In this post, we’ll share everything you need to know about cave tubing in Belize. Including – what the heck is cave tubing? We’ll cover where to have this unique Belizean adventure, the best tours, costs, what to bring and more!
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What is cave tubing in Belize?
You won’t be blamed if you’ve got no idea what cave tubing is!
Cave tubing is a uniquely Belizean activity, and has become an unmissable adventure on any Belize itinerary. I don’t know of anywhere else in the world where you can float through a cave on an inflatable tube!
Hidden under the limestone earth of Belize is a huge cave system that spans almost the entire length of the country. With underground rivers, large caverns and cenotes, the country has countless caves that have become very popular tourist attractions. Even the famous Great Blue Hole was once a limestone cave, that was flooded as ocean levels rose.
The ancient Mayas believed caves were a portal to the underworld, which they called Xibalba. Visiting a cave in Belize has an added layer of cultural and historical significance, with many artefacts and even remains of human sacrifices hiding inside caves around the country.
So what does cave tubing in Belize actually entail? This strange-sounding activity involves floating on an inflatable tube down an underground river through a cave system. Pretty cool, hey?
Simultaneously thrilling and relaxing, you’ll be rushing through rapids one minute, and slowly meandering down the river staring up at the rainforest the next.
Throughout this post, we’ll expand more on what you can expect if you go cave tubing in Belize, and share our cave tubing experience to add a little bit more context to this unusual activity!
Ready to book your cave tubing in Belize? Here are our top picks for tours 👇🏼
- 👉🏼 CAVE TUBING SAN IGNACIO – Full-Day Cave Tubing Including a Picnic
- 👉🏼 CAVE TUBING BELIZE CITY – Cave Tubing Adventure from Belize City with Lunch
- 👉🏼 CAVE TUBING CAYE CAULKER OR SAN PEDRO – Full-Day Mayan Temple, Cave Tubing and Zip Line
Belize cave tubing location
The best cave tubing in Belize is at the Nohoch Che’en Caves Branch Archaeological Reserve. There are a couple of other caves with underground rivers where you can go tubing, but Nohoch Che’en is the most common one.
Nohoch Che’en is on the Caves Branch River, and this is the most popular cave tubing spot due to the size and beauty of the cave system, the river and the rainforest around the area. This is where the majority of cave tubing tours are run.
The Caves Branch River houses a number of different cave systems. Basic tours visit just one of these caves, but it’s possible to extend and visit up to three different caves.
The cave is located just outside of Belmopan, approximately 1 hour from Belize City, San Ignacio and the Hummingbird Highway region. It’s also possible to visit the site on a day tour from Ambergris Caye or Caye Caulker, just add about 1 hour for the ferry to Belize City.
How to get there
The most common way to go cave tubing at Nohoch Che’en is via an organised tour that will transport you from your accommodation in a nearby destination.
However, if you’ve got a rental car, you can drive yourself to the site and meet a guide there.
Best cave tubing in Belize tours
You must be accompanied by a guide to go cave tubing in Belize. It’s not an activity you can do by yourself.
With a rental vehicle – tours without transport
If you’ve got a rental car, it’s possible to drive yourself to the Nohoch Che’en Caves Branch Archaeological Reserve and pick up a guide there.
The closest destinations to drive from would be the Hummingbird Highway or San Ignacio.
If you want to go down this route, I would suggest organising your tour in advance with this organisation, Cave Tubing Belize. They will coordinate your guide to meet you at the site.
We had a rental vehicle for this portion of our Belize trip, so this is the route we went down. We met our awesome guide just outside the entrance of the reserve, and the arrangements were straightforward and easy via WhatsApp.
We didn’t realise we were signing up for a private tour but it was a much nicer experience doing it solo, rather than being attached to a big, noisy group.
It was only $50 USD per person for the cave tubing tour.
Tour options with transport included
The most common way to go cave tubing in Belize is by joining an organised tour that includes transport from a nearby destination such as San Ignacio, Belize City or one of the islands.
Some tours visit just the main cave system, which takes around 1.5 – 2 hours from start to finish. Others expand the tour to visit up to three cave systems, which can take closer to 3 – 4 hours.
There are also additional activities you can choose to combine with your cave tubing tour, such as ziplining and ATV tours that are offered at the reserve.
Other tours combine the experience with a visit to one of the nearby Mayan ruins, considering the standard cave tubing tour is only a few hours.
Depending on where you’re coming from and what additional extras you want to include, these are our recommended tours, with the best value and rating.
👉🏼 TOURS FROM SAN IGNACIO
- Full-Day Cave Tubing Including a Picnic – transport, tubing and lunch
- Xunantunich and Cave Tubing Combo Tour – standard cave tubing plus ruins
👉🏼 TOURS FROM BELIZE CITY
- Cave Tubing Adventure from Belize City with Lunch – home-cooked Belizean lunch
- Cave Tubing Paradise and Jungle Zip Lining – ziplining and standard cave tubing
👉🏼 TOURS FROM CAYE CAULKER OR SAN PEDRO (AMBERGRIS CAYE)
- Full-Day Exploration, Mayan Temple, Cave Tubing and Zip Line – pick up from water taxi dock in Belize City from either island
How much does cave tubing cost in Belize?
The cost of cave tubing completely depends on where you’re coming from, what kind of tour you’ve booked and if you’ve combined the tour with any other extras.
You can expect to pay around $100 – $150 USD for a standard cave tubing tour, which includes transport, all national park entrance fees, the guided tubing experience and sometimes lunch.
