Hmm… more like slowly and quietly observing monkeys and other rare wildlife in their natural environment while we followed them in a silent electric boat, but that’s not as catchy of a title now is it?
I don’t remember how I heard about Tortuguero National Park in Costa Rica, but once it was in my head I couldn’t get it out. I decided to change up my original route of backpacking Central America so that I could spend more time in the Afro-Caribbean communities that are present along the Caribbean coast. I preferred the laid back vibes of these towns and since I was backpacking by myself, I could go wherever I wanted! Birds, manatees, turtles, crocodiles, and monkeys consider themselves residents of the waterways along the small island village of Tortuguero so I made my way there to explore the coastal park for a few days.
Boat tours are the most popular way to see the park. I normally try to stick with locally owned and operated expeditions, but when I heard that Casa Marbella was owned by a Canadian whose electric boat tours had excellent reviews, I didn't wait to sign up (call it national loyalty or whatever you will but I can't help being a little biased to my home country!). Sadly his charming guesthouse didn’t have room for me to stay but I was able to reserve a spot for the next morning’s tour departing at 5.45am.
As the dark blue skies of dawn lightened with the sun’s arrival, a local guide named Roberto navigated our group of eight through the park’s canals and expertly pointed out the exotic animals that camouflaged themselves among the vegetation. If I would've tried to do this tour by kayaking on my own, I know I would've missed the smaller animals that Roberto was able to identify. Sometimes it just makes more sense to join a tour.
I hope you enjoy this mini-photo essay of the wildlife that I had the privilege to observe while visiting Tortuguero. For a quick video of these monkeys in action, check out this post from earlier in the summer.
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| Capuchin monkey scrounging for berries |
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| Camera shy |
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| Starting to get nervous because he can sense what's below |
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| I spy with my little eye... |
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| A caiman crocodile |
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| Iguana laying out in the sun |
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| Nicknamed Jesus Christ Lizards because of the way they appear to walk on water |
Have you ever been on a wildlife tour? Going on a safari in Africa is next on my dream wanderlist.
Linking up with Bonnie and Camila for Travel Tuesday.
Linking up with Bonnie and Camila for Travel Tuesday.
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