Hi. I am afraid of snakes and a little worried about hiking & sleeping in a cabin in the Osa Peninsula/Golfo Dulce area. Should I be worried? Should I buy protective clothing? Thanks for your advice!

I've been down 5 times and have only seen a couple small ones though they are there and usually interested in staying out of your way. I'v done a good amount of hiking. The one I remember the most was being passed around for picture taking and obviously not poisonous. Have heard or read some good stories though and seen other's photos of the yellow eyelash vipers on the trees.

Best to wear closed shoes on the trails and keep you eyes open and watch where you put your hands. They are sometimes in the trees/palms also.
Use a flashlight at night.

Don't fret-- just repeat, Lions and tigers and bears. They're here, they're there, they're everywhere! It'll take your mind off the snakes! Joking ofcourse.

Don't forget...beware of all the snakes on a plane!

Sorry, couldn't resist.

as the old castlemain xxxx beeer ad said:

"don't worry about the snakes, the crocs have eaten all them"

LOL You two are in rare form today!

Earthtraveler is right on when he says he hasn't seen many. I have spent a lot of time down there myself and have seen very very few. Do heed his warning to wear solid shoes when hiking. The ants can get a bit nippy at times.

LOL You are all in rare form today!

Earthtraveler is right on when he says he hasn't seen many. I have spent a lot of time down there myself and have seen very very few. Do heed his warning to wear solid shoes when hiking. The ants can get a bit nippy at times.

oops!

Never in a million years will I forget Phillip's story (guide at Bosque del Cabo) about a fellow (not a tourist) who stuck his head in a log looking for something (can't remember why on earth the man was doing such a thing) and encountered a bushmaster. Not a happy ending. Just got a little careless I guess. Doubt you'll see a thing--as others have said, they tend to stay out of your way. It's a big no-no to hike off the trail, obviously.

I'm not so crazy about them either, but was overjoyed to get a really great close up a couple of years ago of an eyelash viper on a branch. It's one of my favorite photos ever. The things are venomous as heck, but so beautiful!

That reminds me of an old girlfriend I used to have...

What reminds you? The viper, the bushmaster, Phillip, or the guy was stuck his head where it didn't belong???? LOL!

hahaha.
stamp on the ground loudly before walking along a path/trail. that gets them running out of your way.
unless of course you stamp <b>on</b> one!
then you're castlemain 'xxxxed'

That story about the bushmaster has been around for several years now. I know I look before moving down there after hearing it. Haven't seen one yet. Philip was biten last year by a coral snake. More deadly than the Fer de Lance. They got him over to the hospital in Golfito in time but he was pretty sick for awhile. The same trip that he told us about his encounter there was a coral snake that slithered into the dining room. Needless to say, he didn't rush to remove it. In all my visits to Bosque that is the only time I have seen one and it was more than enough. I did see another one while hiking alone up in Tortuguero. Don't want a third sighting. We had a pet snake for awhile and I still don't like them.

I almost stepped on a BIG snake near Punta Banko.

The sucker stretched almost completely across the road. I stepped over it without looking. My wife freaked- I don't know how I didn't see it.

When we got back to the lodge we looked it up but never figured out what it was- we didn't have a camera.

Other that that time, all of our CR snake experiences have been pleasantly educational