Howler Monkeys of Bermudian Landing, BelizeI took this brief trip to photograph the black howler monkey in Bermudian Landing, Belize over the Labor Day weekend in 2007. The distance of 13 miles from the Belize City airport to the Community Baboon Sanctuary(CBS) in Bermudian Landing makes the trip very doable with only a few days. I rented a vehicle within the Belize City airport complex and went straight from there to the town of Bermudian Landing. 
I stopped along the way at a grocery store for some bottled water and a few goods to hold me over for the next couple of days.I stayed at the Howler Monkey Lodge for the duration of my trip. The lodge consisted of separate cabins for $40 U.S. dollars or less per night. I opted for the $40 cabin which had an air conditioner(a/c). The a/c really had a workout though since it had to contend with a metal vaulted ceiling and the heat of summer. Fortunately an electrical fan in the room saved the day. Checkout the cabin pictures below. 
I stayed in the one with the monkey painted on the side. Note how close the river is from my room. Besides the fan it had two beds at ground level, some closet space, and an indoor bath. There was an additional bed in the loft area. You also couldn’t beat the riverfront view from the front porch of the cabin.I sat in the porch swing and would listen to the monkeys howl. The black howler(variety in Belize)monkeys could be seen from my cabin high within the jungle canopy. Their vocalizations can be heard up to three miles away. The males howl at each other to defend their turf. I was awoken early one morning to the chorus of two males hollering at each other. That really set the spirit of the venture. Click the following link for the sound of a howler monkey.You have to scroll down about half a page and then click on the “Howler monkey, well howling” tab. You may have to allow for pop-ups as well. I know it sounds like a lot of work, but it is worth it. It is one of the better recordings I found and it lasts 22 seconds. The lodge office was being renovated at the time, so a restaurant wasn’t available there. The closest thing I could get for food was at a local grocery store which pretty much limited me to chips and canned goods. There was a restaurant in town, but it was closed and looked like it had been for awhile. So, if you don’t like eating out of a can plan ahead for other options or consider driving back into Belize City for dinner. The word “Community” in the CBS name comes from the fact that several property owners in the local communities have agreed to manage their land in ways to preserve the monkey which the locals call a baboon. My first afternoon after arriving in Bermudian Landing and dropping off my bags and gear at the lodge I headed for an area just east of town, quite literally a few yards from the town sign shown above. There was a young fellow there on a section of private land where the monkeys frequented. He was very knowledgeable of the monkeys and he was able to coax a few in for me to photograph. Naturally I paid him a fee for doing so. It was I’m sure a major part of his livelihood. The picture of the youngster below was taken while I was there. 
I was using both film and digital cameras at the time. Unfortunately some of my better monkey portraits got “melted” by a film technician trainee when I returned from my trip and dropped a canister off for exposure. She dunked them in the wrong chemical bath. E-6 film does not do well undergoing C-41 processing!The following day I drove to the CBS museum. 
I met a fellow there named Fallett Young. Fallett manages the sanctuary and museum and was a major player in establishing a foothold for the howler monkeys in Belize. Fallett says there are currently about 4,000 monkeys in the sanctuary. I hired Fallett as a guide to photograph more monkeys. We took a short walk from the museum and were in the vicinity of a sizeable troop(name for a group of monkeys) within a few minutes. I’m guessing I saw at least a dozen monkeys that day and most were within the shaded portions of the jungle. Checkout the close-up of one adult hanging from a tree below. 
Overall it was a neat experience barring the film incident mentioned above and a rash on my side of unknown origin that went away after a few days of applying some anti-itch cream.Other animals that exist in the area include: anteater, armadillo, iguana, deer, coati, and various amphibians and reptiles. If you have time consider visiting some of the ancient Mayan ruins within Belize for other photogenic subjects. One, Altun Ha, an ancient Mayan ceremonial center is just 30 minutes from Belize City. authored by Lon Britton
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