veniyer asked 8 years ago
Hi:
We plan visits to Corcovado and other national parks. How do we protect ourselves from the ‘fer-de-lance’, bush master and other deadly snakes of CR?
Any suggestions on clothing and shoes?
Thank you,
Ven – Toronto
Jenn and Matt Staff answered 8 years ago
Hi Ven,
The best way to protect yourself is to stay on the trail. If you are in a somewhat busy park, most of the snakes tend to stay away from the trail because of the people walking through. They can feel the footsteps coming. For more remote areas where nobody has gone on the trail before you (or early in the morning, later at night), a walking stick is helpful and you can tap it on the ground ahead of you. You can also purchase special guards that go on your boots like these (http://amzn.to/2jHwQF0). But really that isn’t normally necessary and most people don’t use them. In Corcovado it is required that you hike with a licensed guide so they will be leading the way and watching out too.