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 In Search of the Costa Rican Monkey By Heather Holt, Freelance Writer The encompassing sound of the waves from the Osa Peninsula crashed against the nearby shore as I woke up wrapped in my damp sarong after a long night of down pouring rain. I listened to the remaining drips and drops fall from the rainforest canopy and onto our platform tent, my mind was immediately consumed with one thought, time to see these Costa Rican monkeys! I peaked my head out of the tent and found the sun streaming through the trees and the ocean La Leona tent camp is situated a mile and a half hike along the beach beyond the remote town of Carate, where we left our car. Although not the budget backpacker style, we splurged and rented a car, well worth every cent in exchange for the freedom of Costa Rica at our fingertips. The road to Carate was no easy ride. From Jaco, Carate is a day and a half trip along confusing, treacherous, pot-holed roads. On the long journey we desperately needed to stop to rest our weary eyes. We accidentally stumbled upon a lovely spot, La Ventana del Gulfo. It is run by a family who has opened their home into a “soda” or café, and beautiful wooden cabins on the grounds above, with a beautiful view of the water. The woman cooked us dinner and breakfast of our choice for about $3 each and a night stay was $10 each, a steal. We awoke to the morning sun shining through the delicate roots of tree stumps that filled the windows and porch of the tiny cabin. It lit up the glistening gulf and surrounding fauna. We felt refreshed and ready to be on our way. Unfortunately, it was the rainy season, and rain it did. We literally drove through rivers and mud, getting stuck and fearing being swept away. Our little 4 wheel drive Dahatsu pulled through wonderfully for us and we made it to La Leona. We prepared for our monkey hike over a cup of delicious full flavored Costa Rican coffee. Instead of the $10 breakfast, we went budget and ate our store bought peanut butter and jelly s After a beautiful morning hike we return to La Leona, frustrated for not seeing any monkeys and ready for some lunch, we ate our budget style peanut butter and jelly. After going for a swim in the spring fed pool we felt refreshed and decided to continue our search. Up just beyond our camp were uphill trails that brought us to a beautiful scenic overlook of the peninsula. Up we hiked, and at every drop or crackle of the forest we froze in hopes our monkeys would be there. A colorful toucan flitted high above from tree top to tree top watching us. Then a crack of a branch, a falling thump of tree, a shadow… monkeys! Happiness filled our souls at finally seeing these “mythical” creatures. They swung from branch to branch chattering to each other, chowing down on fruits of the canopy with their almost human like features. They hung and swung and we were happy. Upon our return to the tent camp we found that there was another family monkeys, baby and all, hanging out above our tents. Monkeys everywhere. Once we saw our monkeys we felt fulfilled and after a day of hiking in the lush green rainforest we treated ourselves to dinner at the mess hall. A bit pricey, yet well worth it. They served a local root made into a delicious casserole. We sat around the lod The Costa Rican people, “ticos”, are lovely friendly people. Although English is widely spoken, a little bit of Spanish goes a long way. If you are willing to try to communicate, they are delighted to talk to you. The bars are good places to meet young ticos, but our trip into the rainforest allowed us to meet families, young people and old people and experience a bit more of the tico culture. Our trip to Corcovado and La Leona was only our first week in the lush country of Costa Rica. Our second week was filled with horseback riding, waterfall cliff jumping, SCUBA diving, canopy zip lining, whitewater rafting, hiking, kayaking, watching lava flow from the volcano Arenal and chilling out at the beach. All those activities were great fun, but not quite as fulfilling as our road trip to the remote corners of Costa Rica where monkeys live in the trees above your pillow and the ocean roars 20 yards away. If You Go La Leona Eco-Lodge Playa Carate Osa Peninsula (506) 735-5705
*All Photos by Heather Holt |
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©2004 Live Life Travel. All rights reserved. |
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waves crashing on the beach just beyond, a perfect monkey-watching day. 
andwiches, packed up some snacks and our cameras and went on our search. As we set off along the shore we came to the ranger station and paid the $8 fee to enter Corcovado National Park, one of the most remote sections of rainforest in all of Central America. The trail was naturally lined with banana trees with openings to the ocean. We heard a rustle in the brush and saw a group of White Faced Kotis. These are raccoon-like creatures with long limbs and a long snout. We held our breath and watch as they went about their business without even noticing their human onlookers. 
ge identified other wildlife we saw with the identification cards, played cards with a Dutch group also visiting, and chatted with Adrean, one of the people who runs the place. In the morning we sadly made the big trek back up to the more civilized parts of Costa Rica.