If you are keen to catch your own dinner after dark, a nighttime trek through the rainforest near Casa Roja can turn into a foraging expedition for some delicious stream-dwelling prawns. The vast network of small streams in Costa Rica’s jungle, nourished by the frequent rain of the tropics, is home to an astonishing diversity of life, including fish, crocodiles, and freshwater prawns – big ones! If you are a savvy and slightly adventurous forager wishing to supplement your meal with these tasty crustaceans, our staff can lead you on a jungle night walk equipped with rubber boots, headlamps, and spears.
Under the cover of darkness, stream-dwelling prawns leave the safety of their burrows to move about the shallows looking for food. Once caught in the beam of a headlamp, a stunned prawn often remains motionless long enough for you to approach and pin it to the streambed with a multi-pronged spear, reach for the prawn, and transfer it to your bag. When conditions are favorable it doesn’t take long to gather a few – enough for a very special and tasty appetizer. Success, however, is never guaranteed. Often, the water runs high and muddy, making it impossible to spot the prawns. Even if the stream is low and clear, it takes some skill to peg the prawns before they make a surprisingly quick getaway.
It’s also fair to say that a nighttime outing to look for prawns is not for the squeamish. Creepy crawlies abound in a jungle alive with unfamiliar sounds, and nighttime encounters with spiders, snakes, and crocodiles are likely. Plants that seems dense during the day can appear impenetrable at night, and even a headlamp’s comforting beam of light appears puny against the blackness of the forest. But for the adventurous, it is a truly memorable experience in nature! If you wish to try your hand at prawn hunting, we just ask that you exercise restraint. Even animals that seem abundant can quickly be depleted if not harvested sustainably. To ensure that stream prawns will be available for future visitors and generations, please remove just enough to offer a taste of this tropical delicacy – take a few, and leave a lot!
