When our cruise ship stopped in the cruise port of Mahogany Bay, we decided to take a private tour with Roatan Fun Tours based on reviews we had seen. It was really easy to set up before we took our cruise and I’m so glad we did a private tour! We had a private driver who was able to show us a lot of the island that we wouldn’t have been able to see on a regular Carnival tour.
Roatan Fun Tours has a variety of tours to choose from and range in price from around $35 to $120 per person. We opted for the Roatan Day Combo, which cost us around $55 per person. This particular tour included stops at the Sloths and Monkey Park, The Chocolate Factory, Rum Factory, The Rusty Fish Craft Market, a beach break and the Roatan Color Sign.
My favorite stop was at the Sloths and Monkey Park, actually named Manawakie Eco Park. The park was created to keep their cultural traditions alive and to protect the local wildlife. All of their animals were donated by locals or rescued. When you visit this park, 75% of the income generated goes to caring for the animals: veterinary checks, food and also to help pay the local staff. When you visit here, you not only learn about each animal, you also get to interact with them as you learn! We were able to hold sloths, a Scarlet macaw, and White-faced capuchin monkeys.
Most people come here for the sloths…not me! My favorites were the monkeys! I have been obsessed with monkeys since I was a small child. This was the first time I ever got to actually hold a monkey. For me, it was a dream come true! This one particular monkey would not leave me alone and even snuggled in under my chin…until a jealous monkey finally came along and chased it away.
Unfortunately, I didn’t take pictures of the other stops. But we were able to sample the chocolate and learn about the cocoa beans. I even bought chocolate tea to bring back home. When we went to the Rum Factory, they had so many different flavors to try (and of course buy). The rum was delicious and went down so smooth. The Rusty Fish Craft Market had a bunch of unique items made by the locals which you could buy.
Best tip for this trip – take plenty of extra cash or a credit card! We opted not to do a few things because we were hesitant to carry too much cash or bring our credit card ashore. You can buy pictures at the Manawakie Eco Park of you with all the animals, and of course the money you spend here helps keep locals employed and takes care of the animals. To me, that was money well spent – especially since it helps the locals and not big industry. On this tour, you can stop for a local lunch – but that is not included in the price of the tour. Each stop has something for sale – whether it’s touristy trinkets or flavored rum, there’s so many options to choose from. But the best part is creating memories to last a lifetime and learning about the local culture while you’re there!
This is Carnival’s exclusive beach at the cruise port in Mahogany Bay. There’s so much to do here! The only downside is that any money spent here does not go back into the local economy.
