Cave Tubing
Ever wanted to hike a limestone mountain, lie in an inner tube of tractor tyre, float down a jungle stream, go through rapids, learn some geology, be surrounded by other young adventurers splashing water at you, travel through caves, see some bats and eat a healthy lunch. YES??? (thats a coincidence) Well this is the perfect excrusion for you!
Departing from in San Ignacio, we make our way on the Western Highway and then along a dirt road for half an hour to the Caves Branch. We gear up with inner tubes, lights and waterproof bags. After a 45 minute hike through semi-jungle/local farmland, we get to one of the many cave entrances and passages that make up the Caves Branch System. We hop in the water with our inner tubes to start a 3 hour cave tour, floating down stream through cave passages.
Inside the passages we learn of the geology and Maya history of these limestone caves. After floating through the first and second cave of slow running water, the current speeds up as we float over small rapids. The rapids end at the entrance to the third cave, forming a natural swimming pool of cave water. We stop here to have a swim and some snacks. We then set off into the third and final which is also the most active cave of the three. It is where you can see more cave formations and also a few bat species. At the exit of the last cave, we we sit and conclude with a hearty and healthy lunch.
This part of the tour is optional - we then make our way to the Belize Zoo to observe and learn about the amazing wildlife of Belize. The zoo is special: it is as if the animals are in their natural habitat. After spending the last two hours of the day at the Belize Zoo we head back to San Ignacio completing a full day tour.