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Belize Zoo | Community Baboon Sanctuary | Monkey Bay Wildlife Sanctuary

If you’re like most visitors to Belize, you’ll spend at most only a night or two, if that, in Belize City before moving on. If you’re heading west to the Cayo, plan to make a stop at the wonderful Belize Zoo, about 30 miles (49 km) west of Belize City. Going north or west, you can visit the Community Baboon Sanctuary, as there is road access to Bermudian Landing, where the sanctuary is located, via either the Goldson Highway or the Price Highway. For other areas of interest, including Crooked Tree Wildlife Sanctuary and the Altun Ha Mayan site to the north, and Belmopan to the west, within an hour or so of Belize City

Belize Zoo

One of the smallest, but arguably one of the best, zoos in the Americas, the Belize Zoo packs a lot into 29 acres. Containing more than 150 animals and 45 different species, all native to Belize, the zoo has self-guided tours through several Belizean ecosystems—rain forest, lagoons, and riverine forest.

FAMILY | Fodor’s Choice | Belize Zoo.
Turn a sharp corner on the jungle trail, and suddenly you’re face-to-face with a jaguar, the largest cat in the Western Hemisphere. The big cat growls a deep rumbling threat. You jump back, thankful that a strong but inconspicuous fence separates you and the jaguar.

Plan for about 2 hours to see the zoo. Along with jaguars you’ll see the country’s four other wild cats: the puma, margay, ocelot, and jaguarundi. Perhaps the zoo’s most famous resident is April, a Baird’s tapir that is more than a quarter-century old. This relative of the horse and rhino is known to locals as the mountain cow, and is also Belize’s national animal. At the zoo you’ll also see jabiru storks, a harpy eagle, scarlet macaws, howler monkeys, crocodiles, and many snakes, including the fer-de-lance.

The zoo owes its existence to the dedication and drive of one gutsy woman, Sharon Matola. An American who came to Belize as part of a film crew, Matola stayed on to care for some of the semi-tame animals used in the production. She opened the zoo in 1983, and in 1991 it moved to its present location. She’s also an active environmentalist. “The Zoo Lady” and her crusade against the Chalillo Dam is the subject of the 2008 book The Last Flight of the Scarlet Macaw: One Woman’s Fight To Save the World’s Most Beautiful Bird by Outside magazine writer Bruce Barcott.

Besides touring the zoo, you can stay overnight at the Belize Zoo Jungle Lodge and hike or canoe through the 84-acre Tropical Education Center. | Mile 29, George Price Hwy., formerly Western Hwy. | Belize City | 220/8004 | www.belizezoo.org | BZ$30 adults, BZ$10 children | Daily 8:30–5:30 (last admission 4:30).

Tropical Education Center and Belize Zoo Jungle Lodge.
Adjacent to the Belize Zoo is this 84-acre Tropical Education Center where you can hike or canoe. There are boardwalk trails through the savanna with wildlife viewing platforms and a deck for bird-watching. Rustic accommodations are available at the Tropical Education Center at the Belize Zoo Jungle Lodge, which include a 30-person dorm and four cabanas. Actress Cameron Diaz and the late TV animal expert Steve Irwin stayed here. Nighttime tours of the Belize Zoo are offered. | Mile 29, George Price Hwy., formerly Western Hwy. | Belize City | 822/8000 | www.belizezoo.org.

Community Baboon Sanctuary

One of Belize’s most fascinating wildlife conservation projects is the Community Baboon Sanctuary, which is actually a haven for black howler monkeys (baboon is Kriol for the howler).

Getting Here

There are two routes to the sanctuary. If heading north on the Goldson Highway, turn west at Mile 13.2 onto the Burrell Boom Road. Go 3 miles (5 km) and turn right just beyond the new bridge over the Belize River. Signs to Bermudian Landing mark the turn. Stay on this road approximately 12 miles (20 km) to Bermudian Landing. If going west on the Western Highway, turn north on the Burrell Boom Road at a roundabout at Mile 15.5 of the Western Highway, and go 9 miles (15 km) to the new bridge over the Belize River. Just before the bridge, turn left. Signs to Bermudian Landing mark the turn. Stay on this road approximately 12 miles (20 km) to Bermudian Landing. You can also use the Burrell Boom Road as a shortcut between the Northern and Western highways, avoiding Belize City. For this shortcut, stay on the Burrell Boom Road rather than turning toward Bermudian Landing. When on the Burrell Boom Road, you may want to stop at the Central Prison Gift Shop at the Central Prison, on the road to Burrell Boom about 3 miles (5 km) from the Price Highway. Prisoners at the “Hattieville Ramada” make small craft items and sell them at the gift shop.

