hollyjolly76

Traveling to Costa Rica for ten days in early may. Group includes myself, my husband, 2 sons ages 7 and 1 and my mother in law. My mother in law is Costa Rican, but came to the states at age 10. Husband lived there for a year with his grandparents when he was 16. Ok, onto my question. Snakes. I hate them. I knew going into it that there would be snakes. But I also had the thought of you leave them alone they leave you alone. Then I read about the Fer de Lance. I am a bit concerned. My family has told me that in their journeys they have never encounter one or had any snake problems. Are snake encounters/bites rare? We will be in Arenal, Monteverde, Tamarindo, and Puntarenas. We will be "hiking" on well marked and well cleared trails. Obviously with two kids we not on going on any major adventures.
My second concern is theft/safety. We know to take the usual precautions. We dont plan to drive at night, keep an eye on our possessions(we aren't taking any fancy jewelry or anything like that), etc. Just wondering is it safe to lock things up in hotel safes or are they prime targets for break ins?
Any other helpful hints are greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

colibri

In six different trips, I have rarely seen a snake. The few that I have seen have been pointed out to me by a guide and have been off the trail. I would not worry about seeing a snake - most people have to search them out!

Theft - make sure that someone stays with the car if you have all your belongings with you or you are in a guarded parking lot. Be careful with your possesions on the beaches and use your safety deposit box for passport, add'l credit cards, extra cash.

I hope you have a great time! I'm counting down until Trip #7 - 2 1/2 months to go!

Kinkazote

In nine trips, I have seen only one snake that wasn't sought out by guide. But to be honest, there are probably numerous snakes that are within sight, but are simply not noticed. Stick to the trails to avoid surprises. I suspect that you are worried about being surprised by one. Cleared, really well cleared, trails are no problem as long as you look down frequently. Really wary people wear boots (wellingtons) are often available for rent or free in snakey areas. Go with a guide who walks ahead and looks for the critters. I think I have heard of one bite of a Fer de Lance to a tourist/visitor, but that was years ago. More tourists drown that get bitten, I reckon. Most FdL bites are to farm workers. You will be carrying the 1 year old, and the 7 year old will be fine if he minds well and does not leave the trail or wander away from the guide. A greater trail concern are ant hills and scorpions. Please allow yourself to feel relaxed and enjoy the trip by taking a few sensible precautions.

volcanogirl

We saw two on our last trip. One was a coral snake and one was a fer de lance. Both were right on the trail. Neither wanted anything to do with us though. The coral snake slithered off before I could get a photo. For the most part they don't want anything to do with you. We also saw a snake at Sky Trek and another one on the sidewalk at our hotel in Arenal. You could encounter one, although for the most part you would probably walk right by and not notice. Definitely stay on the trails and use a flashlight at night, all the usual advice. Snakes used to freak me out, but I've gotten used to them. Just use caution and you should be fine; bites are extremely rare. If a guide sees a venomous snake, they'll usually mark the trail with a little flag so be on the lookout for those. When we saw the fer de lance, our guide plopped a little flag down right next to the sidewalk to warn others. Surprisingly the snake stayed in the same spot for hours.

The most common theft is car breakins, so just don't leave anything in your car unattended. We've always felt very safe everywhere that we've gone. Have never had anything stolen from our room or safe, but have met several people whose cars were broken into.