Challenge

The Four Monkeys of Costa Rica

Q: Where is the best place to see the Four Monkeys of Costa Rica?

Corcovado National Park. In Corcovado National Park, Costa Rica, the chance of seeing all 4 (mantled howler, white-faced capuchin, spider monkey and squirrel monkey) on the same day is about 10%, the highest of the 3 parks where all of them live, and over a three-day visit it rises to about 60%. Next come Piedras Blancas National Park (under 5% a day) and La Amistad International Park (Panama) (under 5% a day). It multiplies each animal's daily chance, as if they were independent, so read it as a rough guide.

Q: Which of the Four Monkeys of Costa Rica is hardest to see?

White-faced capuchin. In Corcovado National Park, the best park for the Four Monkeys of Costa Rica, about about 40% of wildlife watchers report the white-faced capuchin on a given day, against about 70% for the spider monkey. The hardest one decides how many days you need.

Q: How do you complete the Four Monkeys of Costa Rica on Wallace's Line?

Mark them as seen. Tick ✓ Seen on each animal's card, add your trips, or link your iNaturalist account. Your passport counts the Four Monkeys of Costa Rica three ways: anywhere in the world, all in one park, and all in a single trip.

Central AmericaMedium

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The checklist: 4 animals

Alouatta palliata

Daily sighting probability ~80% · Very likely

Cebus imitator

Daily sighting probability ~90% · Very likely

Ateles geoffroyi

Daily sighting probability ~80% · Very likely

Saimiri oerstedii

Daily sighting probability ~60% · Likely

Where to go

Chance of seeing in

Month by month at Corcovado National Park

~60%

Jan

~60%

Feb

~70%

Mar

~60%

Apr

~60%

May

~70%

Jun

~60%

Jul

~70%

Aug

~40%

Sep

~50%

Oct

~50%

Nov

~70%

Dec

Time of day

Where they are recorded most Parks with some of them Cities with some of them

Parks

#	Park	Country	Animals	All 4 in 3 days
1	Corcovado National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	4 of 4	~60%
	Mantled Howler Monkey			~90%
	Central American White-faced Capuchin			~80%
	Central American Spider Monkey			>90%
	Central American Squirrel Monkey			~90%
2	Piedras Blancas National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	4 of 4	~20%
	Mantled Howler Monkey			~60%
	Central American White-faced Capuchin			~70%
	Central American Spider Monkey			~60%
	Central American Squirrel Monkey			~80%
3	La Amistad International Park (Panama)	🇵🇦 Panama	4 of 4	<5%
	Mantled Howler Monkey			~60%
	Central American White-faced Capuchin			~50%
	Central American Spider Monkey			~30%
	Central American Squirrel Monkey			~20%
4	Manuel Antonio National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	3 of 4	Missing: Spider monkey
	Mantled Howler Monkey			>90%
	Central American White-faced Capuchin			>90%
	Central American Squirrel Monkey			~90%
5	Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	3 of 4	Missing: Squirrel monkey
	Mantled Howler Monkey			>90%
	Central American White-faced Capuchin			~70%
	Central American Spider Monkey			~40%
6	Palo Verde National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	3 of 4	Missing: Squirrel monkey
	Mantled Howler Monkey			>90%
	Central American White-faced Capuchin			>90%
	Central American Spider Monkey			~30%
7	Rincón de la Vieja National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	3 of 4	Missing: Squirrel monkey
	Mantled Howler Monkey			~80%
	Central American White-faced Capuchin			>90%
	Central American Spider Monkey			~80%
8	Santa Rosa National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	3 of 4	Missing: Squirrel monkey
	Mantled Howler Monkey			~90%
	Central American White-faced Capuchin			>90%
	Central American Spider Monkey			~90%
9	Soberanía National Park	🇵🇦 Panama	3 of 4	Missing: Squirrel monkey
	Mantled Howler Monkey			>90%
	Central American White-faced Capuchin			~80%
	Central American Spider Monkey			~20%
10	Tortuguero National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	3 of 4	Missing: Squirrel monkey
	Mantled Howler Monkey			>90%
	Central American White-faced Capuchin			~90%
	Central American Spider Monkey			>90%
11	Braulio Carrillo National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	3 of 4	Missing: Squirrel monkey
	Mantled Howler Monkey			~90%
	Central American White-faced Capuchin			~70%
	Central American Spider Monkey			~50%
12	Cahuita National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	3 of 4	Missing: Squirrel monkey
	Mantled Howler Monkey			~90%
	Central American White-faced Capuchin			>90%
	Central American Spider Monkey			~20%
13	Tenorio Volcano National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	3 of 4	Missing: Squirrel monkey
