he might discover such small creatures, most of which I in all probability wouldn’t have been capable of finding alone.
The tour has two components: first, we walked by way of the dense jungle, then we did a lap across the fringe of a lagoon, which was fascinating due to the abundance of toads each within the water and hopping round within the grass. A few of them have been greater than my foot, so I appreciated them from afar.
Sights & sounds of a nocturnal jungle
Though I hadn’t seen Rainmaker through the daytime, I might think about how distinct the jungle could be from night time to day. Because it’s utterly darkish, it feels just like the sounds of the trickling river, boisterous waterfalls, and varied animals and bugs are 100 occasions louder and extra vivid. The expertise was in contrast to some other I’d had earlier than and was a deal with for my senses from begin to end.
The stroll by way of the jungle takes about 2-2.5 hours, however the time glided by in a flash due to how vigorous it was. It appeared like there was one thing to take a look at round each nook, and the information did a implausible job of mentioning crops and animals to the group.
Conventional Costa Rican delicacies after the hike
I used to be pleasantly stunned at how scrumptious and filling the dinner was after the hike. I didn’t know what to anticipate, however after we wrapped up our trek, there have been full plates of rice, beans, and a protein prepared for us. It was an ample show of Costa Rican hospitality and made for a candy finish to the expertise, as we might nonetheless hear the sounds of the jungle throughout us as we ate.
Variations of Manuel Antonio Evening Excursions
I did this tour by way of Jade Excursions Costa Rica, which is $59 and consists of transportation, a naturalist information, the park entrance charge, and dinner. Contemplating what it consists of, I assumed it was utterly price it.
There’s one other night time tour, which matches to a special park, referred to as Biophilia. It’s the identical worth because the one I did however doesn’t embrace dinner. This one appears prefer it has the identical wildlife, however the hike is shorter, as the entire tour is 2 hours.
One other firm, Manuel Antonio Evening Excursions, has three choices: a Manuel Antonio Evening Tour (simply exterior the nationwide park), a Mangrove Evening Tour, and a Rainmaker Evening Tour (which appears similar to the one I did). The mangrove tour is by boat and appears like probably the most fascinating of the three.
Find out how to Put together
For those who get simply frightened by creepy crawlies, the Manuel Antonio night time jungle tour won’t be an incredible possibility for you. I don’t get simply freaked out by bugs, snakes, or spiders, so it was a blast for me. Nonetheless, I can think about that it may very well be a scary expertise for individuals who don’t notably love the thought of being up shut and private with them.
To arrange, I like to recommend carrying lengthy pants or leggings. The tour firm may even inform you to put on close-toed sneakers and to convey bug spray. Convey water with you as effectively, together with a light-weight rain jacket, simply in case it will get chilly or rains, which may occur any time of yr in Costa Rica.
Greatest Time to Go
I went to Manuel Antonio through the wet season in July and had a good time on this tour. It rained slightly bit, however with a jacket, I used to be ready and didn’t thoughts. The very best time to go is through the dry season, although, from December to April, as there’s a larger probability you’ll see some nocturnal mammals and birds.
Whereas most locations that I went to in Costa Rica through the wet season weren’t as buggy as I assumed they’d be, Rainmaker was an exception. There have been various mosquitos, so hold that in thoughts should you’ll be doing the tour between Could and November.
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So, was the Manuel Antonio night time jungle tour price it? Utterly. This tour was probably the greatest that I went on in Costa Rica. It felt adventurous, whereas additionally being completely secure, which is right if you wish to see what the jungle is like at night time. (In case you missed it, right here’s the hyperlink to e-book.)
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