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    Home » Travel

    Monkeying Around in Costa Rica

    Published: Aug 26, 2014 · Modified: Aug 26, 2014 by Jennifer · This post may contain affiliate links · 8 Comments

    5 shares

    You may have noticed that I love animals. Big animals, small animals, furry animals, not so furry reptiles - I love them all! One of the most exciting parts of traveling to Costa Rica was the possibility that I would see monkeys and other wildlife - in the wild - while there. Chris and I once saw monkeys chilling out on the side of the street while we were in Barbados, and ever since then, I have become obsessed with the idea of seeing monkeys in the wild. We have a small wildlife attraction in Miami called Monkey Jungle, where you walk through a fenced in area - only YOU are fenced in, and the monkeys run free. I wanted to get that same experience, without the fence, when I went to Costa Rica.

    Everyone said "You will see monkeys!! They hang out by the hotels!" so my expectations were pretty high when we landed in Liberia and drove to Guanacaste on our first day. We immediately went down to the beach after checking in and getting settled, but alas, no monkeys.

    Costa Rica 1

    We did see a mysterious creature playing on the beach, looking for food, which totally thrilled me. I soon learned from my friend Carolyn at CaroinCarolina.com, who is from Costa Rica, that it was a Coatamundi! A close relative to the raccoon, I found out through a little Googling that we actually have Coatamundi in the United States.

    Lame.

    We booked a Palo Verde Jungle River Cruise & Local Village tour through Maleku Tours and when Eugenia picked us up, she excitedly told us that she had seen White Faced Monkeys driving into the hotel property! Of course we all ran to the truck to zoom out and see if they were still there!

    And they were!

    Costa Rica 5

    There were quite a few White Faced Monkeys eating in the trees, but as we parked and got out of the car to see them, they began to run away...

    Costa Rica 6

    While we didn't get very close to them (these photos are all zoomed in), we were a little too close for their liking and they wanted no part of it! It was really fun to see them hanging out and eating their breakfast right outside our hotel gates.

    I wish that they had been IN the hotel property so that we could have seen them even more!

    Costa Rica 7

    On the way to our Palo Verde riverboat tour, our tour guide, Eugenia, stopped and told us that there were howler monkeys in the trees there and that we might see some. As soon as we got out of the truck, we came across another tour group who had already spotted monkeys!

    Howler Monkeys

    I thought that seeing those white faced monkeys in front of our hotel was exciting, but these howler monkeys were even more thrilling! They were just lounging in the canopy and even howled at us every now and then!

    There were about 6 that we could see, and the other tour group told us that there had been more but they'd already left the area.

    I don't normally travel with my DSLR anymore, but I was so glad that I had decided to bring it on this trip - along with my zoom lens!

    Monkey

    Angeline thought these monkeys looked like they were modeling for me. What do you think?

    As we loaded up onto the boat, we began to see iguana and crocodiles right away. I'll share more about them in another post - this is all about the monkeys!

    When in the Palo Verde wetlands, you aren't allowed to touch or feed the wildlife. While we didn't have any food for the monkeys, once we came across them along the riverbank, they came right up to our boat! They are familiar with humans - unlike the monkeys outside our hotel earlier that morning - because so many tours come through the area that they have become accustomed to seeing them every day.

    WF

    Monkeys in Costa Rica

    These white faced monkeys were jumping all over our boat, tried grabbing one kid's watch and kept peeking into the windows.

    They were so cute, their little faces remind me of a little old wrinkly man!

    monkees

    I really loved ziplining  in Costa Rica, but the Palo Verde riverboat tour was one of the most amazing experiences I have had while traveling.

    Cuz it's all about the monkeys. And I like monkeys.

    If you are planning a trip to Costa Rica, I highly recommend that you book a tour or two (or five!!) through Maleku Tours. I can't rave about them enough! While their tour prices are the same as other tour companies in Costa Rica, their customer service, friendly attitudes and attention to detail can't be beat. My friend and I left Costa Rica feeling like we had just spent the last week with family and plan on returning to see them in the winter!

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    5 shares

    About Jennifer

    Jennifer, AKA "The Rebel Chick," is a 40-something Gen Xer who strives to help her readers live their best lives possible with easy recipes, travel inspiration and lifestyle tips!

    Comments

    1. Donna says

      August 26, 2014 at 11:08 pm

      I love watching monkeys, too! My husband has an uncle that lives in Costa Rica and I keep telling him we need to go visit him. I want to go even more, now!

    2. Anne - Mommy Has to Work says

      August 27, 2014 at 10:15 am

      Those little guys are so cute! You got some awesome shots!

    3. Jenn says

      August 27, 2014 at 10:52 am

      YES YOU DO!! You will love it there, it's an amazing place!

    4. Jenn says

      August 27, 2014 at 10:59 am

      Thank you! I use the Sony Nex C3 (an old model) and that was with the 210mm zoom lens. I just ordered the Sony Alpha a5100 and I am super excited about using it when I go back in December, I think the photos will be way better!

    5. HilLesha says

      August 28, 2014 at 8:07 pm

      I'm a big fan of monkeys, too. Adorable pictures!

    6. Tammy Litke (@threedifferent) says

      September 01, 2014 at 12:09 am

      How fun! That last picture is terrific. They are kind of cute ... until they take your stuff and run away with it...LOL!

      It reminds me a bit of the Barbary Monkeys that are on the top of the island of Gibraltar. When we went to see those that was surreal all those monkeys just wandering around!

    7. LyndaS says

      September 04, 2014 at 10:25 am

      That's so neat. I am glad you were able to see the monkeys. And even though Coatamundi may be in the US, I have never seen one and would have been thrilled to run across one.

    8. Marcie W. says

      September 15, 2014 at 7:14 pm

      I want to kiss them and run from them all at the same time. Glad you had an up close and personal experience and it is definitely cool to be able to live through your photos until we get to Costa Rica.

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    Hi, I'm Jennifer! I'm a Miami native and I love sharing easy dinner recipes, baking recipes, travel ideas and general Miami Lifestyle fun! Follow along for inspiration on how to make the most of your life!

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