Medio Queso Wetlands (Los Chiles)
Nature spot · Arenal & La Fortuna · hidden gem
A huge open marsh and peat bog near the Nicaraguan border, part of the same wetland system as Caño Negro but far less visited. Birders come for regional specialties like the Nicaraguan grackle and seed-finch, Pinnated bittern and several crakes, plus jacanas, purple gallinules, anhingas and Snail kites. You can bird from the road and the new bridge over the Río Medio Queso, or go out with a local boatman into the channels.
- Cost
- Free
- Time there
- 2 h
- Best time
- early morning or the last two hours before sunset; dry season (January to April)
- Kids
- 6 / 10
- View
- 6 / 10
- Crowds
- 1 / 10
- Swimming
- 5 / 10
- Effort
- 1 / 10
- Location
- 10.94878, -84.62831 — Google Maps
Before you go
- Tickets
- Free entry, no ticket
- Parking
- On the street
- Swimming
- No swimming
- Bring
- binoculars, insect repellent, sun hat, water, passport
- Fewer people
- Mostly birding groups; you'll often be alone on the bridge
- Checked
- 2026-10
Tip
Bring binoculars and come late in the afternoon: that's when birding groups launch boats here and the bitterns start flying. Ask in Medio Queso village or in Los Chiles for a boat ride.
Be careful
Pull fully off the road before stopping on or near the bridge, don't wade into the marsh (caimans live here), and carry your passport: this is a border zone with police checkpoints.
Getting there
About 3 hours from La Fortuna: drive north to Los Chiles, then take Route 760 west toward Medio Queso; the point is the bridge over the Río Medio Queso, where the road crosses open wetland.
Sources: OpenStreetMap way/672876858 · https://fieldguides.com/triplists/cr225TRIPLIST.pdf · https://simontolzmannphotography.myportfolio.com/costa-rica-day-3 · https://www.ict.go.cr/flipbook/guias/flip-en/GUIA_LLANURAS_DEL_NORTE/files/basic-html/page40.html · https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/672876858