We arrived at Belize’s Philip S.W. Goldson International Airport around 1:30 pm local time. It was a new experience for the boys to exit an airplane directly onto the runway and they were excited to walk down the steps from the big plane. We immediately felt the heat his us when we stepped off of the plane, but it was actually a bit of a relief as we had all been shivering through two different plane rides and the Houston Airport, all of which were unusually cold. We took our customs and immigration forms and our passports and joined the line at immigration. It moved quickly and soon the boys had their first stamps in their passport books and we were on our way.
After grabbing our luggage we headed outside and quickly spotted a tour guide with a Black Rock Lodge shirt and our name on a board. We introduced ourselves to Roque (pronounced Rocky) and headed to his truck for the ride to Black Rock Lodge, via the Belize Zoo.
We immediately liked Roque – he was friendly and personable and extremely knowledgeable about Belize. We learned so much about Belize from him over the next three days – about the country, its geography and history, its people and animals. He and the boys hit it off right away and he quickly picked up on their interest in animals and nature. At one point in the ride JB was asking him questions about birds and he pulled the truck over, hopped out for a second, and reappeared with a Belize bird field guide that he kept in the bed of his truck. This was just the first of many times he went out of his way to cater to the interests of the boys and keep them continually engaged and interested.
The Belize Zoo was on the way from the airport to Black Rock Lodge and we had pre-arranged a stop there with Black Rock Lodge (barring a significantly delayed flight). I had heard that the Belize Zoo was not to be missed and though I tried many different ways, I could not figure out another place to fit it into our itinerary. It did not add much time on to the trip to the lodge and it was nice to get to squeeze in an activity on our travel day so it didn’t feel like a total loss.
Dubbed “the best little zoo in the world”, the Belize Zoo is not your typical zoo. It started as a rescue for the 17 animals (including an ocelot, a puma, and a jaguar) that were used in the filming of the documentary “Selva Verde” in 1983. After filming was complete, the animals’ caretaker recognized that they could not be released into the wild and built a small zoo to care for them. Since then the zoo has grown into a wildlife education center that focuses on teaching visitors about Belize’s native wildlife in their natural habitats. It continues to rescue and rehabilitate native animals that have been injured or orphaned.
All of the animals in the zoo are native to Belize. The Tapir, also known as the mountain cow, is the national animal of Belize, and was the first animal we came across in the zoo. They are Central America’s largest land mammal. They have a long, prehensile nose that gives them a very distinct look and the boys found it endlessly entertaining when they would come stick their big noses up over the fence to try to sniff them. There were several tapirs wandering around their huge enclosure, commingling with iguanas and crocodiles.
Belize is home to two different types of monkeys – Howler monkeys and Yucatan spider monkeys – and they roamed freely among the trees of the Belize Zoo. There were fences at ground level to keep visitors out but the monkeys could easily move around from tree to tree anywhere in the zoo. Spider monkeys are long and skinny and we loved watching them dangle from the trees by their tails or swing from tree to tree with their long arms. They were really active while we were there.
But the biggest treat was seeing this baby monkey hitching a ride on his mama.
The howler monkey is also known as a baboon in Belize. They are the largest – and loudest – monkey in Belize. While they were mostly seen and not heard while we were at the zoo, we became quite familiar with their howling calls during our nights in the jungle. Howler monkeys are endangered and can only be found in Belize, Guatemala and Mexico. Belize is doing its part to save the species and has created the Community Baboon Sanctuary along the Belize River to preserve its habitat. We enjoyed close-up views of the howlers as they feasted on leaves and branches. They were very expressive and focused on the task at hand.
Belize has 5 big cat species – jaguar, puma, ocelot, margay, and jaguarundi – and all were represented at the zoo. Roque made it a special point to teach the kids about all 5 and when he sensed they were starting to tire from our long day of travel, he changed courses to make sure they got to see them all. The jaguar was by far the most impressive. It was amazing to get to see them up close.
Belize is also a birder’s paradise, with over 540 species found in the country. Some of the more unique and impressive birds we saw at the zoo included Scarlet Macaws, Keel-Billed Toucans, Harpy Eagles, and the Jabiru Stork.
We got one more treat as we finished our tour of the zoo – we spotted a baby Howler monkey in the trees!
These were just some of the highlights of what we saw in the Belize Zoo. There was a lot more to see and do there. If we had had more time, we would have loved to participate in one of their animal encounters. For a few dollars more, you can get up close with tapirs, toucans or jaguars and feed or interact with them.
We loved our stop at the Belize Zoo. I had read so many reviews beforehand about how it was not like any other zoo and that even anti-zoo people would love it. I have to agree. It is more sanctuary than zoo and truly felt like the animals were enjoying life in their natural habitat. The Belize Zoo does some amazing conservation work and as a non-profit organization, you can feel good that the money you spend here goes to help the animals in the zoo itself, as well as on a larger scale through conservation efforts. The boys were exhausted by the end, as we had been up since 4am eastern time, but it was well worth the time and effort to stop there.
We got back in the truck and continued our drive to Black Rock Lodge. I had read about the last part of the drive being off-road but still wasn’t really prepared for it. After driving along the Western Highway and through San Ignacio, we turned down a dirt road that cut through a farm. My first impression was “this isn’t so bad! I’m not sure why everyone makes a big deal about this.” We followed the bumpy dirt road through the Negro Man Farm until we got to the Maya Flats Airstrip, which is literally nothing more than a one room building and a single short runway cutting through a field. At this point we turned to the right and the real adventure began!
We quickly left the open fields and rolling farmland behind us and were overtaken by dense jungle. As the surrounding terrain changed, so did the road. Narrow passageways with steep drop-offs and huge potholes were the norm. Rocky cliffs loomed over us on our right and the Macal River flowed deep below us on the left. Roque handled it like a pro but four wheel drive and a hefty dose of confidence are definitely necessary on this road! It was all part of the great adventure and we all got more and more excited the deeper we went into the dense rainforest.
When we arrived at the lodge itself, we could not believe such an amazing place was tucked away so deep in the jungle. The main restaurant and reception area is a beautiful open air room with a huge thatched roof. We were handed welcome drinks and led over to a spot where we could relax and unwind while we enjoyed the view of the river below and used the telescope that was set up to watch a family of toucans nesting across the river. After resting a bit, we were take to our room, Cabin #20, where our bags were already waiting for us. We had one of two riverfront suites and the location and room were amazing. We were so excited to get to spend the next few days here.
So the first day was a huge success. We managed to see and learn more about Belize than we ever would have expected on our travel day. Aside from a great introduction to the country and its animals, our stop at the Belize Zoo was a great introduction to Roque. We had pre-scheduled all of our tours for the next few days and were really hoping we would have Roque for each of them. He was friendly, funny, knowledgeable, and great with the kids. The boys were already comfortable with him so we kept our fingers crossed that we see him the next morning at tour time!
