Ngolden1

I know, they are totally different. But I like them both and we will only have time for 1 day trip from Arenal. We will be there November 27-30. I like Rio Celeste because of the incredible water, and I like Cano Negro for the wildlife. However, I have read that if it rains too much then Rio Celeste will not retain the blue color for which its known. My question is how do I know how much rain is too much? I have also read some reviews that Cano Negro isn't the best because its mostly birds, many of which can be seen in the U.S. So I welcome all perspectives on this choice. I can't believe the trip is two weeks away!

volcanogirl

We've done Cano Negro several times and loved it. We've seen howler, spider, and capuchin monkeys there, sloths, caimans, and tons of water birds. It's fun to get out on the boat and cruise on the river. We've used Sunset Tours, and their boat is nice, covered, and they offer cold drinks. I think it's fun to do something different. Haven't done Rio Celeste though, so I can't compare the two. You can't ever guarantee wildlife sightings, but we've had good luck when we've done it. We've even seen an albino howler monkey there which was bright orange. The tour pairs well with an evening at the hot springs.

Linda137

Cano Negro is really fantastic. In addtion to the critters Volcanogirl mentions, we saw quite a few Jesus Christ Lizards and even got some great photos of them. Take a camera with zoom if at all possible. You can get some great shots if you have your lense cap off at the right time. Your guide will tell you what's likely to be coming up. We didn't experience any bugs but I guess that isn't always the case. One couple showed up in what looked like bee keeper outfits but they slowly peeled it all off. The boats have Off spray so you might want to wait to spray yourself. Light weight zip off pants and a long sleeve shirt might be worth having if you are a bug magnet or if you get cold easy. The boats have plenty of extra room for a backpack or tote bag.

Allylam

I have not done the Cano Tour, but did hike to Rio Celeste. Wow was it amazing. I have no idea what heavy rain would do, but in late November, it's unlikely there will be rain. Just so you know it is quite a hike to get to the falls, and once there, nothing to do but sit and look. I'm happy I saw it, but would I make that trip again at my age (53), probably not.

Ngolden1

Thanks for the good insight. I am still torn, since they both sound really great. Perhaps we will decide once we get there.

shillmac

Ngolden, we have done them both and enjoyed each. They are totally different. The Rio Celeste tour involves hiking on Volcan Tenorio. We went in the summer, so the water was not blue (that is, as you say, a dry season phenomena). We had a great day, but for a "total" experience, I would definitely recommend Cano Negro. But then we are "into" birds, and don't care where we see them. There is, as volcanogirl says, lots of other wildlife to enjoy as well. Honestly, I can't imagine anyone NOT recommending Cano Negro!

Actually, it is virtually impossible for anyone to tell you which of these 2 activities you would most enjoy. Honestly, you would have a great time with either. Seeing Rio Celeste when the water is blue would be special, sure, but wouldn't be a deal breaker for me. It just isn't easy to mess up a day in Costa Rica with ANY kind of nature tour.

qwovadis

www.ruralcostarica.com

Rio Celeste is awesome unlike any other..amazing color/falls

Cano Negro really just a boat ride for me long drive

to get there good wildlife but

www.tortugueroinfo.com is even better for wildlife

if you have time.

Happy Hunting,

hsmithcr

The hike to the Rio Celeste is through the huge rainforest of the Tenorio National Park (18,000 hectares). Don't think of it as "just a hike" but enjoy all that it has to offer: beautiful plants, birds, lizards, butterflies and the "magic" of the rainforest. Once you are there, you can swim a little, see the river water turn blue with the mixture of minerals, see the huge waterfall, and soak in the hot springs. As with any forest birding trip, you would have to be there very early or very late to see much bird activity. It is possible to hear many of them and if you are quiet and move quietly down the trail without talking and clanking and making a lot of noise, you might see more birds.

Cano Negro is also "magical" in its own way. It's a watery place and your trip is all on a boat. There are covered boats and uncovered boats. You can go with a large group, small group or on your own. You can park and walk up to the landing an negotiate to hire a boat for a couple of hours and go on your own, without the group. Even if your boat driver doesn't speak English, he can point out birds and animals such as iguanas, caimans, monkeys and perhaps a sloth. You will see waterbirds such as cormorants, anhingas, herons, egrets and possibly spoonbills or ibis.
Maybe even wood storks.

