Belize Baboon Sanctuary

We are your guide to Belize Baboon Sanctuary and nature tours. We also offer a combination of Belize baboon Sanctuary and Altun Ha Mayan ruins, which also includes a complimentary tour of Belize City.

To come in contact with the black howler monkey in their natural habitat brings great joy and excitement to those who appreciate and love nature and exotic wildlife. This is the main objective of this tour. The Community Baboon Sanctuary is where you will find the majority of all the black howler monkeys here in Belize. This protected area is located in a small village known as Bermudian Landing approximately 25 miles west of Belize City along the historic old Belize River. An incredible success story of people voluntarily coming together for the sole purpose of protecting and preserving one of the earth’s endangered species. Due to an outbreak of yellow fever in Belize in the late 1800s, these animals were also affected and died at an alarming rate. The effect of the disease was so terrible on the baboons, as they are affectionately known. They ended up on the endangered species list. In the 1980s an initiative surfaced from a Zoologist from New York to try and save the existing population of the howler monkeys in the country. He thought that creating a sanctuary for these animals could help to replenish the rainforest of these magnificent creatures. Eight communities along the old Belize river came together to initiate this program, Land owners allowed their land to be used as habitats for these animals, and whenever there is a sighting of the howlers people were asked to just leave them alone and not bother with them. There were also awareness campaigns to sensitize the people of the community about the objective of the program. It was well received by all involved and today it has paid huge dividends to the people in the areas. The program started with about 800 monkeys and today there is a healthy population of over 3000 howler monkeys in the sanctuary alone.

Getting to the sanctuary is about a 45 minutes drive from Belize City upon arrival you will be introduced to your guide and the museum that provides detailed information about the program and more. The well-trained guide will then accompany you to the trails in the nearby forest of the community where you will be able to come up close and personal with these animals. If you are fortunate you will get to hear the loud howls and also be allowed to feed these animals. They are the loudest mammals in the tropical rainforest. Bring along your insect repellant and feel free to take all the pictures you like. This tour will last about three hours so by noon you will be back in Belize City. A great tour for all nature lovers and also a wonderful family activity.