Hitoy Cerere is one of 11 SINAC Reserves which have been turned into multi-use land management areas. With an integration of conservation efforts as well as main stream land use practices, these SINAC reserves have laid the groundwork for the next evolution in responsible resource management. With a vision which encourages projects like ours to develop unique land and resource management projects like our current project.

Hitoy, meaning woolly, (referring to the mossy rocks) and Cerere meaning clear (in reference to the crystal clear water). A name that is well deserved. We have become quite adept at sliding across algae covered rocks in shin deep moving water. For those adventurers looking for a trip to a place that is literally off the beaten path, I can think of no better place than Hitoy Cerere.

To the left of the welcome sign before we crossed the bridge into the park, James saw an adult male green basilisk sunning himself. We hoped this was a good omen. Indeed it was. The trip really was amazing, and the reserve was more than we could have hoped for. Charlie met us and showed us to our rooms. James and I unpacked and walked around the facilities a bit. After getting acquainted with the relief map in the lab, we set out with cameras, snake hooks, water purifier, and grand aspirations on making it past the waterfall (The common stopping point for most that come to the reserve). Right from the beginning of the trail on the way to the river, we saw both Dendrobates pumilo, and Dendrobates auratus dart frogs. Since we came here for the reptiles and amphibians, we were already quite happy. Towards the bottom of the trail we broke through the forest into the flat riverbed. The riverbed was filled with oval shaped boulders, some as big as an SUV or bigger. A cleared trail to the left led us through sawgrass for about 100 meters. In this enclosed area we observed many Central-American whiptail lizards (Ameiva festivus). This ended up being a very prominent species around the buildings as well.

At the end of the trail we came to a clearing and then we were on our own. Immediately we noticed a semicircle of rocks with a cross pushed into the sand. There were remnants of a fire. This seemed really out of place to us, especially because I could recall specifically reading fires were not allowed. We later found out from Charlie that this fire was most likely started by indigenous that live on the fringes of the reserve. We started walking upstream bouncing from rock to rock. Up to this point, We both had kept our feet completely dry. Something the opposite of smart made us think we could go without getting our feet wet. That quickly came to an end when we had no way but to brave the shin deep water. This was our first instance of experiencing the namesake of the reserve. As we slipped and slid across the slimy rocks, the sun beat down on us, and radiated off the dry boulders. As we started to work our ways farther upstream, we began to find ourselves in more and more of a “Corridor.” The sides of the river began rising more sharply. This sheltered area gave way to a bright fluttering blue that can only be attributed to the Morpho Butterfly. The morphos were concentrated so much that I lost count of the amount of them after a few days.

As we came up on a small game trail coming down the side, we noticed a small praying mantis hanging out on one of the moss covered boulders. After we filmed and photographed the mantid, James found a 4 inch long grasshopper like insect which we have not identified yet.

Our walk back was pretty uneventful. We were getting close to sun down so we wanted to get back. As we were coming to the beginnings of the trail through the saw grass, we took out the digital and the video camera. I was walking through the trail, looking down for snakes and lizards scurrying away, when I reached up to move a branch out of my way and looked up just in time to see a very strange looking limb looking back at me. The Brown Vine Snake was as straight as the limb under him. When he saw we were interested in him, he employed one of their amazing defenses. He began swaying like a tree in a summer breeze. So that concluded day one of our time at Hitoy Cerere.

Please have a look at some of the photos we have taken at Hitoy Cerere:

12►

Popularity: 89%