Biotopo Monterrico-Hawaii
Biotopo Monterrico-Hawaii
Biotopo Monterrico-Hawaii
4.5
About
Duration: 1-2 hours
Meets animal welfare guidelines
Suggest edits to improve what we show.
Improve this listingTours & experiences
Explore different ways to experience this place.
Full view
Revenue impacts the experiences featured on this page, learn more.
Top ways to experience Biotopo Monterrico-Hawaii and nearby attractions
Contribute
Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
We perform checks on reviews.
Tripadvisor’s approach to reviews
Before posting, each Tripadvisor review goes through an automated tracking system, which collects information, answering the following questions: how, what, where and when. If the system detects something that potentially contradicts our community guidelines, the review is not published.
When the system detects a problem, a review may be automatically rejected, sent to the reviewer for validation, or manually reviewed by our team of content specialists, who work 24/7 to maintain the quality of the reviews on our site.
Our team checks each review posted on the site disputed by our community as not meeting our community guidelines.
Learn more about our review moderation.
4.5
28 reviews
Excellent
19
Very good
6
Average
3
Poor
0
Terrible
0
CeeGunn
Barrie, Canada394 contributions
May 2018 • Friends
As far as I can tell, there is actually a visitor center for the Biotopo but most people explore the park by arranging a boat tour from their hotel, as we did.
The tour cost Q125 per person but we found out later that other people have paid less. So negotiate your price!
The tour operator came to our hotel at 5am and walked us to the docks. (About 10 minutes). There were about 8 of us in the boat. A lady refused to get in the boat, so she and her husband walked away. There were no life jackets or safety stuff. It was basically a large flat-bottomed wooden canoe. It was pretty stable and we felt safe but perhaps the guide should have cautioned passengers not to lean too far over the side when taking photos.
It is non-motorized. The guide poled the boat thru the swamp.
We saw many Great Egrets, some green herons, red-winged blackbirds, and other birds I couldn't identify. We saw an iguana up high in a tree. The guide said there were caimans and turtles, but we didn't see any.
The guide spoke mostly Spanish with some simple English translations.
The tour was about two hours and very peaceful. The most exciting part was when he poled the boat directly into the mangroves and we had to duck under branches as he weaved thru the trees.
There were tours later in the day but Monterrico is very hot, so early morning is best. We got to see the sun rise over the swamp.
The tour cost Q125 per person but we found out later that other people have paid less. So negotiate your price!
The tour operator came to our hotel at 5am and walked us to the docks. (About 10 minutes). There were about 8 of us in the boat. A lady refused to get in the boat, so she and her husband walked away. There were no life jackets or safety stuff. It was basically a large flat-bottomed wooden canoe. It was pretty stable and we felt safe but perhaps the guide should have cautioned passengers not to lean too far over the side when taking photos.
It is non-motorized. The guide poled the boat thru the swamp.
We saw many Great Egrets, some green herons, red-winged blackbirds, and other birds I couldn't identify. We saw an iguana up high in a tree. The guide said there were caimans and turtles, but we didn't see any.
The guide spoke mostly Spanish with some simple English translations.
The tour was about two hours and very peaceful. The most exciting part was when he poled the boat directly into the mangroves and we had to duck under branches as he weaved thru the trees.
There were tours later in the day but Monterrico is very hot, so early morning is best. We got to see the sun rise over the swamp.
Written 29 May 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
idarova
3 contributions
May 2019 • Friends
Monterrico is amazing. But this morning I got attacked by a dog on the beach while I was walking along the beach. I didn't see the dog at first but he came out of nowhere and bit my bum from behind surrounded by other dogs. I got super scared and screamed. The dogs eventually ran away again. I went to the farmacy and they gave me a shot against rabies and after a few weeks I'll take two more shots. Afterward I searched more information about it and I red that I also need an emergency shot called immunoglubin. So tomorrow I heading to Antigua hospital in search for that shot. Has someone been in the similar situation and might have some advice? Thanks
Written 24 May 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Stephen L
14 contributions
Mar 2018 • Couples
An early mourning experience well worth missing some sleep for. Wading birds, flocks of pelicans, flying fish, local fisherman plying their craft.
