Congo Trails Congo Park

Congo Park is a small animal park with resident rescued monkeys and birds, a serpentarium and a petting zoo. Here you can see three different monkey species: Howler Monkeys, Spider Monkeys and White Face Capuchins. Typically there is a variety of birds in the bird sanctuary. And if you are fascinated by snakes, the Park showcases several different kinds of snakes endemic to Costa Rica.

Howler monkeys are famous for their bellowing roar that would make you think they are far bigger than their average weight of 20 pounds. You can hear them howl from up to one mile away. They are the most common monkey found in Central America and live in multi-family groups of approximately 15 members. Spider Monkeys are the most mobile of the monkeys, speeding through the tree tops with their long arms, long legs and strong prehensile tails. These two species live mostly in the forest canopy and are rarely found on the ground unless endangered. This makes access to the canopy increasingly important to their survival.

White Face Capuchin, are smaller in size and easily identifiable by their distinctive white face with a black cap. They forage from the floor of the canopy on up into the tree tops so can travel across distances easier than the other two. All three species can be found living in the low tropical forest area surrounding Congo Park.

In the bird sanctuary there is a variety of birds but the particular species that you might see is hard to predict as whenever possible the injured birds are released back into the wild. Most commonly you may see parrots that are unable to return to the forest since their longevity requires they be taken care of for almost as long as a human’s life span.

Most popular in the serpentariam are the majestic native Boa Constrictors. These sinuous nocturnal predators can grow up to 18 feet long! There are approximately 20 snakes available for viewing within their enclosures.

There is also a small petting zoo where children can pet rabbits, goats and other farm type animals. Transportation can take up to 1 hour each way depending on the location of your lodging.