Sloth Eating at Aviarios

What to do with your day off at Aviarios?

Downtown Cahuita
Found a humming bird nest at Aviarios
Don't we look good together!
Howler monkey baby hanging outside a tree next to our home
Mel and I crossing the border
with our guide and friend Chago looking for frogs at his house
I found a three legged frog.....you can thank Chaquita Banana for this
Downtown Cahuita
One of the best rides of my life on Alaska on the coast
Sloth resting in the mangroves, Panama
Dart Frog
Blue Jean Dart Frog
Bottle Nose Dolphin waving goodbye in Bocas
Dart frog in Panama


Before I left on my trip I did some research as to what there was to do on my days off at Aviarios. I had a pretty good idea, but some volunteers had a problem deciding on what they wanted to do. However, there is a lot to see and do. For every six days you work, you get a day off. Start planning it ASAP so that you have a buddy to go with you.

I went to Bocas Del Toro, Panama for the day. It ended up costing $145 for everything. We were picked up and taken across the border at Saxola. The crossing would be very easy to do alone and without a guide, however if you only have a day, you need to do the tour. Local buses down there will take longer and getting to Bocas alone will be over a day.

After crossing the bridge at Saxola, our guide drove us in his truck to Bocas where we got on a water taxi to meet up with a new guide for  Bocas. The drive was nice and we got to see many Indigenous communities along the way. We did a dolphin tour, had a chance to see dart frogs, mangroves, snorkeled around the mangroves, and saw a mangrove island filled with three toed sloths! Bocas Del Toro is also home to the Pygmy Three toed sloth, but is only found on Isla Escudo de Veraguas, the most remote island in the archipelago there.

We also did a horseback ride with Bridgette's trail rides located in Cahuita. for $50 you got a 3 hour ride, galloping on the beach and the jungle tour. We saw howlers and capuchins. The galloping was amazing, but if you have no experience with horses you can fall off, and the last thing you want to do is break something in another country. Maybe keep it at a light trot or walk.

Here's a list of some of the activities to do on your day off or at 3pm when we are usually done feeding.

• Visit the black sand beach 20 min. walk down the street
• Horse back ride*
• Day tour to Bocas Del Toro Panama*
• Watch howler monkeys outside the volunteer house*
• Visit Cahutia National Park* (Do not approach capuchin monkeys)
• Visit a Bri Bri village
• Take the bus to nearby towns
• Take a canoe out at Aviarios, or better yet get Chago to take you.  Just be sure to tip!
• Snorkel at Cahuita National Park