Monkey River Town
Quiet and peaceful!
...even the Manattees are drawn to its waters.

Location of Monkey River Town

The Toledo District of Belize is full of surprises. Go North of Punta Gorda and you will Stumble upon a quiet little "town", a sleepy little village near Placencia.

If you`re looking for the road there, you won`t find one, just a dirt track possibly. Access is by boat along Monkey River to it`s mouth where the town sits on the South bank, or coming ashore from the Caribbean sea. You see, there`s no cars there, so I suppose no need for roads.

Fishy Little Town

Stick around long enough and this place will reveal it`s jewels. It may be quiet, like stepping back in time, but isn`t that just what you`re looking for? A place to relax and fish. Maybe go on a wild life expedition. Monkey river has all of that.

This is a fantastic place for Tarpon fishing during the Spring season. Tarpon thrive in fresh water, salt water, or black water creeks, that is, water that comes from the forests and mangroves carrying decayed vegetation. The water is very acidic with a very low pH. Black water creeks also serve as a nursery for young tarpon. Who knows why they like it there.

Anglers like this fish for the challenge they give. They really put up a fight. Once anglers catch them they will release them.

Other fish which are a good catch here are Mutton Snapper, Permit, Tailing Permit, Snook, and Bone Fish.

People and Lifestyle in Monkey River Town

You will get to know the residents real quick here. There are only about 300 people living in Monkey River, and most of them are fishermen.

They look after their visitors real well so that you feel like you belong. That`s the beauty of an un-commercialized area.

The people take pride in their heritage and are only too happy to tell you how they are supporting nature conservation efforts by becoming ecotourist guides, and how visitors can help out. After all, their livelihood is tied up with the preservation of the natural habitat. It wasn`t always like that. Not too long ago fish were caught in gill nets which caught small fish which died in their deadly trap and thus reduced the swarming fishing scholes. The people soon realized that this could be the death of their community and so now the nets gill nets have been abandoned.

The Garifuna guides who are fishermen themselves, are willing to accommodate long day fishing trips.

After a good day, whether it be fishing, snorkelling, bird watching, or swimming with the manatees, when the sun sets, you might be sitting back listening to one of the local fishermen`s yarns by lantern light. You see, apart from a few privately owned generators, there is no electricity in Monkey River Town.

Sightseeing Tours

Is this really a place for families to visit? You definitely won`t be bored if fishing isn`t your "thing". There are a variety of jungle eco, and river tours you can join.

There is much to see at Monkey river. This is one of the two prime places in Belize to see howler monkeys, the primates where the town derived it`s name, in their natural habitat. The other is at the Baboon Wildlife Sanctuary, Bermudian Landing, where I visited.

The local guides will delight in entertaining you along the way with stunts, stories, and general knowledge about the fauna and flora of the jungle.

The many butterfly species with their stunning colours are amazing, and I hope you are not afraid of iguanas

You can book a tour to see the manatees when you reach Monkey River town. The small Antillean manatees here are an endangered species so take note of what restrictions are in force. They are vulnerable to being injured by boats because they love shallow, reedy water, so you can only view them at a certain distance. Here is a pdf on how to help protect the manatees. - http://www.coastalzonebelize.org/publications/manatee_protection.pdf

A Little History on Monkey River

You are probably wondering why such a small place got to become a town. Well it merited this classification back in 1891 when the mahogany and banana industry was booming.

There was a population of over 2,500. at that time but soon it declined when the banana crops were destroyed by Panama Disease, and in 1981 it was designated a village again. The "town" label still sticks though.

It seems the banana industry here is frequently suffering blows. On the 9th of October back in 2001, hurricane Iris hit the town with wind speeds of 145 mph. Not only were the bananas destroyed but the houses of most of the villagers were flattened. They are still recovering from that storm, employed in rebuilding projects. The baboon population reclined too because of the hurricane.

Another storm that hit Monkey River was the rage of the Gill Net in 1970. These nets kill everything in their path, including manatees, dolphins, turtles and even baby whales. They were devastating marine life in and around the waters of Belize. There are laws now in force that prohibit leaving these nets unattended, where they are used, and for how long. Sadly some are still breaking the law, and exploiting this beautiful paradise.