On the Rio Dulce, surrounded by jungle with marinas called such names as “Monkey Creek Marina,” we thought we should go on a Search for Monkey’s Safari. (We pretty much add the word “safari” to most activities we do, I find it adds a little more excitement to say, going into town to get vegetables and some lunch).
We paddled around in the canoes with Ted and Shannon and explored down some winding creeks and exclaimed at most noises we heard. “Oh, that is definitely a monkey!” We heard animals in trees and leaves rustling on the ground-monkey movement for sure. We started paddling down a particularly beautiful area of the river when we heard a real monkey. For someone who doesn’t spend much time in zoos, I was under prepared for the sounds I was experiencing. The howler monkey’s cry is so raw and loud I could feel it resonate in my chest. If I could put a sound to the word jungle it would be the howler monkey’s cry. Conor and I slowly, quietly paddled farther down the river and the cries became louder and from more than one monkey. We strained our necks around and searched the high branches of the trees around us until I spotted a dark brown shape high up in the tree, and then another dark shape, then another, they were everywhere and all ages! We spotted large, vocally dominant monkey’s and eventually younger, more playful ones jumping from tree to tree. It was incredible. This was no zoo or special excursion where you wondered if they put food out for the animals. This was the wild, the jungle and we were smack in the middle of it, staring up at a family of playful yet protective howler monkey’s. We stayed for a awhile but didn’t want to intrude too much on their home. We took off quietly with smiles on our faces. I felt so special to have heard and seen these monkey’s in their home, not behind bars in some “spectacular” zoo.
M.
We paddled around in the canoes with Ted and Shannon and explored down some winding creeks and exclaimed at most noises we heard. “Oh, that is definitely a monkey!” We heard animals in trees and leaves rustling on the ground-monkey movement for sure. We started paddling down a particularly beautiful area of the river when we heard a real monkey. For someone who doesn’t spend much time in zoos, I was under prepared for the sounds I was experiencing. The howler monkey’s cry is so raw and loud I could feel it resonate in my chest. If I could put a sound to the word jungle it would be the howler monkey’s cry. Conor and I slowly, quietly paddled farther down the river and the cries became louder and from more than one monkey. We strained our necks around and searched the high branches of the trees around us until I spotted a dark brown shape high up in the tree, and then another dark shape, then another, they were everywhere and all ages! We spotted large, vocally dominant monkey’s and eventually younger, more playful ones jumping from tree to tree. It was incredible. This was no zoo or special excursion where you wondered if they put food out for the animals. This was the wild, the jungle and we were smack in the middle of it, staring up at a family of playful yet protective howler monkey’s. We stayed for a awhile but didn’t want to intrude too much on their home. We took off quietly with smiles on our faces. I felt so special to have heard and seen these monkey’s in their home, not behind bars in some “spectacular” zoo.
M.
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| Almost in monkey territory |
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| View from our canoe |
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| Monkey! |
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| Watching the monkey's jump from tree to tree |
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