Written 3 April 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Mónica A
Guatemala73 contributions
Dec 2016 • Family
This tour starts at about 5:30 AM. One of the guides should pick you up at your hotel at 5, and then you walk to the pier where all the boats are. I took the tour with another 7 people on a tiny boat, moved by the guide and his giant stick. This makes for a quieter tour and animals aren't disturbed (although other motorboats might be around at times). At times I felt it was going to turn over and we were going into the water, but it was pretty safe.
Once the tour starts, you get to see lots of birds, water flowers, and the sunrise. The sky changes so much during this time, and it's all so beautiful. You can also see 4 vocanoes from the distance. We also got to see local fishers and the guide took us near them to see what they had caught.
This tour was great!
Once the tour starts, you get to see lots of birds, water flowers, and the sunrise. The sky changes so much during this time, and it's all so beautiful. You can also see 4 vocanoes from the distance. We also got to see local fishers and the guide took us near them to see what they had caught.
This tour was great!
Written 23 December 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
BeckaJo B
Cambridge, MN2 contributions
Oct 2016 • Family
Although we didn't see much more than the many types of birds the scenery was spectacular. I have lived in Guatemala and thought that I knew every type of environment there, but this was a new one for me. It is well worth the time and money to take a tour here.
Written 19 October 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Steve D
Minneapolis, MN35 contributions
Mar 2016 • Solo
The early morning tour via poled boat (5:30 a.m. in March, during my visit) will bring you into a backwater estuary shortly before dawn. You will see many waterbirds...mostly Great Egrets, but also Snowy Egret, Green Heron, Little Blue Heron, Great Blue Heron, Roseate Spoonbill, Yellow-crowned and Black-crowned Night-Heron, White Ibis, Black Skimmers, and American Pygmy-Kingfisher. I also got my first close look at a Whip-Poor-Will that the boatman somehow spied loafing on a branch in the mangroves at the water's edge. But be aware you will share the estuary with several other boats, including motorized ones. The guide speaks slowly in simple Spanish sentences, but you will need some fluency to be able to follow what he is saying.
Written 3 March 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Lauren S
Colorado Springs, CO18 contributions
Jul 2018 • Solo
Go at sunrise for this incredible tour. It was beautiful, with lots of wildlife and the most beautiful sunrise colors. My guide showed me the volcanoes in the distance, animals, plants, and a small Mayan village. Can't recommend this enough!
Written 31 July 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
BCerfontaine
Harmelen, The Netherlands17 contributions
Aug 2017 • Friends
Very nice trip to start the day, still cool at early morning (5.30), spectacular sunrise and lovely scenery. I would recommend this trip to all nature lovers.
Written 2 August 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Doris M
Frankfurt, Germany33 contributions
Jan 2018 • Friends
We were picked up at our hotel at 5 am by our guide, walked to the canal and started the tour in a small boat. While we moved on, our guide kept explaining, and we enjoyed every minute. The sunrise was spectacular. Should we return, we'd certainly do it again.
Written 8 January 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Eddschmer_Packers
50 contributions
Nov 2017 • Friends
To visit this national park is highly recommended. Our tour started at 5am and we were collected by a local guide at our hostel. We took a small boat and our guide did the paddling for us so that we only had to sit there and to admire the beauty of this national park. We saw a lot of different birds and fishes und driving deep into the mangroves was worth the trip. But the best thing was to see the sun rises above the trees while in the background you have a clear look at the three volcanoes of Antigua.
Written 23 December 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I went to Monterrico myself and got the answer! The boat tour that usually is sold from any hotel in the area is Q70 and up, depending on time and number of passengers and how good you are at negotiating. The boat tour goes into the reserve but is not actually run by the reserve.
The ACTUAL reserve has a visitor's center but we did not visit it. I believe the entrance fee is Q40 for tourists and less for nationals. As far as I could understand (my Spanish is bad) there aren't any walking trails at the reserve, so your best choice is still to take the boats!
Written 31 May 2018
Showing results 1-2 of 2
Revenue impacts the experiences featured on this page, learn more.
Is this your Tripadvisor listing?
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
Claim your listing