When it comes to planning group activities, it’s hard to find something as universally popular as animal encounters. If you’re on a critter quest, you can’t go wrong in the Caribbean, where exotic birds, reptiles, mammals and fish can be observed in nature, far from the confines of a zoo.
From horses trotting along Jamaican beaches to flamingo processions in Cuba’s Cienaga de Zapata National Park, and from massive whales breaking the water’s surface in the Dominican Republic to tiny bioluminescent flagellates illuminating Puerto Rico’s underwater world at night, the variety of animal life in the Caribbean would make Dr. Doolittle weep with joy.
“We in the Caribbean have the privilege of safely encountering creatures in their natural habitats in ways that some of our visitors do not,” said Hugh Riley, secretary general and CEO of the Barbados-based Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO), the region’s tourism development agency. “We are grateful for our assets and we love to share them. There is no doubt that people enjoy coming into direct contact with animals.”
Here are some ways to do just that.
Ray of Light
Grand Cayman is a veritable stingray city, and in the island’s North Sound is an actual Stingray City, a group of shallow sandbars where southern stingrays gather in abundance, as do the people who wade in waist-deep water to pet and interact with them.
There are boat tours galore to take your group to meet these smooth, swift underwater gliders, including those offered by Cayman Land and Sea, which can handle groups large or small.
“Most of the stingrays in Stingray City are tame, and our tour guides teach people how to interact with them,” said Office Manager Kathy Schirmacher. “People love to feed and touch them.”
Back on dry land, Cayman Land and Sea also offers excursions to local turtle farms. “These two, the stingrays and turtles, are our most popular attractions,” Schirmacher said. “It’s a unique experience, very different from anything you’ll find in the islands.”
Bird Is the Word
Sandpipers, skinners, parrots and lizard cuckoos… you might not see them all but you’re guaranteed a dizzying array of bird sightings with Birding Puerto Rico, whose half- and full-day birding trips span the island and focus mainly on native species of the Caribbean/Antilles. For night owls, there are night owling adventures as well.
“We offer private birding trips and recommend from four to eight people,” said owner and tour guide Hilda Morales-Nieves. “There are places, like Cartagena Lagoon or Cabo Rojo in the southwestern region, where we can take larger groups.”
The company provides transportation from hotels, airports and ports, and customized programs are available depending on the location and schedule of the group.
“Just tell them to bring their binoculars,” Morales-Nieves said.
One of the island’s top birding spots, El Yunque National Forest, is offered as a full-day or half-day trip.
For groups staying at El Conquistador Resort, walking and hiking tours of El Yunque can be arranged for the possibility of encountering the park’s indigenous birds and wildlife.
A Whale of an Adventure
If you’re in the Dominican Republic and see a sudden, massive splash, it’s probably a humpback whale breaching the waves in a joyful leap. The waters off the country’s northeast coast are breeding and calving grounds for up to 5,000 humpbacks each winter and early spring, making that time frame one of the most popular visitation periods.
“Our world-renowned whale-watching is one of many attractions for guests who want to fully immerse themselves in our environment, wildlife and culture,” noted Magaly Toribio, marketing advisor for the Dominican Republic Ministry of Tourism.
On the lookout for whales every year is Whale Samana, whose team of naturalists and cetacean specialists is led by animal advocate and conservationist Kim Beddall, credited with founding the commercial whale-watching industry in Samana. Her boat, the 55-foot Pura Mia, plies the waters of Samana Bay from Jan. 15-March 25, with onboard marine specialists narrating and answering questions while up to 65 passengers witness the spectacle of whale jumps and tail flips.
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Day of the Iguana
At first glance, Grand Cayman’s Queen Elizabeth II Botanic Park seems a gracious blend of orchids, lakes, lush green foliage and butterflies. That is, until you get to the Blue Iguana Habitat, where a group of startlingly large—up to five feet in length—“blue dragons” live and slither. Facing extinction two decades ago but saved by the country’s Blue Iguana Recovery Program, Grand Cayman’s largest native land animal has rebounded to “endangered” status.
Blue iguanas roam the park freely and might even stop and watch (from a distance) should your group decide to hold an event beside the lake or among the gardens. The visitor center’s iguana-free conference room also is available for rent.
Under the Sea
One of the biggest resorts in the Caribbean also boasts one of the largest outdoor marine habitats in the world. Atlantis Paradise Island, in the Bahamas, wows fish aficionados with aquarium exhibits, touch tanks, lagoons that are home to sharks, turtles and stingrays, and imaginative underwater caves, coral formations and “ruins” that also showcase exotic marine life.
But visitors do much more than observe here. There are snorkel, scuba and snuba activities along with dolphin swim and training programs and sea lion interaction programs.
Experiencing marine life interaction is a fun way for groups to bond outside the conference room and enjoy Atlantis’ wide range of offerings.
Mayan Moments
Named after the nearby archaeological site on the Riviera Maya, Xcaret opened 25 years ago as an eco-park and has evolved into the centerpiece of a six-park group that includes the newly unveiled Xenses, which challenges perceptions via a series of sensory games and activities that encompass land, air and water.
But for animal lovers, the original Xcaret is the park of choice, as trails wind through a Mayan jungle teeming with life, and attractions include Jaguar Island, a butterfly pavilion, an aviary where birds interact freely, and a lagoon filled with manatees.
Groups can ride a Paradise River gondola past blue crabs, iguanas, peccaries and birds galore, or float though a network of underground rivers—wearing life vests and snorkel gear—that flow toward the ocean and mangrove trees inhabited by pink flamingos.
Themed banquets, receptions and other special events are part of the landscape at Xcaret as well.
