The first time a howler monkey wakes you in Montezuma, you might think something much larger is moving through the forest. The sound begins as a deep, strange rumble and builds into a roar that seems far too big to come from a monkey resting peacefully in a tree.
By the second morning, you recognize it. By the third, it may become one of your favorite sounds in Costa Rica.
Two monkey species live around Montezuma on Costa Rica’s southern Nicoya Peninsula: mantled howler monkeys and white-faced capuchins. They’re very different animals, but both bring the jungle to life. At Anamaya Resort, a yoga and wellness retreat overlooking the forest and Pacific Ocean, monkeys are a familiar part of the setting, not an attraction kept behind a fence.
Quick facts about Montezuma’s monkeys
- Local species: Mantled howler monkeys and white-faced capuchins.
- Howlers: Famous for their deep calls, often heard early and late in the day.
- Capuchins: Active, curious, intelligent monkeys that search for a wide variety of foods.
- Best viewing: Early morning and late afternoon, although both species can appear at other times.
- Wildlife etiquette: Never feed, touch or approach a monkey for a photograph.
- At Anamaya: Hearing howlers during a week is almost guaranteed; monkey sightings are very likely.
Howler Monkeys: The Voice of Montezuma
A howler monkey doesn’t need to be close to make an impression. Their calls can travel through the valley, rolling over the treetops and reaching the yoga deck before the sun is fully up. It’s one of those sounds that makes a place feel unmistakably tropical.
Mantled howlers are generally dark, with long tails that help them balance and hold onto branches. They move deliberately through the canopy, often resting for long periods between feeding sessions. Their diet includes leaves and fruit, which helps explain their unhurried lifestyle. Digestion is an important occupation when your meals consist largely of foliage.
The roar itself is a form of communication. Calls can help groups maintain spacing and advertise their presence across the forest. Because the sound is amplified by the animal’s specialized throat anatomy, it seems almost unbelievable when you finally spot the caller and realize the enormous voice belongs to a relatively modest-sized monkey.
Around Anamaya, howlers are often heard in the morning and evening. Local people sometimes notice them becoming more vocal before rain and have a playful tradition of associating their calls with incoming weather. It’s a lovely piece of jungle folklore, and listening to them as the clouds gather is unforgettable.
For more on their biology and behavior, see our howler monkey guide.
White-Faced Capuchins: The Curious Ones
Capuchins are the opposite of the relaxed howler stereotype. They’re alert, agile and busy. A capuchin may pause to investigate a branch, peer toward something on the ground and then disappear through the canopy with a burst of energy.
Their dark bodies and pale faces make them easy to recognize once you know what to look for. They have flexible diets that can include fruit, insects, seeds and small animal prey. Their foraging behavior can be fascinating to watch because they continually inspect the world around them, testing opportunities and responding to one another.
White-faced capuchins are also highly intelligent. Researchers have long studied their social learning, problem-solving and relationships within groups. You don’t need to know the scientific literature to appreciate their quickness. Even a brief encounter shows how attentive these monkeys are to their surroundings.
That intelligence can create problems when people feed them. A capuchin learns quickly that bags, picnic tables or distracted humans may provide snacks. It’s easy to see how a well-meaning tourist offering one piece of fruit can teach an animal a very unhelpful habit.
The best capuchin encounter is one in which the animals hardly change what they’re doing because you’re there. Watch them from a distance, keep your lunch to yourself and enjoy the show.
Read our white-faced capuchin profile for more about their appearance and natural behavior.
How Can You Tell the Two Species Apart?
Once you know the differences, you can identify Montezuma’s monkeys without much trouble. Howlers usually move more slowly, with heavier-looking bodies and relatively calm periods of resting and feeding. Capuchins tend to be quicker, more active and more interested in what their neighbors are doing.
| Feature | Mantled howler | White-faced capuchin |
|---|---|---|
| Typical appearance | Dark body, stockier silhouette | Dark body, clearly pale face and chest |
| Most memorable sound | Deep, echoing roar | Shorter calls, chatter and squeals |
| Movement | Often deliberate and relaxed | Agile, busy and investigative |
| Food | Mainly leaves and fruit | Varied foods, including fruit and insects |
| Best first clue | Hear them before you see them | Notice rapid movement in the branches |
Don’t worry about identifying every call perfectly. Often the fun begins with a mystery: something moving in the leaves, a shadow overhead or a peculiar sound you haven’t heard before. Identifying the animal is part of the discovery.
Where to See Monkeys Around Montezuma
The wonderful thing about Montezuma is that monkeys don’t confine themselves to a national park. Forested roadsides, gardens with mature trees, river valleys and connected canopy can all offer places to see them. Their routes change with food availability, group movements and the weather.
At Anamaya, the forest surrounding the property and the Rio Montezuma gorge create regular opportunities to hear and see monkeys. Guests walk down to Montezuma Falls on Anamaya’s own private path, right next door, and the trees along the river are a favorite place to look up. You may spot a group moving across branches while having tea, or hear howlers while preparing for morning yoga. Some days they’re close. Other days their voices come from farther down the hillside.
