In Search of My First Monkey in Costa Rica

I’d been living in Costa Rica for 10 months and I hadn’t yet seen a monkey.

I hadn’t even heard a howler. I chose to live in the Central Valley where I am busy teaching English, and I had not made time to see more of this beautiful country. Until last weekend.

I was invited to stay at a friend’s house in the mountains overlooking Playa Hermosa, just south of Jacó. We drove there in Diane’s 4×4, stopping first at the Friday morning feria in Jacó where we stocked up on veggies, cheese and chicken. We did a drive-by in the center of Jacó so I could see the scene: it looked like a typical beach resort community with a lot of surfboards and bikinis. Ho hum.

But then we drove south and stopped for lunch at Las Olas, a restaurant and small lodge on Playa Hermosa. There I saw real beauty – black sand and high waves. What a drastic change from the white sugar sand of my old stomping grounds at Siesta Key Beach in Sarasota, Florida.

Lunchtime entertainment consisted of watching surfers pose like Adonis atop their boards as they rode toward shore. The food was equally satisfying – I had a giant hamburger, Diane and Christine shared a fish taco, and we devoured the spicy fries.

After lunch we climbed the mountain to Diane’s house, making use of the 4x4s traction. It took 15 minutes to travel the rich red clay road. Mountain and ocean breezes made it possible to drive without air conditioning. We were in green season – rain had turned the view into innumerable shades of green.

Diane’s house, a deep red earth color, sits naturally in its surroundings. Her house is for sale, by the way. The three-story house on three hectares with a swimming pool and gorgeous mountain and ocean views can be yours. While there is a lot of building development on the mountain, Diane’s house ensures considerable privacy.

We unpacked and turned to the serious business of relaxing. Neither telephone nor TV interrupted the serene sounds of nature. Flying objects are a fact of life, and they are fascinating when you don’t fight them and actually inspect them. Moths, fireflies, spiders, mosquitoes, grasshoppers, crickets, cicadas, butterflies, bats and more paid us visits over the weekend. By the end of my stay, this city girl had gotten used to seeing these creatures.

The next day we made the 45 kilometer drive from Playa Hermosa to Manuel Antonio, in search of my first monkey. We passed green fields, lush foliage, palm oil manufacturing plants, palm tree farms, worker communities, and Parrita, a small Tico town.

We crossed several single-lane trestle bridges, some in disrepair, above flowing muddy rivers. My first glimpse of Quepos, the town before Manuel Antonio, was of sailboats in the harbor. I was reminded of my former life in Florida where I sailed most weekends.

Finally we entered the town of Manuel Antonio, an upscale tourist town, a place to spend a honeymoon or splurge on a comfortable vacation resort. We passed a long strip of commercial establishments situated along the zigzagging coast, ending at the public beach where street vendors sold colorful wares.

To enter the park of Manuel Antonio, which is just beyond the public beach, I paid the resident’s fee, 1,000 colones, by showing my Costa Rican driver’s license. Diane and I hiked along the well-maintained senderos (trails), walking up and down the checkerboard-pattern bricks, which kept us from sinking into the mucky mud that is inevitable during rainy season. We sighted a pale-billed woodpecker with a brilliant red head, and red crabs with black masks (a guide told us the crabs were sweet when cooked).

We hoped to see monkeys. We looked for monkeys, listened for monkeys. Finally we spotted a capuchin, a white-faced little fellow. He was directly overhead, then climbed up branches as a crowd gathered below. By the time I got my camera out and ready to shoot, the little guy was high up and hidden behind foliage. That turned out to be the only monkey I saw during my entire trip.

We worked up quite a sweat climbing up and walking down the trails, so we stopped for a dip at one of the park’s beaches. The warm water with rolling waves provided refreshing relief. There was not much of an undertow there, as compared to the beaches outside the park.

For lunch, we feasted on casados (a typical Costa Rican lunch consisting of pork, chicken or fish, plus plantains, yucca, rice and beans) for 2,000 colones at a stand that operated in the street. Of course we had to do a little shopping among the vendors. The bright colors depicting tropical scenes drew us into the stalls. I bought a halter top and skirt sarong for 4,000 colones (almost $8).

After one last dip in the Pacific Ocean, we headed back to Playa Hermosa, but not before stopping at the Ropa Americana store in Parrita. These used clothing stores, commonly found throughout Costa Rica, offer great bargains. I bought a Tommy Hilfiger top for 300 colones (60 cents) and a pair of Liz Claiborne shorts for 1,200 colones ($2.35).

The next day we spent a leisurely morning reading, painting, napping and swimming. After lunch we piled into the 4×4 and made our way down the mountain, and headed for home.

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Written by Margie Davis who is retired in Costa Rica.

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Andrew Makarik is the main editor of WeLoveCostaRica, a fan of this sunny country. He is also a loving husband and a has a lovely daughter. By being a devoted family man and the biggest Costa Rica fan, he wants to make more people feel at home there. WeLoveCostaRica unites people and helps them find new home or a new travel destination. This website is a friendly community where everyone can find not only information, but also new friends and travel pals. Andrew is also passionate about IT and programming, so he himself maintains a friendly atmosphere in this cozy environment of WeLoveCostaRica.com.