Need Details on Cave Tubing

[Kellie Poodle]

Can someone who has done cave tubing at a Belize City port of call, please give me some information.

 

I know that the walk to the cave is about 30 minutes on fairly level, but stoney ground, carrying a tube. I have a few questions:

 

1) how heavy is the tube?

 

2) do you wear the same shoes in the tube as you did to walk up?

 

3) Is there an ability to store stuff or do you take everything with you into the tube?

 

4) How wet do you get around the middle? I ask this as DH has an insulin pump which he's okay with removing for an hour or so. If he can keep it on without it getting wet, so much the better, but if not, will we be abler to have a waterproof bag to keep with us to put it in?

 

5) I know that bathing suits are the usual dress for the cave tubing. Do you just keep a bathing suit under your clothes when you leave the ship? Do you have to keep your dry clothes with you in the cave in the tube?

 

I'd very much appreciate some insight into this excursion from those who have done it.

 

We are looking at a tour that has tubes with head rests, helmets and an excellent safety record. We are seniors who have done white water rafting, but want to play it safe in a foreign country.

[trabeler]

We did tubing recently with VIV. They do not have you carry the tube for the majority of the hike, so that is a big plus.

 

1) how heavy is the tube? Not really heavy, but it is large, maybe 4 feet across. It weighs less than 5 pounds, I'd guess. With VIV, you do the bulk of the hike and then pickup your tube about 5-10 minutes from the end of the trail where you go in the water.

2) do you wear the same shoes in the tube as you did to walk up? Yes. There is no place to change or store stuff at the tube launch point. Suggest wearing a sturdy shoe that can get wet, since you will also cross a shallow river during the hike. We wore Keens, which are great for these types of things. The bulk of the hike is on a path covered with large rocks (think 1-2" diameter stones).

 

3) Is there an ability to store stuff or do you take everything with you into the tube? The van parks in a large lot near a visitor center with restrooms and changing facilities. You can change into a swimsuit there and leave all your stuff in the locked van.

 

4) How wet do you get around the middle? I ask this as DH has an insulin pump which he's okay with removing for an hour or so. If he can keep it on without it getting wet, so much the better, but if not, will we be abler to have a waterproof bag to keep with us to put it in? VIV uses tubes with bottom netting, so you don't sink too far into the water. The bottom half of my shirt was wet and the top half of my swim trunks. It would probably be best to bring a waterproof bag for the insulin pump just in case.

 

5) I know that bathing suits are the usual dress for the cave tubing. Do you just keep a bathing suit under your clothes when you leave the ship? Do you have to keep your dry clothes with you in the cave in the tube? You can change where the van stops at the start of the trail. We also had time to change into dry clothes after finishing tubing.

Hope this helps! I'd recommend VIV based on our experience.

 

 

[CP Tech]

Thanks for the tips as we will be doing this very trip next week. :)

 

Through VIV.

[mitsugirly]

Can someone who has done cave tubing at a Belize City port of call, please give me some information.

 

I know that the walk to the cave is about 30 minutes on fairly level, but stoney ground, carrying a tube. I have a few questions:

 

1) how heavy is the tube?

 

It is not heavy at all. However, it is kind of big. But, the company we went with (.bz) would carry anyone's tube that needed it carried, so you didn't have to carry your own if you couldn't.

 

2) do you wear the same shoes in the tube as you did to walk up?

 

Yes, we wore water shoes because the entrance/exit to the water is a little stoney, but we found the rest of the walk to be on mostly flat ground and steps in the few caves along the way.

 

3) Is there an ability to store stuff or do you take everything with you into the tube?

 

Everything is locked up in the vans and they do have people there watching your items. It's very safe to leave items in the van. Also, .bz carried a waterproof bag for people to store whatever they wanted in it...camera's and so on.

