Monkey Bay Wildlife Sanctuary Belize - Village Homestays and Community Service

Monkey Bay Wildlife Sanctuary
P.O. Box 187
Belmopan, Belize
Central America
Tel: 011-501-820-3032
Fax: 011-501-822-3361
Click Here to Email Us

Monkey Bay offers a full range of day trip options right from your own home base. Local Guides are available for canoeing on the Sibun River and Cox Lagoon, caving at the Tiger Sandy Bay, and bird watching anywhere in Belize.

Canoeing on The Sibun River

Sibun River

Sibun River

The Sibun River canoe and swimming adventure begins at Monkey Bay where your experienced guide will brief you on what to pack and take along this downstream river canoe trail. We then travel 8 miles by road to the river put in point. Our ride takes us through a commercial citrus farm and gravel extraction operation before reaching the Sibun River. Before gearing up, your guide will instruct you on safety and teamwork while paddling 10 miles downstream on this middle reach of the river. Once on the river, he will point out a wide variety of birds, iguanas, cave bats, coatimundi and occasional Central American river otter. The trip time is 3 - 4 hours depending on how often you wish to stop and swim in the cool clear waters. The canoe excursion ends at Monkey Bay where you can enjoy a final swim in the Sibun before heading back to camp for a wholesome meal!

The Indian Creek Trail

The Indian Creek Trail forms part of the Sibun River Watershed, extending from the headwaters of the Maya Mountains to the Caribbean Sea. The trail serves to provide a unique 'backcountry' jungle experience along a connecting segment of the biological corridor while creating opportunity of community involvement through ecotourism service offerings. This trail project is co-managed by Belizean villagers from La Democracia and St. Margaret's rural communities situated at either end of the trail.

The Indian Creek Trail joins three protected areas (Monkey Bay National Park, Five Blues Lake National Park, and the Manatee Forest Reserve) and its development is encouraged and supported by the numerous conservation organizations currently operating in Belize. The organizations with a direct and vested interest include: Forest Department, Sibun Watershed Association (SWA) and the Mesoamerican Biological Corridor Project (MBCP).

The Indian Creek Trail contributes to the consolidation of the Mesoamerican Biological Corridor (MBC), an ambitious effort to unite Central American protected areas into a seven-nation network of interconnected forests, watersheds and wildlife reserves. The ICT is intended to demonstrate a productive, sustainable use activity within a biological corridor. Guided trail experiences, along with associated services provide much needed income generating opportunity for local residents, who ultimately are the stewards of these important wildlife corridors and protected areas. The primary objective of MBCP is the establishment of greenways and corridors across the landscape in collaboration with local residents, the resources users themselves. ICT accomplishes this objective successfully, with your participation.

Indian Creek Trail - Hot Lips (psychotria poeppigiana)

The 16-mile trail follows Indian Creek, a year-round flowing stream, and connects the Sibun River near Monkey Bay Wildlife Sanctuary with Five Blues Lake National Park near St. Margaret's Village. Although the hardier ones have completed the trail in one very long day, it has proven to be most comfortably and safely hiked in three days, particularly with groups of trekkers. The riparian forest around the Indian Creek is lush and dense and holds many opportunities for viewing exotic and rare plant and animal species.

There are impressive cave systems that form an integral part of the trail, and provide visitors with the chance to see Ancient Maya pottery that is hundreds of years old. One of the overnight camps is set in against a large cliff face that shelters cave entrances. These serve as portals to the underworld to explore huge 'cathedral' chambers where the Mayas worshipped the gods of Xibalba. On top of the cliff is one of the most beautiful vistas looking out over lush forest and ranges of the karst limestone hills. On the horizon, witness the length of the watershed continuum; from the headwater reaches in the Maya Mountain massif all the way through to the estuary at the confluence with the Caribbean Sea!

Indian Creek Trail - Overnight camping in Jungle Hammock Tent

Indian Creek Trail - Overnight camping in Jungle Hammock Tent

Because of the wild and untamed nature of the landscape, the act of hiking the Indian Creek Trail requires that its users yield to the forces of the surrounding environment. It is the raw experience of walking through tropical rivers and jungle-draped caves that makes this trail so impressive, and educational. Because of the lack of significant human interference on sections of the trail, the user will sometimes feel as though they are treading in a pristine environment. This is the impression that the trail strives to retain even though necessary amenities such as tent camping platforms and latrines have been installed. Designated campsites along the trail are used for cooking, bathing and camping. All the campsites have convenient access to the creek for drinking and cooking water. It is recommended that portable backcountry water filters be used for treating drinking water. Monkey Bay arranges local trail guides and emergency communication equipment. We can also outfit individuals and groups with tents or jungle hammocks, cooking utensils and dry goods for camp meals.

Indian Creek Trail - Hiking 5 Blues Creek

Indian Creek Trail - Hiking 5 Blues Creek

It is difficult to avoid wet feet on the Indian Creek Trail. The current trailhead requires crossing a wide but shallow section (during the dry season) of the Sibun River. There are numerous other river crossings on foot as the trail follows the meandering creek. The hiker must again wade through the creek to pass though Dark Night Cave and Day Light Cave. A portion of the trail is actually the limestone riverbed of 5 Blues Lake Creek that flows, in places, waist deep.

The third and final day of the Indian Creek trail hike holds some of the more challenging terrain with occasional limestone rock outcrops to scramble over. On arriving at Five Blues Lake National Park, enjoy a refreshing swim in the lake followed by a pack lunch.

