gumbalimba park on your own

[lynninsc]

Anyone done Gumbalimba Park without the cruise excursion? After visiting their website I cannot determine if this is possible or not. Also, if anyone has done this park could you give me some info? Did you enjoy it? Was it "touristy" or did it seem natural? Was the beach their nice? Thanks.

[kimba2005]

We visited Gumbalimba Park in December without using the ship's excursion. The way I understand, Honduras has a deal, have you, with the cruise ship's and will not let anyone do excursions without booking through them. Likewise, you may take excursions if you are staying at a hotel on the island, which of course we weren't.

 

What we did was got off the boat, talked to a few taxi drivers and told them that we would like to do the canopy tour and Gumbalimba Park, but did not book through the ship nor were we staying at a hotel. Many of them told us a name of a hotel on the island to use when we got there. So we hopped in the "best-bargained for fare" taxi and off we went. I honestly forget the name of the hotel we used, but all you do when you get there and if they ask you is say the name of the hotel and off you go.

 

The park is BEAUTIFUL, not touristy at all. The beach is small, but lovely just the same. Just what you would picture when you think of an isolated island beach. There is a large "hut" with plenty of tables and an array of foods to eat. We did not have lunch there so I cannot comment on that, but passing by some tables I must say it looked awfully good! I posted a link below that has a few pictures from the park. IMO, a must do, especially to see and hold the monkeys! I would do this tour again in a heartbeat!

 

Hope this helps!!

 

http://community.webshots.com/user/kimcosa

[lynninsc]

Thanks so much. I really enjoyed the pictures, it does look like a beautiful place. Can't wait to pet those monkeys!

[cruzinwithkidz]

Wow! Looks like you had a wonderful trip. Thanks for sharing with us. My little girl is soooo excited to hold a monkey. She really enjoyed your photos. I hope we can get into that park. Just wondering... Dunn's Falls didn't look too crowded. What time of day were you there?

[Van's Dream]

Folks....as a person who is involved in the tourism industry, I feel it's necessary to point out a few facts.

YES, you can go to Gumbalimba Park, or the West Bay Canopy tour, without booking ON the ship. They will "sometimes" accept walk-up traffic, but you cannot pay with cash. You must sign the amount to be billed to your stateroom on the ship.

And...YES, you will pay the same amount as if you booked the excursion on board....There are no discounts.

 

I often have customers who ask about not doing the ship excursions, but seeing them on their own, with their own transportation. I tell them they "can" but they will pay the regular price.

 

Enjoy Roatan..:)

[Andy.id]

We are a party of 3 adults that would love to do a Canopy Tour and a bit of snorkeling. We hate to use the cruise ship tours because they are always so crowded. We will be in Roatan on the 28th (NCL-Dawn). The port times that are shown in the book are 12:00 (noon) until 8:00 p.m. Can you help us out! We were planning on going to Gumbalimba Park and then just find a nice beach at West Bay, but it sounds like the park is out unless we book with NCL

Thanks:)

[onthegomom]

If you do the Gumbalimba with lobster lunch through the cruiseline, does anyone know the additional cost for the Canopy Tour?

[mactee]

As I posted elsewhere, my wife and I had a great day without going to the park. We rented in advance a scooter from Captain Van's and set off on our own. We drove to the other Canopy Tour near Palmetto Bay ( I hear it's cheaper) and went on it. We were the only people. After that we drove into French Harbour and had a fantastic lunch at Gio's. (Crab, Lobster, Shrimp Platter) From there we went back to West Bay (tried to get into park, couldn't) and ended up on a beach a bit further down. The water was great, no crowds. We finished up with our return to West End to return the scooters, quick shopping and a cold beer. The scooter service will pick you up at the boat and take you back. We had such a fantastic time that we're going back with another couple next month to spend an entire week to check out the things we missed. Watch out for the speed bumps. Good luck.

Mac