We visited the Barra Honda National Park today. The fact that it’s described as a ‘dry tropical rainforest’ sounds like a contradiction to us and is sufficient to pique our curiosity.
So what does a dry tropical rainforest look like? A bit like Epping Forest on a dry day to be honest but with added primates and a few iguanas.
We’re a couple of minutes into our hike when the Mantled Howler Monkeys start to let us know they're around.
Male howler monkeys are said to be the loudest land animals on earth, and after our experience today we won’t argue with that. They have an enlarged hyoid bone in their throat that allows them to amplify their calls for miles.
They're actually quite lazy and spend most of the day loafing
What a racket. Like a cross between the bark of a very large dog and the croak of an even larger bullfrog (if such a beast existed) it's genuinely terrifying. And Wend is seriously freaked.
A little further along we meet our second troop of troublemakers – a gang of White-faced Monkeys. Smaller than their noisy cousins but more brazen and, to us anyway a lot funnier. Among the most intelligent of all the primates (none voted for Brexit) they have been observed using tools and mimicking other human behaviour.
None of the adults would sit still long enough for a photo but I did manage to snap this baby. Pretty cute eh?
At the end of the hike we arrive at a viewpoint 400 metres above the surrounding area. We can see for miles, including our next destination – Samara, because after 5 days away from the beach Wend is getting withdrawal symptoms.
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