Costa Rica trip 2016

[Blueblood]

Hey guys I will be going to Costa Rica with the family this March and wanted some herp advice. I will be spending the majority of my time in Arenal and in the tamarindo area. Any herp advice and key species to watch out for? Really hoping to see or capture the golden eyelash viper :rolleyes: gosh their gorgeous... Anyway any help would be appreciated, thanks!

[LouB747]

I'm hoping to go this year too. Maybe further south than you. I'll be looking for advice too! I've heard the eyelash vipers are more common on the Caribbean side although I'm sure they can be found throughout the country. I look forward to hearing others responses.

[bigsnakegirl785]

I went there back in 2012 on a school trip, but I didn't get a chance to see the local fauna in a wild setting. :(

[Blueblood]

Yep I hear they are more common on the caribbean side but arenal is supposed to have a massive variety not to mention a serpentarium and a few wildlife rescues. The serpentarium also coordinates day and night herp trips which I think I will do. Wow you got to go there on a school trip! That should be great even without snakes!

[Blueblood]

I was just poking around on youtube and found a guy called DM exotics who has a great 3 part series about his Costa Rica herping trip. He travels most of the country and sees an amazing amount a flora and fauna anybody hoping to go to Costa Rica should check out his videos. I learn so much in 15 minutes about what to expect in arenal.

[Bandit]

I went in 2011 on a family vacation, so it wasn't the herping trip I would have liked, but I still saw a lot. I saw tons of wildlife. As far as reptiles, I mainly saw lizards. The only snake I saw the entire trip was a yellow-bellied sea snake. If I were you, I'd set up some hikes/trips with the small local businesses. Those guys can spot things like it's nothing. I consider myself to have a fairly good eye for herps, but I was blind to some of the stuff out there until the guides pointed them out to me.

[bigsnakegirl785]

Yep I hear they are more common on the caribbean side but arenal is supposed to have a massive variety not to mention a serpentarium and a few wildlife rescues. The serpentarium also coordinates day and night herp trips which I think I will do. Wow you got to go there on a school trip! That should be great even without snakes!

Yeah I think I visited that serpentarium. Iirc all the animals there were rescued from locals or something, so a lot of them are in bad shape, but man did they have absolutely gigantic Costa Rican BCI! The smallest couldn't have been under 6'.

The bottom of that display was about hip level (I'm 5'2").

http://i1157.photobucket.com/albums/p600/dtr_2009_/Other%20Photos/P1040663_zpseevt0mq8.jpg (http://s1157.photobucket.com/user/dtr_2009_/media/Other%20Photos/P1040663_zpseevt0mq8.jpg.html)

That head dwarfed my entire hand, not that my hand is all that big.
http://i1157.photobucket.com/albums/p600/dtr_2009_/Other%20Photos/P1040644_zpsapvinvoh.jpg (http://s1157.photobucket.com/user/dtr_2009_/media/Other%20Photos/P1040644_zpsapvinvoh.jpg.html)

Pretty much the only herps I saw in Costa Rica outside of displays were iguanas and ctenosaurs, which were EVERYWHERE.

[Blueblood]

I think that is the exact same serpentarium I'm going to! I will be getting a couple guided night hikes to try and get some snakes. I couldn't spot a snake if it was crawling on me lol.

[Nightflight99]

I've traveled throughout Costa Rica several times, and even worked at one of the serpentariums there for some time back in 2003. There are tons of great herping spots there, and species like B. schlegelii are actually quite abundant in the right habitat. It is just about impossible to have anything but a fantastic time in Costa Rica, and I'm certain that you're going to fall in love with the country during your visit.

[Bandit]

I'm certain that you're going to fall in love with the country during your visit.Couldn't agree more. I was there for a week and to this day want to go back. Honestly I feel like I could move there and be completely happy.

[pet_snake_78]

Costa RIca is a world class herping destination. There are literally herps everywhere. Not to mention you'll see amazing mammals and birds too. What you want to do is book at some of the ecolodges. Ask if you can use trails at night or if they offer night hikes before booking. You can find tons of reviews on various places by herpers and non-herpers. fieldherpforum is a good place to research and you can also hit sites like tripadvisor look for snake pics and see where they saw them. When you see a bunch of snakes you want posted from a single trail, that's a good bet. Also there are some herpetologists for hire in Costa Rica that will take you to their favorite sites. I did not hire anyone specifically for snake hunting but probably will the next time I am there. I would also consider reading up on the birds and mammals before going as they are pretty awesome, too.