Monkey River & Manatee Watch
Overview
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Mobile ticket
MONKEY RIVER & MANATEE WATCH The most popular tour out of Placencia! Take a 40-minute boat ride through the mangroves and Caribbean Sea to enter the mouth of Monkey River at Monkey River Village. On your boat ride down the Monkey River, watch for the wildlife of Belize - birds, iguanas, snakes, crocodiles and the stars of the tour - howler monkeys. Jump in for a swim in the river...if you dare! Then return to Monkey River Village to enjoy a native lunch. Top off the trip with a stop for manatee watching on the way back to Placencia. See how many you can spot before they go back under!
Additional Info
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Child rate applies only when sharing with 2 paying adults
Children must be accompanied by an adult
Vegetarian option is available, please advise at time of booking if required
Cancellation Policy
All sales are final. No refund is available for cancellations.
What To Expect
Monkey River Town
Monkey river and Manatee watch is the most popular tour out of Placencia! This tour departs at 9am, with complimentary pick-up from your hotel if needed. Enjoy a 40-minute boat ride through the mangroves and Caribbean Sea to enter the mouth of Monkey River at Monkey River Village. On your boat ride down the Monkey River, watch for the wildlife of Belize - birds, iguanas, snakes, crocodiles and the stars of the tour - howler monkeys. Jump in for a swim in the river...if you dare! Then return to Monkey River Village to enjoy a native lunch. Top off the trip with a stop for manatee watching on the way back to Placencia. See how many you can spot before they go back under!
What‘s Included
Hotel pickup and drop-off
National Park fees
GST (Goods and Services Tax)
Driver/guide
Lunch
Landing and facility fees
Local taxes
Environmental Management Charge (Reef Tax)
Alcoholic drinks (available to purchase)
Pickup points
Ranguana Lodge
Pt. Placencia, Placencia Peninsula Belize
Cozy Corner
Placencia Village, Placencia Peninsula Belize
Caribbean Beach Cabanas
The Placencia Sidewalk, Beachfront Placencia Peninsula Belize
The Ellysian Boutique Hotel
1 Williams Drive Placencia Peninsula Belize
Miramar Suites
Placencia Village, Placencia Peninsula Belize
Chabil Mar Villas
2284 Placencia Peninsula Road, Placencia Peninsula Belize
Casa At Last
Placencia Road, Placencia Village Placencia Peninsula Belize
Seaspray Hotel
Placencia's Sidewalk, Placencia Village Placencia Peninsula Belize
Captain Jak's Cabanas
Placencia Village, Placencia Peninsula Belize
Options
Monkey River & Manatee Watch
Pickup included
Reviews
112 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor
Monkey River Tour is excellent!
NorthStar60845776900,Mar 24, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Our guide Doyle was enthusiastic and informative. We saw all sorts of wildlife and plants. My favourite was the stands of giant bamboo and one of the guests spotted a tarantula. Recommended.
Excellent Monkey River Tour
BWGray,Mar 22, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00We had an excellent half day tour to Monkey River. Our tour guide Doyle was great, as he showed us a ton of wildlife while educating us about the area. Lunch of stewed chicken at Monkey Creek was also tasty.
Fun time with the monkeys!!!😃😃😃
kathywQ9706CP,Mar 21, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00The guides were very helpful and informative.Thank you for a wonderful time.
Great experience
Ken02 10,Mar 15, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Great experience. The guides were super.
Monkeys, Manatees, Birds, Insects, Crocodiles… Amazing!!!
heatherlX9334KI,Feb 27, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Another must do adventure in Belize! Our guides Doyle and Jr, were so knowledgeable and gave us great information from birds and plant life, to insects and monkeys. You don’t want to miss seeing monkeys in their natural habitat.
Plan according to weather
S8170QQseverinel,Nov 25, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
3.00.While we did see many birds and a few iguanas, the overall experience felt underwhelming compared to what the reviews had led me to expect. Because of the cloudy weather, sightings were limited: only a few crocodiles from a distance, no toucans, and the howler monkeys were silent. The manatees appeared for barely two seconds before disappearing again. It felt like we missed much of the wildlife that makes this tour special. On the positive side, the food provided was very good, and our guide Doyle was excellent—funny, attentive, and knowledgeable, which made the day more enjoyable despite the lack of animal activity. Overall, the experience didn’t quite live up to expectations.
Local feel and full of adventure
KrisW754,Jul 20, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Our group really enjoyed our trip. We were able to see monkeys, crocodiles and manatees. Doyle and Doyle Jr were great guides and made sure we found all the animals, especially the manatees which were number one on our list . Our trip to Monkey River Village was special being able to do some souvenir shopping as well as have a nice local lunch. Lots of bugs, so just be prepared.
Put Captain Jak's On Your List!
matthewsN8146YO,Jul 18, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00My family and I had an A++ experience with the Captain Jak team on the Monkey River and Manatee Watch tour. Our guide and his son were fantastic hosts for our large family of nine. The short hike, boat ride, and amazing lunch was the perfect combination to keep our young children entertained and not too strenuous for our older family members. The wildlife watching was INCREDIBLE. We saw crocodiles, howler monkeys, amazing birds, a mother/pup manatee, and so much more. Highly recommend!
Amazing!!
patriciarR8521QQ,Jul 2, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00The experience is all you imagine! Beautiful views, amazing monkeys and we had a chance to see turtles, crocodiles, birds, bats, dolphins and manatees. Incredible trees, flowers and islands. The lunch was so delicious and our guide was so knowledgeable, friendly, funny and very helpful. I recommend this tour to everyone!
Monkey River With Captain Jak's
Jason D,Jun 20, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00We did a very last minute online booking for Monkey River and it turned out great! Our guide, Doyle had a lot of local knowledge about the plants and animals and was super friendly. We had a great time and learned a lot. Our young kids (3&7) also had a great time on this tour. Highly recommend!
From US$120.00
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Operated by Captain Jak's Tours and Rentals