Volume 4, Number 1
| Picture yourself on a fast boat, wind in your face, blue sky overhead, sun sparkling on clear water, winding through narrow channels in the mangrove forest. Finally, you turn into the mouth of a jungle river, and find yourself surrounded by dense, unspoiled rainforest habitat, with its tall canopy reaching up to the clear morning sky...this is Monkey River Magic. | 
a shadow in the treetops | ||||||||
At the base of Richardson Peak, one of the highest mountains
in Belize, is the origin of the mighty Monkey River, which winds its way
southeast through dense jungle and empties into the Gulf of Placencia is only 14 miles north of the mouth of Monkey River and is a good place from which to take the Monkey River Magic Tour. This trip is among several offered by David Dial and Placencia Dive Shop, Ltd.(PDS. Ltd.), and many resorts there book exclusively with him. If your hotel doesn't, you can book the tour on your own. PDS, Ltd. is the only operator doing this trip that uses licensed guides from Monkey River Village exclusively. Around 8 a.m., your guide will pick you up by boat, and travel through the lagoon and in among the red mangrove fringe forest along the coast, habitat of the manatee and many species of birds. Most of this trip is in protected waters and will be relatively smooth. It takes about 35 minutes to reach the mouth of the river. | |||||||||
Up the river... Our native guide, Darrell, pointed out numerous iguanas, turtles and birds as we motored slowly up river. It was not long into the trip when the jungle erupted with the bizarre sounds of the Black Howler Monkey as the troupes communicate with each other to declare their territory. Nothing you read could prepare you for the adventure of hearing these monkeys for the first time...you just have to experience it! ...and into the bush An hour into the trip, Darrell guided our boat up to the bank, where we disembarked to venture into the jungle and "see the howlers close up." Imagine being guided through the bush by someone who spent their childhood there! |
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We learned about the different plants and trees as he cut a new trail and we wandered (sometimes through water) further from the river. In less than ten minutes, we heard our first troupe in the distance. We waited momentarily while Darrell ran to pinpoint their location. He came back and led us directly to them. Then, when Darrell thumped a tree with his machete, they burst out in a raucous chorus that tingles the hair on the back of your neck! It's hard to believe an animal that weighs 35 pounds can sound as big as a bull elephant. Before turning back, we found three additional troupes. After returning to the mouth and Monkey River Village, we went ashore and into Alice's Restaurant for a lunch of genuine Creole food. We had worked up a great appetite hiking through the jungle. Darrell then guided us on a tour through the small village before boarding the boat for the trip back to Placencia. We were back at our hotel about 3 p.m. and ready for a refreshing swim in the blue Caribbean. Monkey River Magic is one of the "don't miss" tours in Belize--after all, we only write about the best. | |||||||||
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Honduras. The area's only human population of about 500,
lives at the mouth, in Monkey River Village, and the surrounding undisturbed
wilderness is home to a multitude of wildlife.
