SNAKES & SPIDERS????
Aug 28th, 2007, 10:45 AM
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SNAKES & SPIDERS????
I don't want everyone to think I am a complete woos - hubby & I used to go camping all the time - and lots of hiking - but not in a jungle! I can not lie - those critters freak me out! So... tell it to me straight... will I encounter snakes & spiders while walking the path to my cabana - I'm especially concerned about Osa - all that lush vegetation! 
Aug 28th, 2007, 10:54 AM
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You won't see any of those things...umm, as long as you're not looking! 
Ok, I'm going to give it to you straight.
BDC -- Things encountered by either us, or other campers in or near cabina:
Snakes
Scorpions
Bats
Spiders
Teeny-weeny bugs (don't keep food in cabina)!
Keep in mind, chances are you won't see or experience any of these, just be aware they are out there. They don't like people, so it's not like they're going to come looking for you.
We had a crab in our room at another place. It was terrestrial crab season and those things scurried about everywhere at night. Kind of freaky. They can climb stairs!
There's another recent thread here talking about critters. I'm going to find it and post a link for you.
Ok, I'm going to give it to you straight.
BDC -- Things encountered by either us, or other campers in or near cabina:
Snakes
Scorpions
Bats
Spiders
Teeny-weeny bugs (don't keep food in cabina)!
Keep in mind, chances are you won't see or experience any of these, just be aware they are out there. They don't like people, so it's not like they're going to come looking for you.
We had a crab in our room at another place. It was terrestrial crab season and those things scurried about everywhere at night. Kind of freaky. They can climb stairs!
There's another recent thread here talking about critters. I'm going to find it and post a link for you.
Aug 28th, 2007, 11:23 AM
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We had a TON of land crabs in our room at Crocodile Bay in Osa, especially in our shower. My friend joked they were lined up outside the door like it was the hottest club in town. We figured it was just part of being in CR and were prepared to deal, but our host (it was a business boondoggle) freaked. So they moved us to a second floor room, and we never saw one again.
Aug 28th, 2007, 11:51 AM
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hills, that is TOO funny! We experienced the crabs more on the Carribbean side (it was apparently high season in May), and when I asked one of the owner's he eluded to the fact they would come and go. My daughter thought it was a hoot, especially when the cat faced them off!
At BDC, when I asked Carlos about the bat in our bathroom he said it was ok, he lived there. Hee!
My daughter thought it was a hoot, especially when the cat faced them off!At BDC, when I asked Carlos about the bat in our bathroom he said it was ok, he lived there. Hee!
Aug 28th, 2007, 12:36 PM
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Haha...I just had a bat in my room in South Africa. Thank god for the mosquito netting. Not that there was a single mosquito in the room...the bat had eaten them!
But when I couldn't go to the bathroom at night without him swooping down at my head, I had to call security to escort him out. They had a highly effective plan...open the sliding glass door and swat at him with a towel. He finally left.
But when I couldn't go to the bathroom at night without him swooping down at my head, I had to call security to escort him out. They had a highly effective plan...open the sliding glass door and swat at him with a towel. He finally left.
Aug 28th, 2007, 01:34 PM
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Lux - Cape Town, Paarl, Phinda, Singita Ebony and Lebombo. Just got back this morning. Trying desperately to stay awake to help reset my clock. I might start my trip report later. If not, definitely tomorrow. Took the day off to recover.
Aug 28th, 2007, 02:53 PM
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Really we only saw the warm and fuzzy wildlife - all 4 kinds of monkeys, coatis, and an anteater! I wanted to see a snake (from afar!) so I could get pictures, but no such luck. We did see a poison dart frog and a few spider webs high up in the trees. The only creepy crawlies in our cabin were little moths and things - nothing too freaky or scary. Definitely bring a flashlight or a headlamp with you though. I told Phillip I was surprised there weren't a lot of mosquitoes, and he said, "That's what the bats are for!" There are loads of bats on the trails when the sun is going down. They were kind of dive bombing us while they ate the bugs, and that was a little freaky.
We kept our doors closed at night and when we left the cabin - also lights off - that helps to keep a lot of the buggies outside. There are definitely snakes there though - bushmasters and fer-de-lance and coral snakes so make a little noise on the trails and let them know you're coming. They want to avoid you as much as you want to avoid them. Phillip had an encounter with a fer-de-lance when we were there; it was sitting on the trail when he went back to his cabin, and the sound of his walking scared it off; he said otherwise he would have stepped right on it.
We kept our doors closed at night and when we left the cabin - also lights off - that helps to keep a lot of the buggies outside. There are definitely snakes there though - bushmasters and fer-de-lance and coral snakes so make a little noise on the trails and let them know you're coming. They want to avoid you as much as you want to avoid them. Phillip had an encounter with a fer-de-lance when we were there; it was sitting on the trail when he went back to his cabin, and the sound of his walking scared it off; he said otherwise he would have stepped right on it.
Aug 29th, 2007, 04:22 AM
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We never saw any snakes while walking the trails at BDC or the path to our cabina. But, the one day when we didn't shut our sliding doors while we were out hiking, we had a visit from a green vine snake. I was sitting on the porch, and I saw movement out of the corner of my eye. A bright green snake was slithering down the side of the sliding door! It headed onto the porch and into the plants on the side our cabina. I don't know where it had been before it appeared. Needless to say, we always shut the doors while out hiking after that! I loathe snakes, and I survived the encounter!
We kept the doors open at night, and did have a bat that would fly out of the bathroom when we got up in the middle of the night. We always used a flashlight.
Have hubby walk in front of you on trails to keep eyes out for spider webs across some trails.
Don't worry - you will love the Osa so much - it is worth possible "eek" moments!
We kept the doors open at night, and did have a bat that would fly out of the bathroom when we got up in the middle of the night. We always used a flashlight.
Have hubby walk in front of you on trails to keep eyes out for spider webs across some trails.
Don't worry - you will love the Osa so much - it is worth possible "eek" moments!
