Tárcoles Costa Rica Salt Water Crocodiles

Tárcoles Costa Rica Salt Water Crocodiles

11:30 AM Travel 0 Comments

The only thing we know about Tárcoles is the CROCODILE BRIDGE. Tárcoles is on the way to our beach destinations (PlayaHerradura, Jaco, Manuel Antonio) about 30 minutes from Atenas. Coming from Atenas it is best to stop on the north side of the bridge because the walk to the middle of the river along the bridge is shorter, the railing is low and it can be frightening.

There is a tourist trap store where you can buy food, drink, souvenirs and a safe place to park. Our first time was pure adrenaline rush. The river was quite low and when we approached the middle of the bridge there must have been 30 or 40 fifteen foot+ crocs lurking below just waiting for someone to fall over as the vehicles blew behind us rocking us with the wind they created. It was like something out of National Geographic. Apparently, there have been unsuccessful attempts to relocate the crocs. Since they evolved some 98 million years ago, I have a feeling they will not have any problems finding their way back to this feeding haven. They have been known to eat other predators like great white sharks, but why go to all the trouble when tourists are dropping raw chicken from a bridge and chicken farmers & handlers are feeding them on a daily basis? 

The day we visited the bridge, I was carrying my 2 year old daughter, Sara on my shoulders and when we returned to the car I noticed her feet were turning blue from the grasp I had on her ankles. The croc river flows into the ocean not far from the bridge so if anyone asks you to beach in Tárcoles for a swim I would pass. We do highly recommend adding the Tárcoles Bridge to any vacation plan because it is such a spine-tingling experience. There are also flat bottom boats that offer tours with a highlight of a local man hand feeding a gigantic 20+ foot salty!