San San Pond Sak Wetlands

San San Pond Sak protects a stretch of coast and the swamp forest behind it near Changuinola, and it holds two things that draw people: Antillean manatees in the canals and lagoons, which can be watched from a platform on the Negro river, and a long beach where leatherback turtles nest between March and July under a monitoring programme. The wetland also holds caiman, sloths and a large bird list.

The landscape

• The manatees - Antillean manatees in the canals, watched from a river platform.
• The leatherback beach - nesting between March and July under monitoring.
• The swamp forest - the flooded woodland behind the coast.
• The canals - the waterways worked by boat through the reserve.

When to go

March to July is the leatherback nesting season and the reason most people come. Manatees are present year round but sightings are unreliable. Rain is heavy through much of the year.

Before you go

Manatee sightings are genuinely uncommon and often amount to a ripple. Turtle watches happen at night and nothing is guaranteed. Access is by boat with guides and cannot be done independently.

Nearby

Changuinola is south, and the Naso communities are up the Teribe river.