Caño Palma Biological Station
The Caño Palma Biological Station is situated within Costa Rica’s Barra Del Colorado Wildlife Refuge, just next to the eponymous Caño Palma, a large palm-filled canal that separates the station from the Caribbean Sea by a few hundred metres.
This station does a lot of things, but its primary research is focused on monitoring and surveying the endangered Leatherback, Green, Loggerhead and Hawksbill sea turtles that nest on beaches close to the station. Bear in mind they only accept volunteers and scientists conducting fieldwork.
This place is the real deal. There are no roads in the area, and the only way into the reserve is through a system of canals and rivers. When you arrive at the station, you pull up to a large covered dock that is made for wildlife observation and right beside the dock is a freshwater pond used by local wildlife.
Caño Palma is a 40-hectare expanse of protected land that sits at the confluence of two large conservation areas—Tortuguero National Park (18,900 square hectares) and the Barra del Colorado Refuge (92,000 square hectares)—which form a massive corridor connecting another piece of protected land across the border in Nicaragua.
They have put together impressive wildlife checklists, and the mammal, freshwater fish, reptile and amphibian, bird, bat and other faunal diversity is wonderful.
Whether you are interested in seeing wildlife more generally or in a particular group of animals, there is something here for everyone. If this is one of the richest ecosystems in Costa Rica—the most biodiverse country in Central America—then Caño Palma is one of the most impressive ecosystems anywhere in the region.