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Home / Costa Rica / Caño Negro

Wetland & waterbirds · Costa Rica

Caño Negro

A flooded wetland of waterbirds and caiman — jabirus, anhingas and herons from a slow boat.

Getting there

~2 hr from Arenal, near the Nicaraguan border

Best for

Wetland birds, jabiru storks, anhingas, herons, caiman, boat safaris

The land

A seasonally flooded lowland wetland and lake in the northern plains

Good to know

One of Costa Rica's premier wetlands — best explored slowly by boat

What it is

Caño Negro is one of Costa Rica's great wetlands — a flooded lowland of waterbirds and caiman, explored from a slow boat.

A seasonally flooded wetland near the Nicaraguan border, Caño Negro teems with waterbirds: jabiru storks, anhingas, herons, egrets and kingfishers, with caiman and turtles along the channels. A boat safari here is a calm, bird-rich counterpoint to the rainforest.

PhotoCaño Negro — wetland & waterbirds.

The reason to come

The flooded wetland

Caño Negro is all about water and birds — best seen from a quiet boat.

Boat safari

Drifting the channels for waterbirds and caiman.

Jabiru & herons

Storks, anhingas and herons along the water.

Wetland wildlife

Caiman, turtles and kingfishers in the shallows.

Worth knowing

A wetland by boat

Caño Negro's flooded channels offer some of the country's finest waterbird viewing.

PhotoA jabiru stork in the Caño Negro wetland.

When to come — honestly

A wetland boat stop.

December – April

Best

The dry season — wildlife concentrates as waters recede.

July – November

Good

Higher water and abundant birds across the wetland.

Year-round

Good

A productive wetland through the seasons.

Water levels vary seasonally; the wetland is usually visited as a half- or full-day boat safari.

Context

The northern wetland

Caño Negro adds a classic wetland boat safari to the northern circuit.

It pairs naturally with Arenal nearby.

We add Caño Negro as a boat-based wetland day, usually alongside Arenal.

Beyond the obvious

More to Caño Negro.

PhotoBoat safari

Boat safari

Channels of waterbirds and caiman.

PhotoJabiru

Jabiru

The giant storks of the wetland.

PhotoHerons & anhingas

Herons & anhingas

Along the water's edge.

Why Wild Voyager

We pack the wildlife in.

Costa Rica's habitats sit close together but each needs the right base and guide. We sequence them so you see the most — quetzals, macaws, tapirs — with no wasted miles.