Monkey River Town is about 15 miles southwest of Placencia by boat (the only practical way to get there).  The Monkey River drains the Bladen and Swasey watersheds, now under protective status for wildlife protection (the Bladen River is a tributary of the Monkey River).  Monkey River Town was formerly the largest settlement in the area because of its booming banana industry.   (The former population of Monkey River is the reason  it has "town" status rather than "village" status.   Status is based on population, and Monkey River achieved town status during its banana heydays.  Placencia and Seine Bight both are "villages" even though the population of each of them now far surpasses that of Monkey River Town.) Monkey River lost much of its population when blight destroyed its banana industry (now recovered).  Most of the rest of the population left when the Belize government ceased its rice growing subsidies and a few greedy local hunters decimated the crocodile population (for their skins). Monkey River Town is now a VERY sleepy little settlement with most people surviving on tourism.  Monkey River has one phone (a community phone) at Alice's Restaurant (a local institution).  The phone number is 011-501-6-22014 (06-22014 in Belize). The Paynes Creek/Monkey River Wildlife Sanctuary and Punta Ycacos Reserve run from Monkey River Town south to Punta Negra and Punta Ycacos (again, both accessible only by boat). Fishing is good for snook, tarpon, snapper and machaka (a local species) in Monkey River.  A virtually unfished landlocked freshwater lake just south of Monkey River also offers some very good tarpon possibilities. On water-based jungle tours, visitors are likely to encounter Black Howler Monkeys, iguanas, crocodiles and a multitude of tropical birds.   Those who venture into the jungle on foot may also run into gibnuts, deer, ocelots, peccaries, tapirs, coatimundis, agoutis and possibly jaguars (jaguars are nocturnal, so chances of seeing one are slim).  Unlooted Mayan ruins are located in the Monkey River Jungle, but no tourist access has yet been granted by the Belize government