To warn about poisonous snakes or not to warn that is the question?
When I do my write ups for destinations I have visited, I always add tips, important safety information, and a soliloquy from Hamlet. Often times these safety tips revolve around the possibility of a dangerous animal encounter. Since I am frequently in the tropics or at least often in the southern United States, poisonous snakes are a theme to many of these warnings.
Invariably, someone will make a comment about the hazard. “I hate snakes,” “Soooo afraid of snakes,” or merely “yikes” are some of the common responses I get to these travel tips and warnings. This presents a predicament and makes me wonder if I should even bother including. I sometimes ponder that the travel warning is installing unnecessary fear and negating the effect of the post in regards to inspiring people to follow in my footsteps. On the other hand, to not include could be considered negligent.
The reason I feel like sometimes I am doing a disservice by mentioning snakes is the threat is way overblown and even mentioning them inflames people’s phobias and paranoia. I have been all over the globe these last couple years in some very so called snake infested areas, and I have only seen one poisonous snake in the last year and only a handful in my life.
Snakes will do their best to avoid people at all costs. Adventure travel is not like the Garden of Eden. There are no snakes to welcome, tempt, or threaten you as soon as you step in the jungle. Snakes know as a survival skill that when they encounter mankind, they are overwhelmingly the loser. Many people kill snakes on sight. It is basic snake instinct to slither away at the mere hint of human presence.
Since most of the cool outdoor adventure places in the world involve the possibility of at least one kind of venomous snake, you need to be aware of them, but not obsessed with terror. Unless you decide you only want to travel to New Zealand, Ireland, and northern Canada, you will have to face the fear of hiking in snake country and the possibility of an encounter.
In order to put your mind at ease, below I am going to outline the places I have traveled in snake country and list the kinds of dangerous serpents that one may encounter there and the number of venomous snakes that I saw when I traveled there.
Guyana
80% of Guyana is covered in rainforest, so you can imagine it is a venomous snake delight. The feared bushmaster, perhaps the most poisonous snake in the world, inhabits these jungles as well as 6 different kinds of coral snakes, several vipers, and the dreaded fer de lance. Yes, a virtual smorgasbord of deadliness awaits the fearless explorer in these jungles. I spent a week there exploring the Iwokrama Rainforest and Kaieteur Falls among other places, and I saw not even one snake.
Costa Rica
I spent 10 days in Costa Rica trekking through Corcovado National Park and Manuel Antonio National Park. Home to the fer de lance, pit viper, and coral snakes. I came across zero poisonous snakes in my adventures. Pura vida to no snakes.
Big Bend National Park
I hiked three days in the Chisos Mountains and the Chihuahuan Desert earlier this year and over 25 years ago. Home to four rattlesnake varieties with the western diamondback rattlesnake being the most common and the most deadly. I saw one non poisonous snake on my most recent trip and not one dangerous snake on either trip.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
The Great Smoky Mountains National Park boasts copperheads, water moccasins, and timber rattlesnakes. I have visited this park over ten times in the last 30 years. I have hiked hundreds of miles of trails in the park. I did see one copperhead on a trail in some dead leaves by the side of the trail. He did not move an inch, and we easily walked around him.
Khao Yai National Park and Thailand
I have spent a week in Khao Yai on two separate visits and additional time in Chiang Mai, Lumpini Park in Bangkok, and a spell near the Myanmar border. When you enter Khao Yai, there is a cobra crossing sign. Besides several types of cobras, Thailand is also home to kraits, coral snakes, and several kinds of pit vipers. I have not seen one cobra crossing the road or trail during my time in Thailand, nor have I seen any of the other varieties of poisonous snakes.
Borneo
I spent five days in Borneo visiting Bako National Park and Gunung Gading National Park. Home to a similar brew of sinister snakes as noted in Thailand. I saw not one serpent in my treks on this pristine Malaysian super island.
Grand Canyon and Zion National Park
I visited these two amazing parks and hiked for three days in each. Each is home to the western diamondback and the Grand Canyon is home to the Grand Canyon rattlesnake. I saw two harmless snakes in the Grand Canyon and no poisonous ones in either location.
Copyright © 2014 by Traveling Ted. This article was written by Ted Nelson and originally published on travelingted.com.
