Manuel Antonio Night Jungle Tour: Is It Worth It?

Costa Rica’s jungles come alive after sundown with the sounds of tons of of species of animals, a lot of that are almost unimaginable to see throughout the daytime. Throughout the nation, many parks supply night time excursions in order that guests can witness the magic of seeing so many creatures of their pure habitat.

During my go to to Manuel Antonio National Park, I made a decision to ebook such a tour to see what all of the hype was about. Keep studying to search out out whether or not or not it was value it:

What You’ll See and Do

First factor first: Manuel Antonio National Park is just not open to the general public (or excursions) at night time. That’s why this night time tour takes place on non-public property, Rainmaker Conservation Park. Even although many individuals are bummed to know that it doesn’t truly undergo Manuel Antonio, I believed it was fully fantastic. Rainmaker is about an hour away and doesn’t have the identical number of animals, however there was nonetheless a lot to see. Let’s get into what you may count on:

Mostly small critters

Rainmaker Conservation Park makes a speciality of preserving the pure habitat of a wide range of frogs, snakes, bugs, and arachnids. While the night time tour sometimes witnesses a mammal or two, these sightings are uncommon. What you may count on is to see a complete host of tree frog species, plus some toads, snakes, spiders, and different bugs. The information is a licensed naturalist, with a particular eye for recognizing them. It was superb how simply he may discover such small creatures, most of which I most likely wouldn’t have been capable of finding alone.

The tour has two components: first, we walked by way of the dense jungle, then we did a lap across the fringe of a lagoon, which was attention-grabbing due to the abundance of toads each within the water and hopping round within the grass. Some of them have been larger than my foot, so I appreciated them from afar.

Sights & sounds of a nocturnal jungle

Even although I hadn’t seen Rainmaker throughout the daytime, I may think about how distinct the jungle could be from night time to day. Since it’s fully darkish, it feels just like the sounds of the trickling river, boisterous waterfalls, and varied animals and bugs are 100 instances louder and extra vivid. The expertise was in contrast to another I’d had earlier than and was a deal with for my senses from begin to end.

The stroll by way of the jungle takes about 2-2.5 hours, however the time glided by in a flash due to how vigorous it was. It appeared like there was one thing to take a look at round each nook, and the information did a implausible job of declaring crops and animals to the group.

Traditional Costa Rican delicacies after the hike

I used to be pleasantly shocked at how scrumptious and filling the dinner was after the hike. I didn’t know what to anticipate, however after we wrapped up our trek, there have been full plates of rice, beans, and a protein prepared for us. It was an ample show of Costa Rican hospitality and made for a candy finish to the expertise, as we may nonetheless hear the sounds of the jungle throughout us as we ate.

Variations of Manuel Antonio Night Tours

I did this tour by way of Jade Tours Costa Rica, which is $59 and contains transportation, a naturalist information, the park entrance payment, and dinner. Considering what it contains, I believed it was fully value it.

There’s one other night time tour, which fits to a special park, referred to as Biophilia. It’s the identical worth because the one I did however doesn’t embody dinner. This one appears prefer it has the identical wildlife, however the hike is shorter, as the entire tour is 2 hours.

Another firm, Manuel Antonio Night Tours, has three choices: a Manuel Antonio Night Tour (simply exterior the nationwide park), a Mangrove Night Tour, and a Rainmaker Night Tour (which appears similar to the one I did). The mangrove tour is by boat and appears like probably the most attention-grabbing of the three.

How to Prepare

If you get simply frightened by creepy crawlies, the Manuel Antonio night time jungle tour may not be a terrific choice for you. I don’t get simply freaked out by bugs, snakes, or spiders, so it was a blast for me. However, I can think about that it might be a scary expertise for individuals who don’t significantly love the concept of being up shut and private with them.

To put together, I like to recommend carrying lengthy pants or leggings. The tour firm may also inform you to put on close-toed sneakers and to deliver bug spray. Bring water with you as nicely, together with a lightweight rain jacket, simply in case it will get chilly or rains, which may occur any time of 12 months in Costa Rica.

Best Time to Go

I went to Manuel Antonio throughout the wet season in July and had a good time on this tour. It rained a little bit bit, however with a jacket, I used to be ready and didn’t thoughts. The finest time to go is throughout the dry season, although, from December to April, as there’s a better likelihood you’ll see some nocturnal mammals and birds.

While most locations that I went to in Costa Rica throughout the wet season weren’t as buggy as I believed they’d be, Rainmaker was an exception. There have been various mosquitos, so maintain that in thoughts for those who’ll be doing the tour between May and November.

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So, was the Manuel Antonio night time jungle tour value it? Completely. This tour was probably the greatest that I went on in Costa Rica. It felt adventurous, whereas additionally being completely protected, which is right if you wish to see what the jungle is like at night time. (In case you missed it, right here’s the hyperlink to ebook.)

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