I am a big monkeys fan and can spend hours watching and photographing monkeys. If you like monkeys like I do, visiting Gumbalimba park is a must for you. Here is my list of suggestions and ideas on how to visit Gumbalimba Park.
Why Gumbalimba?
The park was named after the Roatan’s native Gumbo-Limbo tree. Gumbo-limbo tree is one of the most important plants for Roatan’s ecosystem as it provides fruits for birds and small mammals. Birds use gumbo-limba trees for nesting because of their strong branches and wide sick leaves.
How to get to Gumbalimba Park?
The park located on the West end of the island, just 10-12 minutes walk from the West Bay.
You can get there on your own, hire a private driver with the car to take you there or take an organized tour. A lot of tour companies offer Gumbalimba park and snorkeling combo.
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Two days on Roatan
How much time to spend in the Gumbalimba Park?
You can spend just 3-4 hours interacting with monkeys and watching macaws walking freely around the park or the entire day ziplining, kayaking, snorkeling or even doing “snuba”.
Best time to visit the park.
The best time to visit the park is off-season, early February to late March. Every season has its advantages, so pick the time that works for you. If possible, plan to visit the park in the morning when animals are naturally more active.
What to bring?
When planning the trip to Gumbalimba think about spending a day under the sun. So, the sun screen is a must. Go for water-resistant sunscreens and reply regularly depend on sunscreen type.
Also bring:
- Water. While you can buy water in the park it is a good idea to bring a bottle of water to save some time and potentially money
- Snack. Bring some light snack for the day
- Wear SPF 50 or higher clothes to protect your skin from the sun
- Rain Jacket. When travelling during the rainy season bring a light rain jacket
- Camera with tripod or just your phone.
VISITING GUMBALIMBA PARK
The monkeys.
Just like I mentioned above, I am a big monkey fan. I’ve seen whiteface monkeys in Nicaragua, walked in Big tree jungle listening for colobus monkey noises on Lemosho trail, while climbing Kilimanjaro and watch wild monkeys jumping high on the trees in jungle of Tikal.
Gumbalimba monkeys are different. They feel super comfortable around people. Prepare to have close encounters with monkeys when visiting Gumbalimba park. Those curious creatures will come close to you, look into your eyes and the moment you freeze and wait, they just grab your camera or phone and run away. I’m talking from experience here. So, keep your camera, phone, and other belongings that you don’t plan to share with monkeys close to you all the time.
The macaws.
I have seen plenty macaws in the zoos and theme parks, but watching macaws close Gumbalimba park was such a great experience for me. I have never seen macaws that close and did not know that one macaw’s feather can have three different coloring. The feathers are so unreal bright that they almost look like they were dipped into the paint.
The Suspension bridge.
I knew about monkey and macaws in Gumbalimba park. What I didn’t know about is suspension bridge. While the Gumbalimba park suspension bridge in the park neither very long nor high compared to Heliconia hanging bridges, I was awfully uncomfortable walking on the bridge. The bridge is super shaky and uncomfortable to walk on. Only five people allowed on the bridge at a time, so you might need to walk and wait for your turn.
Final thoughts.
Visiting Gumbalimba park on Roatan was a great experience. The park offers variety of activities and you can easily spend entire day there. I strongly suggest adding visit to the park to your Roatan itinerary.
