During our Caribbean cruise last January, one of our ports was Roatan, Honduras. Pouring rain greeted us but we eagerly anticipated our zip line adventure with the kids. We specifically booked Victor Bodden tours for their high volume of positive reviews from previous cruisers on the zip line and having a monkey exhibit on the grounds.
I don’t know which was more exciting for my kids – interacting with the monkeys or zip lining. We ended up visiting the monkeys after surviving our zip line adventure. The monkey exhibit was a unique, interactive experience to be up close and personal with the playful, white-faced capuchin monkeys.
Touring Victor’s Monkey Busines was free and with unlimited access because we booked the zip line with them. Trip Advisor named this one of the “Top 10 places to monkey around“. We were assigned a tour guide as we explored the various cages which also included birds and other animals.
This first close-up encounter with unpredictable animals made me very nervous of letting the kids step inside the monkey cage. We were with another family with two teenage girls who were as anxious as my kids. The guide assured us the monkeys were safe (with monthly shots and everything) but also warned us not to do any sudden movements like swatting them away.
After making sure the kids knew the rules, my husband and the kids stepped inside cautiously. The monkeys instantly jumped to the nearest arm or shoulder to rest once they saw their visitors. It took the kids a bit by surprise but thankfully, they kept still. These monkeys were inherently curious and loved peeking into pockets and opening backpacks. They were nifty little pickpocketers. The guide fed the monkeys sunflower seeds which they eagerly took. It was interesting to watch them crack the seeds fast and with little effort. It was such a human like trait.
Our kids were delighted to have these monkeys climb all over them Of course, the mom in me was secretly praying the monkeys don’t bite or scratch them. Surprisingly, the monkeys were quite docile and must be used to all these people since this was a popular tourist attraction. It was all about playing it cool and not showing any aggression.
Where was I all this time? I chose to stay outside and let my kids and husband enjoy this adventure. I’m not too fond of animals climbing all over me which stemmed from bad childhood incidents. My kids find this quirk quite amusing. But, I did enjoy watching them having a blast while I felt safe and content outside. I was totally fine missing these photo ops.
After having spent some time with the monkeys and plenty of photo ops, we were also treated to exhibits of toucans, scarlet macaws, parakeets and deer. It seemed like an odd assortment of animals. The kids took great pleasure in feeding the deer – the closest they’ve ever been to one.
The bird cages were quite popular too. The macaws, parrots and toucans, with their vibrant feathers, were just beautiful to look at.
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Many of the smaller birds were trained to land on your fingers to grab the food. We weren’t particularly fond of some of these birds with pecking issues though. All that time in the cages, we were also very conscious of bird droppings after having a close call. It’s just not a good look or smell. Our guide did a great job ensuring the kids interacted well with all the animals.
Despite the somewhat gloomy weather in Roatan and not making it to the beach due to rain, we had a wonderful and fun time on the island. The kids remember their animal encounters fondly and still love looking at their pictures with the monkeys. For a cruise excursion, a visit with the monkeys was definitely one of the highlights for those traveling to Roatan with kids.
*Have you been to this monkey exhibit in Roatan? Have you interacted with monkeys in places like this?
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We also played with the crazy little cappuchins on Roatan, but we did Gumbalima Park. .
The monkey sat on my head and took my barrette. He let my husband, who only did the monkeys to humor me, hold him though. I was jealous. Looks like you all had a blast!
It was so much fum for the kids. Glad to know you had a great time with the monkeys too. I would have been traumatized if that monkey sat on my head. They do look adorable to hold though. Hope you got some precious pictures of your visit. Thanks for stopping by Courtney!
What a great excursion! I love monkeys but I think that I would be a little nervous if they were crawling on me too – but I’d be even more nervous about Emma getting excited and startling one of the monkeys and then being bitten or something. We would have to do a fair bit of watching before going in the cage. Love the photo of the bird on your son’s shoulder!
Thanks Lisa! It was nerve-wracking at first to see the monkeys jump all over the kids. I had goosebumps thinking about them crawling on me. It was a great excursion.
This looks like a fantastic experience. Hard to believe that it’s a throw-in when you go ziplining. I think Lori would have made the same decision as you and waited outside the cage though. I can’t picture her wanting monkeys crawling around on her.
It was great fun, Steve. It was a relaxing way to end all that adrenaline induced zipline adventure. I’m with Lori – the thourht of those monkeys on me and pulling my hair and everything else made me glad I stayed outside.
If I were a kid the monkeys would definitely be the attraction. On the Napo River in the Amazon Jungle we had monkeys in the washrooms – drinking from the taps and peering over the stalls. Funny but disconcerting at the same time – especially since they hadn’t had shots. Your husband looks to be an extremely enthusiastic participant.
My kids loved this attraction. Yes, my husband loved it too. Even though these monkeys had their shots I was still nervous. I don’t know how I can handle seeing a monkey while I’m in the bathroom. I’d probably startle it from screaming.
I’ve realized that I’m not as fond of monkeys as I thought. I probably wouldn’t go in the cage either! We went to our local Youth Park yesterday where we’ve had many wild monkey encounters. I had to make sure that everything was either attached to someone or zipped up inside our backpack. My first time there,they almost took my clothes while I was in the wading pool. Another time, they were taking all the cash and credit cards out of my friend’s wallet and had her car keys in their hands. They really were pickpockets! Luckily, she got them drop everything before they made off into the trees.
It’s good to know I’m not alone in letting my kids deal with the monkeys without me. Thanks for sharing your monkey experience, Michele! What abunch of misfits. I didn’t realize they had such a knack for pickpocketing until our visit.
My daughter would LOVE this attraction! She is so into monkeys right now. My husband and I visited Roatan on an anniversary trip, and I didn’t even know this was there. We spent the day snorkeling and lounging at the beach, which was wonderful. Roatan was my favorite port on our Western Caribbean cruise. I’d love go go back and give this a try.
I hope you go back to Roatan and visit the monkeys with your kids, Alison! It was such a great experience for my kids. It rained during the beach part of our trip so we didn’t get to enjoy from what we saw some nice beaches.
I’m with you, not sure I’d want to interact that closely with them. I’d stick to the birds Looks like fun though!