Monkey River & Manatee Watch

Overview

Available languages

English

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‘s Included

Hotel pickup and drop-off

National Park fees

Driver/guide

Lunch

GST (Goods and Services Tax)

Landing and facility fees

Local taxes

Environmental Management Charge (Reef Tax)

Alcoholic drinks (available to purchase)

Meeting and Pickup

Pickup points

Select a pickup point

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!

Admission Not Applicable

Options

Monkey River & Manatee Watch

Pickup included

Reviews

4.79

106 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

Wonderful tour!
Diana B,
May 17, 2025
- Viator
5.00
Captain Jak's tour guides were very friendly & knowledgeable. Delicious lunch! We saw the howler monkeys close up, heard them growl (really vs howl) loudly! Saw manatees, crocodiles, bats, birds, & leaf-cutter ants. Had a great time. Thx! Only issue was they should communicate pick-up times better...told us via Viator app that event started at 8am with hotel pick-up 30-60 minutes prior; fortunately our concierge was familiar with Jak's and was able to confirm the night before that pickup was at 8:45am.
Do it!
Holly M,
Jan 1, 2025
- Viator
5.00
Great experience!!! Fun boat ride. Saw manatees and monkeys, crocodiles too!!! Wear hiking shoes and lots of bug spray!!! Doyle was a great guide!
Exciting and Educational
Carmen S,
Jul 12, 2024
- Viator
5.00
Seeing the monkeys in their natural habit as wonderful. Also our guide Doyle was very skilled in spotting different things and getting us to see them(monkeys, a snake, the variety of trees, vegetation, fruits, etc.). Doyle was also an excellent river navigator. It was an excellent tour.
Great tour!
Dan M,
Jun 24, 2024
- Viator
5.00
We had a great time! The river was beautiful. We saw crocs, including a couple babies, lots of birds and we were able to see manatees even though the conditions were not great for seeing them. Our guide was very knowledgeable and taught us a lot.
Decent way to see the mangroves and a small part of the land
Caroline R,
Apr 1, 2024
- Viator
3.00
The boat ride thru the mangroves and up the river was enjoyable. The town is very modest and lunch was just average. We weren’t expecting a lot, but if you bring kids, be sure to pack snacks. The highlight was seeing three troops of howler monkeys. I wish we had more time to enjoy watching them but our guide seemed in a hurry. This trip was only 4.5 hours which was plenty long enough for us but not as advertised.