	Mantled Howler Monkey			~80%
	Central American White-faced Capuchin			~90%
	Central American Spider Monkey			~40%
14	Carara National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	3 of 4	Missing: Squirrel monkey
	Mantled Howler Monkey			~80%
	Central American White-faced Capuchin			~90%
	Central American Spider Monkey			~40%
15	Arenal Volcano National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	3 of 4	Missing: Squirrel monkey
	Mantled Howler Monkey			~80%
	Central American White-faced Capuchin			~60%
	Central American Spider Monkey			~60%
16	Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	3 of 4	Missing: Squirrel monkey
	Mantled Howler Monkey			~70%
	Central American White-faced Capuchin			~90%
	Central American Spider Monkey			~30%
17	Ostional Wildlife Refuge	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	2 of 4	Missing: Spider monkey, Squirrel monkey
	Mantled Howler Monkey			>90%
	Central American White-faced Capuchin			~60%
18	Cabo Blanco Absolute Nature Reserve	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	2 of 4	Missing: Spider monkey, Squirrel monkey
	Mantled Howler Monkey			>90%
	Central American White-faced Capuchin			>90%
19	Marino Ballena National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	2 of 4	Missing: Spider monkey, Squirrel monkey
	Mantled Howler Monkey			~90%
	Central American White-faced Capuchin			~80%
20	Bastimentos Island National Marine Park	🇵🇦 Panama	2 of 4	Missing: Spider monkey, Squirrel monkey
	Mantled Howler Monkey			~90%
	Central American White-faced Capuchin			~80%
21	Coiba National Park	🇵🇦 Panama	2 of 4	Missing: Spider monkey, Squirrel monkey
	Mantled Howler Monkey			~90%
	Central American White-faced Capuchin			~90%
22	Pico Bonito National Park	🇭🇳 Honduras	2 of 4	Missing: Mantled howler, Squirrel monkey
	Central American White-faced Capuchin			~90%
	Central American Spider Monkey			~50%
23	Darién National Park	🇵🇦 Panama	2 of 4	Missing: Spider monkey, Squirrel monkey
	Mantled Howler Monkey			~50%
	White-throated Capuchin			~50%
24	Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	2 of 4	Missing: Spider monkey, Squirrel monkey
	Mantled Howler Monkey			~40%
	Central American White-faced Capuchin			~50%
25	Chirripó National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	2 of 4	Missing: Mantled howler, Squirrel monkey
	Central American White-faced Capuchin			~60%
	Central American Spider Monkey			~20%
26	Las Baulas Marine National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	1 of 4	Missing: White-faced capuchin, Spider monkey, Squirrel monkey
	Mantled Howler Monkey			>90%
27	Tikal National Park	🇬🇹 Guatemala	1 of 4	Missing: Mantled howler, White-faced capuchin, Squirrel monkey
	Central American Spider Monkey			>90%
28	Calakmul Biosphere Reserve	🇲🇽 Mexico	1 of 4	Missing: Mantled howler, White-faced capuchin, Squirrel monkey
	Central American Spider Monkey			>90%
29	San Lorenzo Protected Forest	🇵🇦 Panama	1 of 4	Missing: White-faced capuchin, Spider monkey, Squirrel monkey
	Mantled Howler Monkey			~90%
30	Montes Azules Biosphere Reserve	🇲🇽 Mexico	1 of 4	Missing: Mantled howler, White-faced capuchin, Squirrel monkey
	Central American Spider Monkey			~90%
31	Cañón del Sumidero National Park	🇲🇽 Mexico	1 of 4	Missing: Mantled howler, White-faced capuchin, Squirrel monkey
	Central American Spider Monkey			~80%
32	Volcán Barú National Park	🇵🇦 Panama	1 of 4	Missing: White-faced capuchin, Spider monkey, Squirrel monkey
	Mantled Howler Monkey			~60%
33	Machalilla National Park	🇪🇨 Ecuador	1 of 4	Missing: White-faced capuchin, Spider monkey, Squirrel monkey
	Mantled Howler Monkey			~60%
34	Chagres National Park	🇵🇦 Panama	1 of 4	Missing: White-faced capuchin, Spider monkey, Squirrel monkey
	Mantled Howler Monkey			~60%
35	Biotopo Cerro Cahuí	🇬🇹 Guatemala	1 of 4	Missing: Mantled howler, White-faced capuchin, Squirrel monkey
	Central American Spider Monkey			~60%
36	Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve	🇲🇽 Mexico	1 of 4	Missing: Mantled howler, White-faced capuchin, Squirrel monkey
	Central American Spider Monkey			~60%
37	Parque Natural Metropolitano	🇵🇦 Panama	1 of 4	Missing: White-faced capuchin, Spider monkey, Squirrel monkey
	Mantled Howler Monkey			~50%
38	El Triunfo	🇲🇽 Mexico	1 of 4	Missing: Mantled howler, White-faced capuchin, Squirrel monkey
	Central American Spider Monkey			~50%
39	Arrecifes de Cozumel National Park	🇲🇽 Mexico	1 of 4	Missing: Mantled howler, White-faced capuchin, Squirrel monkey
	Central American Spider Monkey			~30%
40	Farallones de Cali National Natural Park	🇨🇴 Colombia	1 of 4	Missing: White-faced capuchin, Spider monkey, Squirrel monkey
	Mantled Howler Monkey			~20%

