Canoe Valley and Alligator Hole

At Canoe Valley, usually called Alligator Hole, fresh water rises from limestone springs and runs a short distance to the sea through a channel thick with vegetation, and the mix of fresh and salt with abundant seagrass draws West Indian manatees in to feed. The population is small and endangered, and a handful of individuals are known to the wardens by name. Boat trips are short, quiet and run by the wardens themselves, poling up the channel and waiting. Crocodiles live in the same water. The surrounding protected area is dry limestone forest and coastal wetland, one of the least visited stretches of the south coast.

What you actually see

• Manatees - the endangered West Indian population, when they come in.
• The spring channel - clear fresh water running to the sea.
• Crocodiles - resident in the same water.
• The dry forest - protected limestone woodland around the springs.

When to go

December to April is drier and calmest. Early morning is the most likely time for manatees, which come in to feed and then move out. Trips are short and arranged on arrival with the wardens.

Honest expectations

Manatee sightings are far from guaranteed and many visitors see nothing; the animals are few and wild, and any operator promising a sighting is not being straight. Do not swim, both because of crocodiles and because disturbing manatees is illegal. Facilities are minimal. It is two hours from Kingston for a short trip, so combine it with Milk River.

Nearby

Milk River Bath is twenty minutes; Treasure Beach is an hour and a half west.