Last Updated on: 25th May 2024, 01:46 am
Tropical Belize is teeming with wildlife, and for many visitors, spotting animals will be one of the highlights of their trip. One of the most ubiquitous animals you’re bound to see (and definitely hear) is the black howler monkey. But when out in the jungle, you may only see them high up in the trees. Those hoping for a more up close and personal experience, therefore, should consider visiting the Community Baboon Sanctuary.
The baboon, of course, is an entirely different species of primate that’s native to Africa. But howler monkeys are often called ‘baboons’ in the local dialect, hence the name of the sanctuary.
Located about an hour west of Belize City, the Community Baboon Sanctuary can only be reached by private vehicle. But considering how common monkey sightings are throughout the country, is it really worth going out of your way for?
We’ll be covering this question below, along with a detailed rundown of what you can expect from the experience. In total, you’ll likely just spend a little over an hour there.
For more information on transport and accommodation, be sure to check the end of the article.
Visiting the Community
Baboon Sanctuary
At the time of writing, the Community Baboon Sanctuary is open daily from 8:00-17:00. But upon arrival, it didn’t seem like anyone was around, and my driver and I both feared that the sanctuary might be closed.
As it turns out, ‘The Robert Horwich Natural History Museum’ that’s closest to the parking lot is not the main building. Rather, you have to walk all the way around it where you’ll encounter a separate building.
Here, you’ll pay the entry fee and wait for the guide to arrive. The basic tour costs $10 USD ($20 BZ) and there’s no need to schedule anything in advance.
During my visit, my group consisted of only me and one other visitor. And we began with a brief orientation in the main building, which also serves as a small museum with informational posters. In addition to a summary of howler monkeys, our guide also explained the history of the sanctuary itself.
The Community Baboon Sanctuary was started in 1985 by American primatologist Dr. Robert Horwich. Interestingly, the land here is mostly privately owned, with the landowners voluntarily joining the project in order to do their part to protect the monkeys.
After a brief walk through a jungle path, during which our guide pointed out different plants and fruits, it wasn’t long before we spotted a troop of howler monkeys up in the trees.
Though they were sleeping high up in the branches, our guide coaxed them down with a banana. Supposedly, wild howler monkeys typically ignore bananas, as they’re native to Southeast Asia and not part of the typical howler monkey diet. But these ones were apparently used to being fed by humans.
The area where we encountered the monkeys, in fact, was practically in someone’s backyard! Currently, over 200 landowners spread across seven different villages have taken the pledge to protect the monkeys’ habitat.
While it’s great that so many people have come together to protect these monkeys, it was a bit odd to visit an animal sanctuary in the midst of a residential district. We actually heard music playing in the distance throughout the experience.
If you’ve ventured into the Belizean (or Guatemalan) jungle, there’s a high chance you’ve heard these monkeys well before seeing them.
And if you’ve just arrived in Central America with no knowledge of these creatures, the sounds could easily be mistaken for the growl of a big cat! Or perhaps some type of mythical monster.
Believe it or not, there are as many as twenty different species of howler monkeys alone. The specific species of monkey here in Belize (and also Mexico and Guatemala) is the ‘black howler,’ which is a bit confusing because most of the other types are also black. Some other species are red, however.
Black howlers are the loudest of all the howler monkeys, which also makes them one of the loudest land mammals on the planet!
But relative to their volume, howler monkeys aren’t particularly large. And when viewed from up close, they don’t appear nearly as intimidating as they sound. In fact, they are actually pretty cute.
But why do howler monkeys howl?
Howler monkeys tend to be very territorial, which is one major cause. They typically live together in troops, and if there’s any encroachment by another troop, they’ll surely let out their trademark howl.
They also might just do this as a way of reminding neighboring troops of their location – especially at the end of each day.
One of the howler monkeys was indeed howling during our visit. But they didn’t seem to mind us at all, so they possibly sensed another troop nearby.
Howler monkey troops typically consist of between four to eight monkeys, but sometimes contain as many as sixteen.
As is common in primate communities, troops typically have one alpha male, multiple adult females and their babies. Interestingly, however, some troops do occasionally contain more than one adult male.
When sleeping, the troop tends to stick together for safety, while they generally travel and feed together as well.
We hung out for a while underneath the trees as we watched a female and her baby feed on large yellow cashew apples – the fruit that’s the source of the cashew nut.
But there was only so much time we could spend observing the same small troop of monkeys, and it was eventually time to head back.
As mentioned above, entry to the Community Baboon Sanctuary costs $10 USD. As all visitors must be accompanied by a guide, I was under the impression that everything was covered. But I was caught off guard when at the end of the tour, our guide told us he was a volunteer who worked for free. So of course, he wanted a tip.
While Belize does have a tipping culture, I still found the situation rather strange. If actually true, the staff taking the tickets should inform visitors in advance of the situation.
Despite this little surprise, I was still happy I’d made it out to the Community Baboon Sanctuary. But you may still be wondering if the visit is worth it for you. Read a bit more below.
Additional Info
It depends. If you have any plans to visit jungle ruins during your time in Belize or neighboring Guatemala, you’re almost guaranteed to spot howler monkeys in the wild at some point.
They may be a lot higher in the trees, however. Then again, you might still get the chance to see some from up close. Just a few days prior, for example, I was able to see some howler monkeys from very close while exploring the ruins of Lamanai.
This was also a much more natural and spontaneous experience compared with seeing monkeys near someone’s backyard, and that were beckoned down by humans with food.
If you have very limited time in Belize, I wouldn’t feel pressured to set a day aside to visit the Baboon Sanctuary. But if you happen to be moving through the area during your visits between Belize City and San Ignacio, for example, it’s well worth the quick stop.
Notably, nearby is the Crooked Tree Wildlife Sanctuary, and you may be wondering which one to choose. I was informed by a local that Crooked Tree mainly appeals to bird-watchers, so most non-birders would enjoy the Baboon Sanctuary more.
As mentioned above, there’s no private transport to the Community Baboon Sanctuary. Of course, if you’re renting a car in Belize, then you shouldn’t have an issue. The place should be fairly easy to locate via Google Maps, but be sure to save the location in advance, as reception out here can be very spotty.
In my case, I was staying in a small village to the west of Belize City and arranged private transport with the owner of my accommodation.
If you’re based in Belize City itself, the best option would probably be to take a private tour. There are actually numerous options available, many of which combine a trip to the sanctuary with other nearby attractions.
This is the most straightforward tour, simply taking you to the sanctuary from Belize City and back (though it does seem to include a brief tour of the city).
This more adventurous tour, meanwhile, also includes a two-hour-long cave tubing excursion.
And this tour combines a visit to the Community Baboon Sanctuary and the popular Altun Ha ruins.
The three tours mentioned above all depart from Belize City, but this tour can take you to both the sanctuary and Altun Ha from Caye Caulker.
Frankly speaking, few visitors would consider Belize’s largest city to be a destination in its own right. Nevertheless, most visitors will be passing through here at some point. And Belize City is also a great base for certain day trips, such as to the Community Baboon Sanctuary and Altun Ha.
One of the top-rated hotels in the whole city is Villa Boscardi which features a swimming pool and easy access to the water.
Those on a bit more of a budget should consider the Stylish Apartments near Best Western Hotel, which is a great value albeit a bit far from the city center.
Even more reasonable is the DB Tower Vacation Rental which includes a private kitchen.