Caño Negro Wildlife Refuge is a Wildlife refuge, part of the Arenal Huetar Norte Conservation Area, in the northern part of Costa Rica twenty kilometers south of Los Chiles near the border with Nicaragua in the Alajuela province. The refuge is a wetlands site that is home to many migratory waterfowl during part of the year, centered on Lake Caño Negro which is fed by the Frío River during the rainy season.
| Caño Negro Wildlife Refuge | |
|---|---|
IUCN category IV (habitat/species management area) | |
 Frío River in Caño Negro Wildlife Reserve | |
  Location within Costa Rica | |
| Location | Alajuela Province, Costa Rica |
| Nearest city | Upala |
| Coordinates | 10°52′37″N 84°45′47″W / 10.877°N 84.763°W[1] |
| Area | 25,100 acres (102 km2) |
| Established | 1984 |
| Governing body | National System of Conservation Areas (SINAC) |
| Official name | Caño Negro |
| Designated | 27 December 1991 |
| Reference no. | 541[2] |
Access
Main access road is Route 138 which connects Route 4 and Route 35.
Facilities
There are no public facilities at the refuge, and the area can be explored only by boat, for which there is a dock as well as tourist facilities at the town of Caño Negro.
Wildlife
The forests, grasslands and marshes of the area provide shelter for various endangered species such as cougars, jaguars, tapirs, ocelots, peccary and several species of monkey (Panamanian white-faced capuchin, mantled howler and Geoffroy's spider monkey), as well as many others. In the dry season the river is reduced to little lagoons, channels and beaches which gives home to thousands of migratory birds of many species such as storks, spoonbills, ibis, anhingas, ducks and cormorants.
Spectacled caiman
Green iguana
Common basilisk
References
External links
- Caño Negro Wildlife Refuge at Costa Rica National Parks