FAMILY | Community Baboon Sanctuary.
Spanning a 20-mile (32-km) stretch of the Belize River, the Baboon reserve was established in 1985 by a group of local farmers. The howler monkey—an agile bundle of black fur with a disturbing roar—was then zealously hunted throughout Central America and was facing extinction. Today the sanctuary is home, on some 200 private properties, to more than 2,000 black howler monkeys, as well as numerous species of birds and mammals. Thanks to ongoing conservation efforts countrywide, you can see the howler monkeys in a number of other areas, including at Lamanai in northern Belize, along the Macal, Mopan, and Belize rivers in western Belize, near Monkey River and around Punta Gorda in southern Belize. Exploring the Community Baboon Sanctuary is easy, thanks to about 3 miles (5 km) of trails that start near a small museum and visitor center. The admission fee includes a 45-minute guided nature tour during which you definitely will see howlers. | Community Baboon Sanctuary,31 miles (50 km) northwest of Belize City | Bermudian Village | If heading north on the Northern Highway, turn west at Mile 13.2 onto the Burrell Boom Road. Go 3 miles (5 km) and turn right just beyond the new bridge over the Belize River. Signs to Bermudian Landing mark the turn. Stay on this road approximately 12 miles (20 km) to Bermudian Landing. If going west on the Western Highway, turn north on the Burrell Boom Road at a roundabout at Mile 15½ of the Western Highway, and go 9 miles (15 km) to the new bridge over the Belize River. Just before the bridge, turn left. Signs to Bermudian Landing mark the turn. Stay on this road approximately 12 miles (20 km) to Bermudian Landing. | 249/2009 | www.howlermonkeys.org | BZ$14 per person (includes admission to visitor center and a guided monkey-spotting tour); night hike BZ$24 per person | Daily 8–5.

Monkey Bay Wildlife Sanctuary

Monkey Bay is a privately owned wildlife reserve on 1,060 acres near the Belize Zoo.

FAMILY | Monkey Bay Wildlife Sanctuary.
At Monkey Bay you can canoe on the Sibun River, hike a 16-mile (31-km) nature trail along Indian Creek (only partly within Monkey Bay lands), or go bird-watching—some 250 bird species have been identified in the area. It has a natural history library with some 500 books and other reference materials, which visitors can use. The sanctuary also has educational and internship programs. Overnight accommodations for visitors are available if not occupied by students or interns, including tent camping (BZ$16 per person) and a bunkhouse (BZ$38 a person) with shared baths. Cabins are around BZ$55 to BZ$110. Meals are also available at times, if an educational group is in residence. Otherwise you’ll have to make your own meals. Monkey Bay accepts short-term volunteers (minimum stay one week). Internships also are available, usually with a minimum stay of one month. Most of the reserve’s facilities demonstrate high ecological awareness. Most programs are geared for overnight or multinight visits, but you can come on a day visit. Call in advance to see what activities or facilities may be available when you want to come. | 31 miles (51 km) northwest of Belize City, Mile 31, George Price Hwy., formerly Western Hwy. | Rural Belize District | 820/3032, 770/877–2648 in the U.S. | www.belizestudyabroad.net.

Where to Stay

The most pleasant hotel near the Baboon Sanctuary is the Belizean-owned Black Orchid Resort on the Belize River. Orchid Garden Eco-Village, about halfway between Belize City and the Belize Zoo, is an option for those en route to the zoo. Or you could just stay at the Belize Zoo Jungle Lodge, part of the zoo’s Tropical Education Center. Otherwise, for a broader choice of accommodations and dining, continue on to the Belmopan area.

Fodor’s Choice | Black Orchid Resort.
RESORT | This Belizean-owned resort in a pleasant and safe rural setting northwest of Belize City perches at the edge of the Belize River, where you can launch a canoe or kayak from the hotel’s dock, or just laze about the riverside swimming pool and thatch palapa. The air-conditioned rooms (from around BZ$280, double in-season, plus tax) are large, with custom-made mahogany furnishings. The on-site restaurant serves good Belizean food (dinner around BZ$36). Pros: most upscale lodging near Baboon Sanctuary; lovely riverside setting; good food; only 15 minutes from international airport. Cons: not directly in the Baboon Sanctuary. | Rooms from: BZ$305 | 2 Dawson Ln., 12 miles (20 km) from Baboon Sanctuary, Rural Belize District | Burrell Boom Village | 225/9158, 866/437–1301 in U.S. and Canada | www.blackorchidresort.com | 16 rooms, 1 3-bedroom villa, 2 2-bedroom cabins | No meals.

Orchid Garden Eco-Village.
HOTEL | A hardworking and promotion-minded couple from Taiwan runs this little hotel on the George Price Highway, heavily promoting all-inclusive packages that are handy but somewhat expensive given the location and the quality of the rooms. Located between Belize City and Belmopan, it’s away from Belize City’s sketchier vibes, though the immediate area offers little of interest to most visitors. The flat savanna near the hotel isn’t very scenic. Besides 18 simple but clean rooms, Orchid Garden has several gardens and mini-museums, including a mushroom house and an ecology display. A two-night all-inclusive package includes room, meals (vegetarian meals are an option), your choice of a tour such as Lamanai or caving tubing/zip-lining, and airport transfers, for around BZ$1,200 for two. Longer packages are available. Pros: centrally located; clean rooms; tasty meals. Cons: not in a particularly scenic part of Belize; promotes pricey package options. | Rooms from: BZ$598 | Mile 14.5, George Price Hwy., formerly Western Hwy. | Belize City | 225/6991 | www.trybelize.com | 18 rooms | Multiple meal plans.

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