Back

Spot the elusive manatee

col01-wildlifecolombiaamazon-free-proexport

Spot the shy and endangered ‘sea cow’.

There are several places off the coast of Belize where you may have the good fortune of spotting the shy and elusive West Indian manatee.

In Placencia lagoon you can cruise slowly by motor boat looking for neat trails of sea grass, the tell-tale signs that manatees have been munching their way along the bottom of the lagoon. The boat heads stealthily to where the manatees congregate at the mouth of a freshwater creek. If you’re lucky you’ll also spot Morelet’s crocodiles or the bottle-nosed and Atlantic-spotted dolphins which frequent the lagoon. 

These comical creatures may even be spied off the coast at Hopkins village, where the winding Sitee river reaches the sea, 

Holidays Spot the elusive manatee

From expertly designed Private Journeys to trail-blazing Group Tours, browse our range of carefully crafted holidays.

Kayaking through Glovers Reef

Private Journeys

Belize

Active Belize: Jungle and reef adventure

11 days from £3,750pp

(based on two people sharing & excluding flights)

BEL_Caribbean_Beaches_Shutterstock_123061234

Private Journeys

Belize

Signature Belize: Rainforest, reef and ruins

12 days from £3,550pp

(based on two people sharing & excluding flights)

Infinity swimming pool with mountain backdrop

Private Journeys

Guatemala / Belize

Luxury Guatemala and Belize: Tikal and the Caribbean

15 days from £5,400pp

(based on two people sharing & excluding flights)

Papagaio

Your edit for Latin American inspiration

Our exciting range of articles on Latin America explore everything from iconic destinations and lesser-known cultural gems to delicious traditional recipes. You’ll also find exclusive travel tips, first-hand client reviews and the chance to get your personal questions answered by our travel experts.

View Extraordinary Inspiration
Bartolome, Galápagos

Meet our team

Real Latin american experts

  • Maggie
    Maggie Wilson - Travel Expert

    Maggie visited Latin America on her first backpacking trip when she was 19. Since then, she has taken every opportunity to travel, and has managed to explore a lot of the region in subsequent trips.

  • Paul Winrow Giffin
    Paul Winrow-Giffin - Travel Expert

    After graduating in Computer Science, Paul spent seven months travelling from Colombia to Argentina and came home hooked on Latin America.

  • Alex
    Alex Walker - Travel Expert

    A globetrotter since her childhood, Alex spent a year studying abroad in Guadalajara and has returned to Latin America countless times since then.

  • Kathryn
    Kathryn Rhodes - Travel Expert

    Kathryn backpacked across Argentina, Chile, Bolivia and Peru before joining us. She has a degree in Philosophy and French and is a keen netball player.

  • Finn Clennett
    Finn Clennett - Travel Expert

  • Ben
    Ben Line - Travel Expert

    Ben fell in love with Latin America on a six month backpacking trip from Colombia to Mexico in 1995. Since then he has explored most of South America, including living in Peru for a year. He is now Head of Sales.

0 1 2 3 4 5