Sooner or later there will be a snake, and on this coast the one that turns up in gardens, garages and occasionally roofs is usually a boa. That is, on balance, good news.
Where you’ll see it
Anywhere with rodents, which means anywhere with people. Gardens, wood piles, roof spaces, the shrubbery by the pool. They are more active at dusk and at night and often go unnoticed for weeks.
What to know
Boas are constrictors with no venom. They eat rats, birds, iguanas and the occasional bat, and a boa in the garden is doing you a service. A bite is possible if you grab or corner one, and it hurts, but it is not medically serious.
The important caveat is that you are not a snake expert and neither is your neighbour. Guanacaste has venomous species too, including the Central American rattlesnake in the dry forest and coral snakes. So the rule is universal: do not handle any snake, give it room, and if one is inside, call the local person who relocates them. Every town has one. They do it for the price of a coffee and they enjoy it.