For the more adventurous an additional day can be incorporated by hiking from the main trail on Day 2 to follow a new trail recently opened by Trek Force Expeditions. This trail leads to an overnight stop at Caesar Weaser Cave. Only recently discovered, Caesar Weaser is a vast and quite dramatic cave brimming with stalagmites, stalactites, glittering caverns of hardened amber sand rising like pyramids, and numerous Maya pots. Rejoin the main trail the next day and continue to Five Blues Lake National Park.

Guides - The Indian Creek Trail is a guided experience. The guides ensure that all treks on the Indian Creek Trail are safe, secure, educational and enjoyable. Guides are competent in basic wilderness first aid and are the ambassadors of local biological diversity and Belizean culture. The guides are highly knowledgeable of the terrain, the flora and the fauna, and are able to provide interpretive information for biological and anthropology interests. Overall, the experiential learning value of this trek is abundant.

Cox Lagoon Crocodile Sanctuary

Cox Lagoon from the air

What a great adventure! Cox Lagoon Crocodile Sanctuary is located within thirty thousand acres of wildland where you can find all kinds of Belizean wildlife. Best experienced from a canoe, the terrain surrounding the lagoon is swamp forest, marsh and mud flats, punctuated by pine savanna occurring on the elevated sites in between. Water depth in Cox Lagoon itself varies as much as eight feet between dry and wet seasons.

What Cox Lagoon has to offer
Diverse habitat in the sanctuary supports correspondingly diverse animal life. Researchers Howard Hunt and Jim Tamarack have recorded 124 species of birds, 23 species of mammals and 14 species of reptiles. Jabiru storks - the largest flying birds in the Americas - wade in the marsh; Black howler monkeys roar from the tress; Baird's tapir graze in the lagoon. Routinely jaguars leave tracks on the road and call from the nearby forests. And the crocodiles are plentiful! This is one of the best natural wildlife viewing areas in Belize.

Morelet's Crocodile - Cox Lagoon

Crocodiles
Morelet's crocodiles gather at night here to feed. Point a light at them and their eyes fire up the dark. During dry season when fish concentrate, it is common to count nearly 100 crocodiles. Morelet's crocodiles can grow to about 10 feet in length. Typically, they prey on small animals such as fish but they can kill large animals such as deer and young tapir. Humans should not swim near crocodiles. In June and July, females�build a nest mound and lay about 30 eggs. They guard their nest for about two months until the baby crocs call from inside the chicken-sized eggs. Then, with her feet,�mother croc opens the nest and with her mouth she carries the baby crocs to water. For more than a year, mother croc guards her young; if attacked by a predator, the young crocodiles "chirp" a distress call and then mother will defend them. Adults call to each other by slapping the water with their jaws. Isn't that fascinating!

Activities at Cox Lagoon

CANOEING

Launch a canoe at the Cox Creek Bridge and paddle along a jungle river into Cox Lagoon.

Canoeing at Cox Lagoon

Go adventuring at night and see crocodiles, fishing bats, four-eyed possums, tapir and maybe more.

HIKING

Hike trails around the lagoon; hike the farm roads and dikes. Remember: on the Singh Tut Big Falls Farm, wildlife is everywhere. If you don't see a jaguar, the jaguar probably sees you.

FISHING

Live bait, artificial lures, almost anything or any method can catch fish. Fish have been known to jump in boats. Really! Abundant tarpon in the freshwater provide sport for those who want a catch-and-release thrill.

CAMPING

Nothing beats camping on Cox Lagoon. Primitive campsites are abundant in dry season. Put up your tent, sit by the fire, and listen to the night sounds. It just doesn't get any better than this!

How to get there
Hunting and trespassing on this private protected area are prohibited. To access this wonderful wildlife sanctuary, arrangements can be made through Monkey Bay.

Tiger Sandy Bay Caves

Inside Tiger Sandy Bay Caves

Inside Tiger Sandy Bay Caves

An Adventure in the Tropical Forest and Maya Ceremonial Caves
Less than one hour west of Belize City and next door to Monkey Bay, you will discover the Sibun Manatee Karst Hills that rise above the savanna coastal plain. These Karst Hills provide evidence of the ancient tropical sea that once covered Belize during the Cretaceous Era over 200 million years ago. In more recent times, approximately 1000 years ago during the time of the Ancient Maya Civilization, priests celebrated their Gods in the cathedral-like labyrinth of limestone caves. Your tour of this jungle landscape takes you back in time when rivers served as the highways inland, forests provided the sustenance for human civilization and the ways of the world were determined by the favor of the Maya gods.

Jungle trek

Jungle trek

Our adventure begins with a trek through the jungle to Tiger Cave, an immense opening in the mountain where we enter the Mayan Spirit Underworld known as Xibalba. Along the trail we will observe a diversity of over 200 tree and palm species that serve as the home range for 5 species of cats and a wide variety of large and small mammals, reptiles, birds and insects. At Tiger Cave, we switch on our flashlights to explore the realm of the Maya Gods and the place of worship of the Ancient Maya as it was left over 1000 years ago. The cave system is huge in scale, extensive in length and demonstrates the wide variety of living cave formations found in Belize. Our guided tour takes us to witness pottery and ceramic artifacts, an antique fire hearth and utility rooms used by the Ancient Maya, all left in situ as it has remained from ancient times to today.

The caving experience is an all day affair, with softer routes for the more comfortable naturalists, and more challenging routes that include canoeing and rock climbing for the more adventurous students and ecotourists. Some of the educational themes covered on this trip are the geological history of Belize, ancient civilizations and broadleaf forest ecology. Challenge yourself, and know that this is one experience you will not want to miss in Central Belize!