They are about a similar distance from Arenal with Cano Negro being a little further.

For more information: www.costarica-nationalparks.com

volcanogirl

Or you could add another day to your trip!

Ngolden1

I love all of these different perspectives. If conditions for both trips were optimal, I would probably choose Rio Celeste for the hike and the color of the water/swimming in it. However, considering we will be doing other hikes, and afterwards heading to Montezuma where there are tons of waterfalls, perhaps we will pick Cano Negro for something different. I just don't know!

Ngolden1

Does anyone see crocodiles at Cano Negro? There are pics of some online, but I wonder how common it is.

hsmithcr

You won't see crocodiles at Cano Negro, just caimans.

OK... now I have said that, there will be jillions of crocodiles sighted!

Put it this way... in three trips to Cano Negro (one of them all day fishing trip) I have never seen crocodiles and have never heard of anyone seeing crocodiles. Also, crocodiles are not listed as a species of reptile that live in the Refuge.

volcanogirl

N, yes, just caimans as far as I know, but we were at a little restaurant, and one of the workers tossed a piece of cooked chicken tied to a rope into the water, and you would have thought that what came up was a croc - it was the hugest caiman I've ever seen. The man pulled a little on the rope, and the caiman just kept coming up onto the bank where we were all standing. We got some great pictures.

patrigringo

I've been to Rio celeste multiple times and it has always appeared to be radiating Probably during a flooding rain it will dilute the river, but I've been there during and after a HEAVY tropical rain (soaked to the bone in 3 seconds) and the river still looked amazing. Plus, in the end of November things are starting to clear up. I would go for Rio Celeste.

LindainOhio

We had to make this same decision, knowing both would be great. We hired Erick Guzman www.tarabatours.com and he would take us to either. We could see what the weather was like--We would do Cano Negro if the weather was iffy and Rio Celeste if the weather was clear

We decided to go to Rio Celeste. I had read several articles about the Rio Celeste. www.costaricatraveler.com had a very good article He charges $75 for his guide service, $120 for the driver, $10pp for the National Park entry fee. We went with another couple so we split the cost of the driver and guide so it was $58pp.

Erick stopped at a couple of places along the way to the Park, he pointed out monkeys, a sloth, other wildlife--amazingly at about 40 miles an hour. He described some of the sites along the way. Had the driver turn around if something was interesting. Stopped at the big tree right before Rio Celeste Lodge to see all the tiny frogs.

We started the hike walking through flowering shrubs that were swarming with hummingbirds and then walked into the forest and Erick immediately spotted a MotMot. We decide to first hike to the waterfall. The water is the amazing blue color. We actually swam there near the waterfall. It was not dangerous the day we were there--don't tell anyone we swam there. It is discouraged.

Unfortunately that pretty much ended our hiking because the skies opened up and we had a torrential rainstorm. The trail turned into a river and we were hiking back in ankle high water and mud. There was no way to avoid the mud. We were totally disappointed that we missed the lagoons, the hotsprings etc...

We had umbrellas and ponchos but were totally mud covered and soaked. We hosed off back at the soda at the Rio Celeste Lodge and had a really wonderful typical plate lunch though. $7pp. Fabulous pineapple juice from the plantation next door.

On the way back Erick stops at his friend's shop--a Maleku. he tells us about the Malekus and actually has very reasonably priced souvenirs that the Malekus make. Erick will skip this if you are not interested.

We are hikers and were headed to the Osa so we ended up doing Rio Celeste. In retrospect, because of the weather, Cano Negro would have been the better choice.

We loved Erick Guzman though. He leads a lot of birding tours and is a really great guide.

hsmithcr

Erick is really great. I am glad you were able to go with him but sad you missed the Rio Celeste and waterfall. Well, they don't call it "rainforest" for nuthin!

Ngolden1

I just googled caimans, and I definitely thought they were crocodile - thanks for the clarification!

LindainOhio - Thank you for the detailed description. It's nice to know there are so many other things to see on the way. It's good you got to see the blue water - but too bad about the rain. Something to think about. What time of day did it start to rain?

volcanogirl

Well, regarding the rain, you might not want to do Cano Negro in the rain either. We've had it start to rain towards the end of the tour, and it seems like it makes the animals go into hiding. So just cross your fingers for good weather either way. Sunset Tours is the group we used, and luckily their boat is covered.