A roseate spoonbill hunts for something fishy in the Cano Negro wildlife refuge

The dusty village of Cano Negro in Costa Rica´s sweltering northern lowlands is home to a wetlands refuge that is one of the top birdwatching destinations in the country.

Formed by the seasonal flooding of the Rio Frio and the Cano Negro Lagoon, the 100-square-kilometre Refugio Nacional de Vida Silvestre Cano Negro is considered one of the four most important wetland areas in the world.

Often compared to the Mekong Delta in Vietnam or the Florida Everglades, wildlife here is abundant: caimans  laze on the riverbanks; giant crocodiles eye off tourists floating past in boats; river turtles poke their heads above the murky water; tapir, puma and jaguar abound; iguana and monkeys are ubiquitous and birds such as stork, ibis, anhinga, Amazon kingfisher, cormorant, heron, roseate spoonbill, northern jacana and mangrove swallow can easily be spotted. Tours are taken in small boats and local guides - many of whom quite literally learned to crawl in the refuge - are equipped with sharp eyes, good binoculars, plenty of enthusiasm and years of experience.

Due to its remoteness, Cano Negro does not feature high on most travellers´ itineraries. The town is up near the border with Nicaragua, about an hour´s bumpy bus ride from the uninteresting border town of Los Chiles. 

Some people visit the refuge on day trips from La Fortuna, but the majority of companies claiming to offer day tours here actually skimp on the time, gas money and refuge entrance fees by driving to Los Chiles and taking tourists on a boat ride on the Rio Frio - nowhere near the refuge itself. The only way you can guarantee your guide is taking you to the real Cano Negro is if they drive all the way to Cano Negro village and take a boat from there.

However, your best bet for exploring the refuge is to base yourself in Cano Negro itself. There´s plenty of accommodation to suit all budgets - including one lavish air-conditioned hotel with a pool, rustic lodges, family homestays and camping - as well as a handful of restaurants. The locals are some of the friendliest and most genuine people you´ll meet in Costa Rica and just about every child and their pet iguana can hook you up with an excellent local guide to sail you around the refuge. Cano Negro is a fairly impoverished community, so your tourist dollars and business will be especially appreciated here.