Cities

#	City	Country	Animals	All 4 in 3 days
1	San Pedro Sula	🇭🇳 Honduras	1 of 4	Missing: Mantled howler, Spider monkey, Squirrel monkey
	Central American White-faced Capuchin			~40%
2	San José	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	1 of 4	Missing: Mantled howler, Spider monkey, Squirrel monkey
	Central American White-faced Capuchin			~20%

Zoos & centres

#	Zoo / Centre	Country
1	Parque Municipal Summit	🇵🇦 Panama	4 of 4 in captivity
2	El Nispero Zoo	🇵🇦 Panama	3 of 4 in captivity
3	Parque Zoológico Nacional Simón Bolívar	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	3 of 4 in captivity
4	Zoo d'Amiens	🇫🇷 France	2 of 4 in captivity
5	Bioparque Wakatá	🇨🇴 Colombia	2 of 4 in captivity
6	Brevard Zoo	🇺🇸 United States	2 of 4 in captivity
7	Centro de Rescate Las Pumas	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	2 of 4 in captivity
8	Chapultepec Zoo	🇲🇽 Mexico	2 of 4 in captivity
9	Croco Cun Zoo	🇲🇽 Mexico	2 of 4 in captivity
10	Ecozoológico San Martín	🇪🇨 Ecuador	2 of 4 in captivity
11	Guadalajara Zoo	🇲🇽 Mexico	2 of 4 in captivity
12	La Paz Waterfall Gardens	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	2 of 4 in captivity
13	Parque de la Conservación	🇨🇴 Colombia	2 of 4 in captivity
14	Parque museo La Venta	🇲🇽 Mexico	2 of 4 in captivity
15	Rescate Wildlife Rescue Center	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	2 of 4 in captivity
16	Ukumarí Biopark	🇨🇴 Colombia	2 of 4 in captivity
17	Wamerú zoo	🇲🇽 Mexico	2 of 4 in captivity
18	Wildlife World Zoo	🇺🇸 United States	2 of 4 in captivity
19	Xcaret	🇲🇽 Mexico	2 of 4 in captivity
20	Yumka'	🇲🇽 Mexico	2 of 4 in captivity

Show all 20 Show fewer

Before you go

Where is the best place to see the Four Monkeys of Costa Rica?

Corcovado National Park

In Corcovado National Park, Costa Rica, the chance of seeing all 4 (mantled howler, white-faced capuchin, spider monkey and squirrel monkey) on the same day is about 10%, the highest of the 3 parks where all of them live, and over a three-day visit it rises to about 60%. Next come Piedras Blancas National Park (under 5% a day) and La Amistad International Park (Panama) (under 5% a day). It multiplies each animal's daily chance, as if they were independent, so read it as a rough guide.

Which of the Four Monkeys of Costa Rica is hardest to see?

White-faced capuchin

In Corcovado National Park, the best park for the Four Monkeys of Costa Rica, about about 40% of wildlife watchers report the white-faced capuchin on a given day, against about 70% for the spider monkey. The hardest one decides how many days you need.

How do you complete the Four Monkeys of Costa Rica on Wallace's Line?

Mark them as seen

Tick ✓ Seen on each animal's card, add your trips, or link your iNaturalist account. Your passport counts the Four Monkeys of Costa Rica three ways: anywhere in the world, all in one park, and all in a single trip.

← All challenges

The Four Monkeys of Costa Rica

The checklist: 4 animals

Mantled Howler Monkey

Central American White-faced Capuchin

Central American Spider Monkey

Central American Squirrel Monkey

Where to go

Month by month at Corcovado National Park

Month by month at Corcovado National Park

Month by month at Corcovado National Park

Month by month at Manuel Antonio National Park

Month by month at Manuel Antonio National Park

Month by month at Manuel Antonio National Park

Time of day

Parks

Cities

Zoos & centres

Before you go

Where is the best place to see the Four Monkeys of Costa Rica?

Which of the Four Monkeys of Costa Rica is hardest to see?

How do you complete the Four Monkeys of Costa Rica on Wallace's Line?