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Sloths sightings?
Visitors to Costa Rica, always want to make sure they see at least one.
Driving through La Fortuna toward the Arenal Lake, we noticed a few people standing on the side of the road, near a large tract of trees, looking upward and pointing. Not sure what they were looking at, we noticed a sign, The Sloth Trail.
Finding myself with a bit of time on my hands that afternoon, I headed back to the area where I saw the sign. After parking my car, I headed to the small hut and inquired about a tour. Admission was only about $10, however, if a guide was requested, it was $32…a bit high I thought, but the tour was to last about two hours.
What the heck…I really had nothing else to do.
Sloths are tree-dwelling animals that reside in Central and South America and belong to two families, the Megalonychidae (two-fingered sloth) and Bradypodidae (three-fingered sloth). They are related to anteaters and consume such small amounts of energy, they lower their metabolic rates and body temperature to balance it out. If you every wondered why they move soooooo slow, this is why. However, if you every get to see a sloth swim, they could be gold medal contenders!
Sloths sleep at least fifteen hours a day, so catching them in action is usually quite difficult, especially when in the areas containing the two-fingered sloth, a mostly nocturnal animal.
We were lucky to have seen sloths at close range in La Paz Waterfall Gardens and we had spotted a few while floating in the Balsa River, but I was anxious to see if I might spot more in the wild, at a closer range.
Paying the admission, I joined my tour guide, Jason, as we made our way to the front of the property where all of the people were standing and pointing. High in the treetops, was a mother sloth holding her baby against her. Jason explained that this mother usually remains in that area, however, a couple of days before, she had made her way, with her baby, to the front of the property near the hut, to urinate and defecate (the only reason they leave the trees, once a week). Needless to say everyone present was quite excited!
Using the spotting scope that Jason had brought along, we watched the mother as she moved languidly, eating the leaves in her proximity.
Moving on to the forested area, we walked along the trails, Jason stopping occasionally to show me various plants and flowers within the small woodland. We were quite lucky and spotted about five other sloths, however, I had not brought my telephoto lens and could not capture any good photos of the adorable creatures.
Though the area was quite limited, I learned that there were many other things to discover within that small thicket. I really enjoyed finding both blue jeans poison dart frogs and a red-eyed tree frog, however, we were especially careful as fer de lance vipers are constantly spotted in the area. My favorite thing though, was a plant that appears to die when you touch it…the Mimosa Pudica is also known as the Sensitive Plant, Touch-Me-Not, Tickle Me Plant, Shame Plant or Humble Plant. A creeping annual or perennial flowering plant of the pea/legume family, it usually grows in shady areas under trees or shrubs. Found in Central and South America, in some Asian countries, and in the southern part of the United States, its compound leaves fold inward and droop when touched or shaken, defending itself from harm. Its leaves open a few minutes later.
As it was getting late in the day and the night walks were beginning, we completed our tour.
There are many companies offering sloth tours in the area. This one was close to town, was convenient for the amount of time I had and offered a nice private tour. If I ever decided to do another sloth tour, I would be sure, however, to have the camera equipment needed. Lesson learned…do your research and be prepared if seeing a sloth is important to you.
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The Sloth Tour
- This was located just past the town of La Fortuna on Highway 142 across from restaurant La Choza del Marisco. If you pass the souvenir shop Original Grand Gallery on the right, you’ve gone too far.
- I could not find any information on this place online, leading me to think it is a new business. Prices were estimated and no picture of the outside sign were taken.