In Montezuma town and along quieter forest trails, look upward before assuming the animals aren’t there. A monkey may be sitting almost directly above you, partially hidden by leaves. Listen for branches moving, watch for other people looking into the canopy and give yourself time to adjust to the patterns of the trees.
For a more dedicated nature outing, consider Cabo Blanco Nature Reserve or Curú Wildlife Refuge. Both have forest habitat worth exploring in its own right. A good guide can help locate activity without disturbing the monkeys or taking shortcuts through sensitive areas.
The Sweetest Monkey Encounters Are Unplanned
There is a certain pleasure in encountering monkeys when you were doing something else. Maybe you’re walking back from breakfast, and the leaves above the path begin to shake. Maybe you’ve just finished yoga and notice a capuchin group moving along the trees beside the property. Maybe the howlers call across the valley at precisely the moment everyone has finally gone quiet.
These experiences stay with guests because they’re part of life, not a timed performance. One morning may be full of monkey activity. The next may be quieter, with the birds taking center stage. Some visitors will see monkeys from their rooms, while others will have a favorite moment on a trail or during an excursion.
Young animals can be especially engaging to watch, but keep your distance even if one appears curious or alone. A juvenile may seem invitingly approachable, while its family or group remains nearby. Human attention can distract it from normal behavior, and an animal that becomes accustomed to people may be placed at greater risk.
Anamaya is particularly suited to guests who enjoy watching this kind of everyday wildlife theater. You can take a class, read a book, talk with a friend and still be close enough to nature for something wonderful to happen unexpectedly.
Monkeys, Power Lines and a Problem Worth Solving
Wild monkeys need connected trees to travel safely. In human settlements, their familiar routes can be interrupted by roads and electrical infrastructure. A monkey moving from branch to branch may encounter an exposed transformer or wire that looks like just another part of the canopy.
That was the beginning of one of Anamaya’s most important conservation stories. After a monkey was electrocuted at the retreat’s electrical transformer, founder Geoff McCabe investigated protective covers designed to reduce the danger. Anamaya installed protection and Geoff wrote a detailed account to help neighboring property owners understand the problem and work with the local electricity provider.
He didn’t write about the issue as an abstract environmental cause. It was a real loss at a place he loved, followed by practical action. His article explained the equipment, the role of the electricity company and why howlers and other climbing animals were vulnerable.
If you’re interested in what wildlife-friendly tourism can look like in practice, read Geoff’s account of protecting monkeys from electrocution. It’s one of the clearest examples of why Anamaya’s care for its surroundings is personal rather than promotional.
The issue extends beyond hotels. As roads, homes and small developments expand, landowners and communities have opportunities to keep canopy routes safer, maintain native trees and address hazards that threaten local animals. The more people understand these everyday problems, the more realistic conservation becomes.
The importance of protecting healthy forest extends well beyond the peninsula. The IUCN assessment of mantled howler monkeys identifies habitat pressures and hunting among threats across the species’ range. Even when howlers are familiar neighbors, the wider conservation picture deserves attention.
How to Watch Monkeys Without Making Life Harder for Them
Wild monkeys are charming, but they aren’t pets. That means the most respectful way to watch them is also the simplest: give them room, keep food away and let them choose what happens next.
Never feed monkeys, even a small piece of fruit. Feeding encourages close contact with people and can alter an animal’s diet, behavior and social relationships. It can also lead to bites, stolen food and conflicts that are stressful for everyone, especially the monkeys.
Keep bags zipped and meals attended. Capuchins are quick learners, and a monkey that has discovered a reliable snack source may return again and again. If an animal approaches, move calmly and give it space rather than trying to get closer for a photograph.
Don’t imitate calls loudly in an attempt to attract a group, and avoid blocking an animal’s route through the branches. If a mother is carrying a baby, enjoy the view from farther away. A zoom lens or binoculars is much kinder than taking one more step forward.
If you’re watching monkeys from a deck or terrace, you’ll often get the best results by staying still. When the animals can continue their normal activities, you may notice more interesting behavior than you would during a close approach.
When Do Monkeys Move Most?
Early morning and late afternoon are especially pleasant times to look for monkeys, partly because the temperatures are cooler and the forest is active with birds and other animals. Howlers often call at these times. Capuchins may forage at different hours as food availability and group activities change.
The seasons influence the forest too. During the green months, fresh plant growth and changing fruit availability shape where animals spend time. In drier periods, patches of shade and reliable food sources become particularly important. These shifts don’t create a simple annual monkey timetable, so a little patience is always helpful.
If you want one reliable piece of advice, don’t spend your whole visit searching. Sit somewhere comfortable and listen. You’ll often hear the monkeys before you locate them. And if they don’t appear, there’s usually another bird, butterfly or lizard waiting to be noticed.
For a fuller look at wildlife beyond monkeys, explore our Montezuma wildlife field guide and Costa Rica birdwatching guide.
If you’d like to see how wildlife varies across the peninsula, the official Curú Wildlife Refuge species list is fascinating. It includes spider monkeys, which live in the refuge’s habitats, while around Anamaya your daily companions are the howlers and capuchins.
