We went on this trip as a cruise excursion. It was about a 45-minute drive to the park & we were booked on a 90-minute guided tour. This took you through the Botanical Garden to learn more about the exotic plants that are indigenous to the region. A gentle walk along the trails revealed flowers & butterflies & hummingbirds feeding at a man made station (great opportunity for a photo). The walk does involve a few hills & some uneven ground plus the crossing over Gumbalimba Pond via a scenic rope bridge, its not very strenuous though.. In the Bird Sanctuary, there are parrots and macaws & the rangers will put them on you for a colourful photo opportunity. At the . Monkey Refugio, spider, white face, and howler monkeys are running free & the trainers will encourage them onto your shoulder for another photo opportunity. This is great fun but the monkeys are very frisky & will clamber up you or jump on you at any time (trainer close or not). They seemed pretty harmless but were apt to grab spectacles, hats & other loose items & run off with them. Some of the monkeys were tethered for a "time out" due to bad behaviour. Seems a shame but there needs to be a balance between the safety of the paying public (who fund their food & care) & the freedom of the monkeys. The majority of the monkeys are free to leave at any time, there are no fences or walls, but as they’ve been rescued from mistreatment elsewhere, this is probably a much better & well fed life for them.
There is also an insectarium (all preserved nothing alive) & a Pirates of the Caribbean Coxen’s Cave, where you’ll encounter the infamous Captain John Coxen, his stolen treasure and colorful sculpted murals depicting Honduran history. Its a bit tacky to be honest but an attempt to make the place more interesting for children.
On our tour we had free time to use their beach & swim or just have a stroll around. I would have liked to have stayed longer as there was a zip line/canopy tour, kayaking, snorkelling including power scooters. So plenty to do.
So an enjoyable excursion. Nothing in itself was particularly spectacular but all the bits together made for a pleasant day out.
Gumbalimba Park is located in West Bay, Roatan, Bay Islands, Honduras
www.gumbalimbapark.com/
