On our recent cruise to the Western Caribbean, we had a port of call in Roatan, Honduras. Roatan is the home of Arch’s Iguana and Marine Park. This haven for the spiny-tailed iguana is one of Roatan’s top attractions.
Arch’s Iguana And Marine Park
Arch’s Iguana and Marine Park is located in the town of French Harbour. Although the iguanas are the stars of the park, they are not the only creatures to be found there. There are white-faced monkeys, wild turkeys, chickens, colorful macaws, and plenty of marine life. I saw an eel and tons of tropical native fish when we toured there. There are also plenty of native plants to look at as well.
The park isn’t very big, but that is good for people who don’t want to or can’t walk very far. You can see the iguanas as soon as you enter the park. There are several of them, too numerous to count. It is a short, downhill walk to the dock where you can experience the local marine life. If you feel like it, you can even feed the fish. This will bring them to the surface and make them easier to see. The guide tried to coax out a lobster, however, it was not having anything to do with us on that day.
Feed Iguanas By Hand
We fed the iguanas by hand, with a huge plant leaf of some type. I don’t know what the leaf was, but the iguanas devoured it, right down to the stem. Iguanas may be related to the dinosaur, but they are really gentle creatures.
See more of our iguana pictures here.
Arch’s Iguana and Marine Park was established to help protect the endangered iguana. A local delicacy is iguana stew, which requires the meat from the iguana. Although hunting the iguana is illegal in Roatan, it is still poached for its meat for this stew. Arch’s Iguana and Marine Park protects these docile creatures on its farm where they can live peacefully without fear of poachers. We were told that any iguana that can make it to the reserve is safe and will be protected. For the future of the iguana in its native habitat, this is a wonderful thing.
If you ever go to Roatan, you should make it a point to visit Arch’s Iguana and Marine Park, and marvel at the wonderful wildlife that can be found on the Island of Roatan.
My goodness. I’d probably have a heart attack but that is amazing at how close you got to them. You can actually feed them. How cool is that? I have to get over my fear of things then I am going 🙂 What great pictures!
Oh goodness, I am terrified of these animals, but glad for you that you were able to enjoy them. Great pics too.
How awesome is that?! I think iguanas are the coolest! The males look like tiny little dinosaurs.
If I’ve seen an iguana it was at the zoo behind glass. This is amazing and kind of scary. Great shots.
How fun! They were all over the place. It looks fun and kinda startling if you’re not expecting it.
OMG those iguanas are enormous! It would freak me out to come so close to them!
Hahaha! It was definitely strange to see them crawling all around the park. I love them, though, so it didn’t bother me at all.
This is really cool, it must be super fun to visit an iguana marine park.
Iguanas looks super cute, I would love to go to a place like this! It would be a lot of fun and really cool.
That would be such a cool experience! I think I might be creeped out at first, but I’d eventually warm up to it!
Those are so adorable! I love iguanas, and I’d have so much fun at this park!
Wow, so many iguanas! We just saw a bunch of them in the Dominican Republic.
I have never been there but I bet that was a fun place to visit.
I love this post so much! I actually went to St. Thomas a couple years ago, and encountered the same thing, and have similar pictures. There were iguanas every where you went! I remember going down one day and taking a bunch of lettuce and tomatoes, and they were running everywhere. It was hilarious, and I would love to do it again!
Thanks for sharing. You brought back an awesome memory for me!
You are quite welcome. I have never been to St. Thomas before but hope to make it there towards the end of the year. 🙂
I actually love iguanas. I would love to have one as a pet one day!
I had one for a pet years ago. It was really friendly. 🙂
I didn’t know they were gentle. I guess I never thought about it. They’re awesome looking but also a bit intimidating.
Looks like a cool place to visit. I have never been to Honduras before but I know a few people who were born and raised there. I will have to ask them about this.
You definitely should. I would love to know if this is a place that the locals love to frequent.
My 4 year old son is all about lizards, and dinosaurs, and reptiles right now! He would love this place!
That is way cool!! My son would flip out for joy if he saw those guys! He’s completely obsessed with anything lizard and reptile related!
How cool! I’m not sure if I can feed them with my hands. You’re too brave.
Awww thanks. They are really docile creatures, in my experience. 🙂
This looks like it would be so much fun. I would love to feed the iguanas by hand. My son would be in heaven.
Wonderful indeed! I would love to see those iguanas up close and personal. I think my husband and our so would love to see them too. Fun!
I’ve always been scared of reptiles so you won’t see me visiting. My sons though would love to visit.
I cannot believe you saw an Iguana from that close. I would be a bit scared at first but it is fascinating
Those things are kind of cute in their own way.
I have to admit, I would not go within a mile of this place. With that said, my kids would just love to visit. They love reptiles!
It’s a pretty small place, so perhaps you could drop them off {depending on how old they are} and hide in the safety of your car. 😉
Wow – what a great adventure you had at Arch’s Iguana and Marine Park – and I do like reptiles would have fun being around the Iguana and other creatures in the natural beauty of the park!
OMG! How cool. I would be afraid of all of those critters running around. I am sure it was fun and interesting.
We have some insane wildlife here in South Florida. There’s giant iguanas like this, but ours are bright green and seem less scary lol. The claws on your vacation iguanas are huge! Seeing a pile of them all together is super cool!
I have visited Florida a couple of times and love seeing all the little lizards running around. I haven’t seen any iguanas roaming free there, that I can recall, but I will definitely keep an eye out next time I visit.
I am actually scared of these animals. But sounds like a great experience! The Pictures are so cool & glad you are able to enjoy them. My husband loves to see these Iguanas closely & shoot some photos. Will have to share this post with him.
This was my favorite cruise port on our honeymoon. We went to this amazing resort on the water and had frozen cocktails all day!
That is exactly what we did in Cozumel! It was so much fun!
An iguana park? That seems hilarious to me for some reason! Looks like a neat place though and something kids would love.
I don’t think I would visit this place. However, my little one I think would love this place. She loves places like these.
That would be such a cool place to visit! I’ve only been to St. John and St. Thomas islands and loved it.
Well, I haven’t been to either of those islands so I hope to see them one day, too. 🙂
We love to cruise in the Caribbean, but we haven’t been there yet! It looks like a beautiful place to visit!