Arenal Reserve has much to offer for the adventurist, but one of my favorite activities is the night time rainforest raft tour. When I thought of doing this tour I expected to have several people with me, as we sat waiting at my hotel I saw several busses of people going off to their adventures. Pretty soon after a van with a raft in tow pulled in, I realized my group would be the only one going on this adventure.
On the way to our location we came to realize right away that our tour guide spoke pretty good English. We arrived at the river and loaded the raft into the water. Very quickly day turned into night and before I knew it I was screaming “What was that?” One bat after another would graze past our faces, never colliding but getting just close enough to feel the wind rolling off their bodies.
Pretty soon our guide had taken his flashlight out and was finding hidden treasures all over the rain forest. We found a sloth sitting high above us in a tree. As we traveled down the river a little further my guide suddenly plunged his hand into the river and I began to think, “How safe can that really be?” All of sudden he produces out of the water a baby Cayman crocodile. Our guide then suggested that with as many babies as there were in the area, the mom must be close by which then begun our search for her. As we approached the “mommy” crocodile, I came to the conclusion that our little rubber raft was no competition for the Cayman crocodile’s teeth. It was decided that it was best not to investigate anymore. None-the-less, it was amazing to get that close to such an amazing creature. Further down the river we heard the screams of Howler Monkeys and also discovered many different bird species.
This was one of the most fun and adventurous things I have done in a while. They recommend that you bring a camera, flashlight and water shoes. I didn’t have a flashlight and water shoes but I had a good pair of water proof boots and the guide had a flash light so we were reasonably outfitted. This is a great trip and I would make sure to set aside time for this experience if you are going to be in the area of the Arenal Reserve. This could be a family adventure as it was in my case though my family was visiting from out of town and are all adults. I wouldn’t recommend it for younger kids but for those mature enough to handle they excitement, it is a trip worth making.
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How did you sign up for this Nighttime river adventure? It sounds amazing!
It was one of the packages available at the hotel I stayed at: the Arenal Springs Resort.
http://www.hotelarenalsprings.com
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