Manawakie Park Tour – tour of city, mangrove tunnels and eco park with Ryan O’Bryan
We ended up changing the type of tour we did with Manawakie so it was not completed through TripAdvisor but through their website. TripAdvisor was how we found them. From initial contact with Manawakie Park via WhatsApp to the end of our tour on 11/8//22 when we were dropped back off it was 15 out of 10 stars. They were responsive and professional from before we left on our trip with my many questions till after when they emailed our photos to us. We started off in Roatan with Ryan O’Bryan the coolest, nicest, kindest, knowledgeable, passionate, fun young man who picked us up. He was smiling from the moment we set eyes on him outside port to when he drove away. He shared lots of knowledge about the island, it’s history, it’s people, current life on the island and the many questions I asked him about his own family and friends. Our first stop was a vista point where he took photos of us and we got a beautiful view of the island and took some photos. Ryan told us all about what we were passing as we drove to our next destination and anything else I asked about. Next stop was to get on our fun little boat in Oak Ridge I believe it was where we were joined by Ryan, his boss and two “captains” to take our tour through the mangrove tunnels. The water is pristine and so beautiful. I’ve never seen anything like it. We learned about the different boats we saw and what they fished for, shrimp, lobster and fish. We learned about the different bays we passed, the history of the island, the homes we saw, the people (we saw some school children being shuttled by boat to school), their exports, economy, some government, the animals, the ocean life, the trees, plant life, fruits, nuts, etc. grown own the island. It was beautiful and fun seeing, learning and experiencing the island. Then we got back in the van and headed to the Eco Park. Clean bathrooms I will mention lol that’s important! The staff there were all knowledgeable and kind. You can tell they all love the animals they care for there. I can’t remember all their names, I have a terrible memory, but I do remember Kevin’s name (I know and love a Kevin so that was easy). Kevin and all of his friends/coworkers at the park were great! We held Flash the sloth and learned all about Flash and sloths like him. So special. I held Bluey the macaw and fed him sunflower seeds. He was beautiful and I enjoyed feeding him and talking to him as I held him. Then we stopped by to say hi to Poncho one of the capuchin monkeys at the park. He was being kept separate at the time b/c a new male Mono they recently obtained was trying to take over being the alpha so they needed some time apart before being brought back together. We went on to meet and feed Mono, Bamchito (I believe that was his name sorry little guy if I misspelled it or got it wrong), Erin and other family members. It was wild feeling the thump (lightly) on your body as they’d excitedly jump down on to you so you could feed them sunflower seeds. Highly recommend spending some time with Capuchin monkeys if you can! Then we went to the gift shop and bought some beautiful sloth souvenirs from the staff there to take home to our loved ones. Sloths are my spirit animal, pretty much my husband and children’s too. We also bought the many photos the lovely photographer who followed us around during our time at the park. You don’t have to they don’t pressure to buy a thing but once you see the beautiful things they have and the gorgeous photos you’ll gladly spend your money for some souvenirs and photos to remind you of the precious memories you just made. From there we hopped back in the van with Ryan O’Bryan. He took us to a couple of more beautiful vistas and took some photos and then back to port. All done in plenty of time before the boat left and we never felt rushed. I do recommend when you are first picked up and you choose a tour that includes a tour of the city that you tell your guide as soon as you’re in the van that you’d like to eat. Great home style cooked native island food.15 out of 10 stars recommend Manawakie Eco Park tours and all their staff💙♥️💙