Full-Day Cave Tubing, Including a Picnic

We make our way on the Western Highway for a 1-hour drive, approximately, and then along a dirt road for about 30 minutes. On our arrival to the Caves Branch site, we gear up with helmets, waterproof headlamps, and of course, our inner tubes. We take a flat hike through the jungle for about 45 minutes before entering one of the many cave entrances and passages that make up the cave system.

We hop in the water in our tubes and float toward the first of three cave passages. The river meanders in and out of the caves system and we are carried along by its current to another world. Floating downstream through the cave passages we learn about the geology and ancient history of the limestone cave system. We also learn about the Maya culture and the indigenous inhabitants of the area who have used the caves for ceremonial purposes for thousands of years.

There is opportunity to stop for a snack and swim in a beautiful natural swimming hole before continuing through the last of the passages, the most active of the three caves. Here you can view amazing cave formations and see colonies of bats. At the exit of the last cave, we have a 20-minute river float through the lush rainforest that leads us back to the parking area. We then have a homemade picnic lunch before driving back to San Ignacio.