The 5 Monkeys You Meet on an UnCruise Trip

Panama and Costa Rica are situated in the most biodiverse region of the world. Sailing with UnCruise Adventures on an expedition voyage gives one the chance to see toucans, scarlet macaws, army ants, crocodiles, spiders, sloths, snakes and frogs.

Yet, it's the monkeys who are the stars of the show. 

UnCruise Adventures has secured special permits to access wonderful areas that are off limits to many other tour companies, and the line's expedition leaders have an expansive knowledge of these species and their behaviors. 

Here are the five monkeys you can expect to see when you sail with UnCruise Adventures on Safari Voyager for its Panama and Costa Rica itineraries—with a few facts we learned from our guides as we interacted with the creatures.

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Howler

These monkeys are generally shy and mainly get their nutrition from leaves (plus, some nuts, fruits and buds).

Howlers get their name from the loud sound they make that is meant to intimidate possible predators or rival tribes. These "howls" can reach up to three miles in the rainforest!

Howler monkeys rarely come out of the trees and notoriously will throw poop and sticks on people they see gawking up at them. They live in troops of about six to 10 and have prehensile tails that help them move in the forest. Howlers weigh on average about 14 pounds, and we saw them at a few stops, including a tree at Fort San Lorenzo in Panama at the mouth of the Chagres River.

Coiba Howler

We approached the ranger station beach on Coiba Island, the largest in Central America and we could hear the tell-tale howl high in a distant tree. It was a howler and, after our picnic lunch at the pavilion near shore, a group of us hiked up the path led by Safari Voyager expedition guide Rey.

We spotted a rustling tree branch and the calls grew louder. There it was: a Coiba Island Howler.

This species is endemic to the island, so it cannot be seen anywhere else in the world. This particularly loud dude was the alpha male, Rey said. (He wanted us to leave, which is why he was shouting so loudly before turning his back on us.)

These monkeys are smaller and feature brown coloring—different than the black mantled howlers seen more prevalently throughout Central America. 

READ MORE: What are UnCruise Adventures Like?

White-Faced Capuchin

After our glimpse of the somewhat evasive Coiba Howler, we continued our nature walk. Soon, we encountered a troop of about 12 white-faced capuchins roving the beach on the secluded side of the island.

We got a brief look at them from our hillside perch, and then our group continued our walk toward the edge of the rainforest. Moments later, one capuchin after another emerged from the woods, sauntering straight onto the open lawn in front of us.

This is not a shy species—they are aggressive, social and playful.

The tribe was mostly oblivious to the humans in their midst as they sought out fallen coconuts. The small monkeys (average weight is about 7 pounds) reached inside in search of insects to eat (they are omnivores). Others picked up fruits and seeds. The alpha male was the lone creature keeping a close eye on our group as we kept our distance and busily snapped pictures. 

Spider Monkey

These are active and unafraid omnivores. They eat almost anything—larvae, bird eggs, small reptiles—but their diet is mostly fruits and seeds.

We saw a spider monkey in a small river on the way to an indigenous people's village in Panama. The prehensile tail is powerful, and the spider monkey uses it to hang from branches while it feeds in the forest canopy. They live in loose tribes that reach more than two dozen members. 

Unfortunately, it was apparent that this monkey is used to visitors and probably is fed by tour guides who bring people to the region. UnCruise guides do not feed wild animals. This practice can change their natural foraging and hunting behaviors and introduce bacteria to the monkey population, which can make them ill.

READ MORE: UnCruise Adventures Heads to Costa Rica and Panama

Tamarin

These tamarins emerged from the forest as we took a boat tour of Gatun Lake. They are about the size of squirrels (weighing about 1 pound) and rely on rainwater, insects and some fruit for their diet.

The cause for their appearance during our day at the lake led to a serious discussion of best practices for our tour guides.

We had been told early on during our trip that UnCruise guides do not feed animals (a practice also recognized throughout Costa Rica where our ship's guides call home). In Panama, where we saw the Tamarins, guides have different rules and the guide one boat over from ours was offering up pieces of banana, which these monkeys obviously have come to rely on for food and thus eagerly rushed out to the sounds of arriving boats. The monkeys jumped into the boat and were hand fed by many of the tourists on board. 

Rey gave a talk on primates onboard Safari Voyager near the end of our cruise and explained all about the animals and how we can best enjoy our interactions with them without further endangering their habitats. I was thrilled to get to see so many species up close.