Roatan tour without caged animals?

[VeggieMama]

Hi! I'm looking for ideas for activities for my family with 2 young children, but without the potential for mistreated/exploited animals. I'd love something with learning about the island/the people/nature. I'd love something where we could maybe see creatures in their actual habitat. Definitely not looking for an "animal experience" at all. I've been looking through the forum quite a bit and many of the recommended tours/excursions seem to include sort of backyard zoo deals that I'm not sure are for me.

[Guest 2000]

Hi! I'm looking for ideas for activities for my family with 2 young children, but without the potential for mistreated/exploited animals. I'd love something with learning about the island/the people/nature. I'd love something where we could maybe see creatures in their actual habitat. Definitely not looking for an "animal experience" at all. I've been looking through the forum quite a bit and many of the recommended tours/excursions seem to include sort of backyard zoo deals that I'm not sure are for me.

 

 

There are very few animals of the island..a sorta pig like creature, plenty of lizards..but mostly Roatan is all about what is in the sea.

 

Steel Pan Alley could be educational.

While I have not been to Blue Harbor Tropical Arboretum, it looks like great fun.

 

You could hire a local private tour guide who would be more than happy introduce you to island culture, he may be able to offer up opportunities I do not know about.

Edited February 22, 2016 by Guest 2000

[Stopemocide]

I visited Gumbalimba Preserve Park on Roatan. They do have caged birds, but they are in large enclosures comparable to American zoos. They have a rotation schedule so that the birds get to roam free every few days, releasing 1/3 of the flock per day.

 

The animals seemed very happy and well taken care of-the monkeys are actually former pets who were surrendered to the preserve. They receive veterinary care and are quite spoiled. The handlers give the monkeys sunflower seeds every time they jump onto a tourist. They seemed relaxed and comfortable, even the mother monkeys were comfortable, going so far as to place one of the babies on my mother's head.

 

We also saw iguanas and macaws on the loose, as well as beautiful plants.

[crewsweeper]

Unless you take a snorkeling excursion or book an excursion at Anthony's Key, you're not going to see sea creatures in their natural habitat. Most places with monkeys will have them in cages but you can enter the cages. LFK, Anthony's, and Maya Key have animals that are well cared for. A tour with Victor Bodden will take you to his farm and his animals are also well cared for.

 

To avoid any caged animals and to learn about the island and it's culture and maybe give the youngsters an opportunity to frolic on a nice sandy beach with clear blue water, look up Rony's Tours. http://www.ronystours.com/ He does a lot of different types of tours like to schools and local areas as well as the typical tourist spots.

 

I'll add, given your screenname, have him take you to LaLa Gallery on West bay Road if you're looking for vegetarian/natural-organic foods for lunch. It's not on the ocean but very nice setting and they have a great variety. I think there are recent reviews on Trip Advisor and pictures of a menu but their menu does change frequently.

Edited March 25, 2016 by crewsweeper

[IslandGallery]

You are correct, unfortunately, most of the experiences are exploited animals. And several "preserve" facilities are much more $-driven than conservation or protection driven.

 

Why don't you take your kiddos on the glass-bottom boat? There are several, a couple in West End and one in West Bay. The bottom of the boat is underwater and you go downstairs and sit on a bench and there are large picture-windows on each side of you, the boat cruises out into the bay by the reef and you can see coral and fish and sometimes turtles or other sea life, all in its natural habitat. This is great for kids and especially for people who don't dive or snorkel. If you do snorkel then that would be a a great option too.

[BrotherCraig]

I second the Rony Tours recommendation. Rony will show you the island and everything natural about it. Will customize the tour to what you want and want to see. The West Bay Beach and West End Village is great. We love Roatan and hope you will too.

[dkoitz]

We did Victor Bodden tour and went to Blue Arbor Tropical Arborotum and it was a neat learning experience with an education on different plants. Also did the monkey and iguana farm, went to the beach, and went on a mangrove boat tour. These were done on different trips. We would take little boxes of fruit loops and the monkeys loved it. The iguanas ate large leafs. All the animals were well taken care of and seemed to enjoy people interaction. Your kids would probably love it and makes for great photos that they will always remember. I had a blast myself and love the way the monkeys felt when they sat on my shoulder. Most were in large cages that you walk into and you have a private guide that takes you around.