Adding on experiences such as ziplining or ATV riding, or combining the tubing with another attraction will increase the cost to around $120 USD +.
What’s included in a cave tubing tour?
Most cave tubing tours should include the following:
- 🛟 All gear required, such as helmets, headlamps, life jackets and your inner tube
- 🚶🏾♂️➡️ A trained guide
- 🌿 National park fees for the Nohoch Che’en Caves Branch Archaeological Reserve
- 🚐 Return transport from your accommodation to the site
- 🍗 Lunch with a drink
Be sure to check the specific inclusions of your tour before booking. Some don’t include the national park fees in their cost, which is an additional $25 USD per person.
What to wear and bring cave tubing
There is a large, clean toilet block at the entrance of Nohoch Che’en Caves Branch Archaeological Reserve. You will have the opportunity to get changed before and after the cave tubing, and you can leave things inside your car or tour van.
Once you get geared up and start the jungle hike, you and everything with you, are going to get wet!
- 👙 Swimwear and/or clothes to get wet – you need to be changed before you start the jungle hike, and be comfortable that what you are wearing will get wet. Some people just wore their swimsuits, others wore lightweight clothes. I wore my long-sleeved one-piece swimsuit and felt comfortable walking in that. Brayden just wore his swim shorts.
- 👟 Shoes to get wet – you must wear shoes for the tour, and thongs/flip flops won’t suffice. They don’t have to be closed-toe, but they have to have proper straps, like Teva sandals, water shoes or trainers you’re happy to get wet. You can buy water shoes on-site if you need them. Remember you will be walking 30 – 45 minutes on a well-made jungle trail in these shoes.
- 📷 GoPro or waterproof phone case – anything you carry with you will get wet, so be sure you’ve got a waterproof camera or cover for your phone. There are waterproof phone cases for sale on-site.
- 🧖🏽♀️ Towel – to dry off afterwards.
- 🩳 Spare pair of dry clothes and shoes – you will want to get changed after the tour into a dry set of clothes and shoes.
- 🎒 Bag for wet clothes – you’ll come back dripping!
- 💧 Reusable water bottle and water – say no to plastic bottles from your tour company if they offer them.
Our experience cave tubing in Belize
Once we arrived at Nohoch Che’en, we met our guide and started gearing up. We got kitted out with a life jacket, helmet and headtorch, and grabbed our tube!
We started the hike through the jungle, which took us about half an hour. We didn’t find it strenuous, and it was mostly flat. We carried our tubes, but they weren’t too heavy or challenging for us. Some tour companies will carry your tubes for you, or have them waiting at the cave.
The hike involved crossing the Caves Branch River three times. Most of the crossings had a rope to guide us, and the deepest water we waded through was around hip height.
Our guide George was one of the most knowledgeable guides we have ever had and he shared SO much information about the jungle, plants and animals throughout the hike. We later found out he had worked with National Geographic, and was an expert botanist. As a nature nerd, I was in heaven and I couldn’t come up with a question George couldn’t answer!
Once we arrived at the mouth of the cave, George told us to jump in the river for a swim first, to get used to the temperature because once we got inside the cave we would be getting wet! He spent a few minutes tying our tubes up and attaching them to his.
When George was ready for us, we jumped on our tubes and started a gentle float into the mouth of the cave. It was so crazy seeing the huge entrance loom before us, and the light quickly fade to darkness.
We spent about 30 minutes floating through the cave. The speed of the river quickened in parts with different rapids to navigate. When we were getting close to the rapids, George would yell ‘butts up!’ and we would lift up to avoid getting scraped by rocks. He steered and paddled us through, and knew the river like the back of his hand.
We had flashlights on our helmets to spot all the different stalagmites and stalactites inside the cave, and George cleverly pointed out what each of them was shaped like.
Most guides will allow you to get out of the tube at one point, and clamber over some higher rocks in one section of the cave. We got to jump into a deep section of the river in the dark and swim through a very narrow cave before hopping back on our tubes, which was so fun.
Once we were out of the cave, we enjoyed a leisurely float back down the river in the jungle. There are tons of birds and wildlife to spot, it was so relaxing! The area is so tropical and lush, and I laid back, looked up and took it all in.
We ended up back at the beginning where we first crossed the river, and had just a short 5-minute walk back to the car park.
The whole experience only took a couple of hours, and it wasn’t too strenuous. But we were surprised at how much we enjoyed the tour. It was so impressive inside the cave, and we loved the extra adventure of being able to jump in and swim through the river.
Is cave tubing in Belize worth it?
Yes! We really enjoyed this unique experience, and highly recommend you take the opportunity to do it while you can. Belize is the only place in the world where you can go tubing through a cave, so you may as well give it a shot!
Whether you’re coming from the Hummingbird Highway, San Ignacio or somewhere else, this is a really cool way to experience the unique cave systems found all over Belize and get a dose of jungle adventure.
MORE SAN IGNACIO POSTS
- San Ignacio Belize Travel Guide: Jungle Adventure Hub
- Where to Stay in San Ignacio Belize: Town or Jungle Lodge?
- 19 Best Things to Do in San Ignacio Belize
- Complete Guide to Mountain Pine Ridge, Belize
- Exploring the Scenic Hummingbird Highway Belize
The Comments
Misha
Sally…thank you so much for sharing your knowledge and experience! Thanks to you we are going to have an amazing time in Belize! I’m cramming your 2 week itinerary into 1 week!
Sally Rodrick
MishaI am so happy to hear this Misha! You’re going to have a jam packed adventure, I’m so excited for you! Hope you love Belize as much as we did. Sally x