 

4) How wet do you get around the middle? I ask this as DH has an insulin pump which he's okay with removing for an hour or so. If he can keep it on without it getting wet, so much the better, but if not, will we be abler to have a waterproof bag to keep with us to put it in?

 

We didn't really get wet unless you wanted to. When we were there, it had rained for days right before we got there and that day was the first day after all the rain that they opened the cave tubing back up for tubing. The water we had to cross was up to our knees only. When you get in to the tube, you are standing on a dock with the guides in the water on the sides of you and you kind of fall back in to the tube. (No worries, they help you and it works out perfect). So that was pretty much the only time that we got a little splash. Other than that, you are just sitting in the tube the entire time. Only your bottom gets wet from touching the water...unless you splash some on you to cool off. I'm not sure what the hype is about the "nets" at the bottom of the tubes? Your bottom doesn't fall threw the tubes without nets... :confused:

 

5) I know that bathing suits are the usual dress for the cave tubing. Do you just keep a bathing suit under your clothes when you leave the ship? Do you have to keep your dry clothes with you in the cave in the tube?

 

That's what we do for all of the water activities we do in port. We just wear our bathing suits under our clothes and then just remove the clothes and off we go (cave tubing, snorkeling, beach...). You keep the dry clothes in the van.

 

I'd very much appreciate some insight into this excursion from those who have done it.

 

We are looking at a tour that has tubes with head rests, helmets and an excellent safety record. We are seniors who have done white water rafting, but want to play it safe in a foreign country.

 

Just a few pictures to help you out...

 

This is the changing facility/restrooms there:

 

 

They are nice.

 

The water that you cross:

 

 

Notice is was only knee deep that day after a lot of rain. My 3 year old walked the entire time until we got to the river to cross. It was flowing a bit that day, so they carried her over. There is a rope to hang on to and they will help you cross.

 

You will come across some critters while you are there (if the guides can coax them out)...but the point of this picture is to show you the ground. This is what you will walk on most of the way.

 

[mitsugirly]

Here is a link to my entire review from that day. I can highly recommend .bz for cave tubing. They were WONDERFUL and the food was to die for! Also note, they have updated their tubes and are just like VIV's tubes now with the headrest and they no longer link feet/arm pits. They link the tubes together now.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=30667696&postcount=44

[SpinnerCOyyy]

Here is my review of our recent cave tubing experience. Our 73 yr old mother, and 74 yr old father both went on this tour and had a great time.

 

We booked our group of 13 with VIV Tours, without going through Norwegian shore excursion options. Best decision we ever made! Our tour was set for November 21, 2012. VIV Tours did an outstanding job taking care of our group. Their description of activity level, and what to expect was spot on. Our group ranged in age from 16 to 74.

 

It is tender ride to port. We took our towels from the ship with us. The lobby where tour operators held their signs was about 40 yards from the tender boat. We found our guide holding the VIV sign. He led us through the crowd of people, outside the lobby, past the cruise terminal gates. We were then led to the parking lot, where there were waiting vans. We sat on the wall next to the ocean, where we signed our waivers and paid for the excursion. It felt a little sketchy to be paying for the excursion next to the van. There was a fairly aggressive vendor who sat with us on the wall as we waited to complete the paperwork.

 

The van ride to the Park was narrated by Roberto. He was informative, clever and gracious in answering questions we had, or pointing out points of interest during the journey. There were two military manned check points on the trip. Before we stopped for one, Roberto explained that it was for the safety of those traveling on the roads and there was nothing to worry about. Having frequently traveled in Mexico, the check points were no big deal to our group. We were waived through quickly.

 

The road was smooth and even for all but the last two miles. Once we turned off the main road, we drove on a rutty dirt road to the park. Maya, our driver took great care to navigate the van very slowly through some of the very deep ruts. Once we arrived at the location, we were able to change clothes if we needed, rent water socks and grab some water. There was a large park bathroom with at least 30 stalls available on the women's side. Helmets and life vests were passed out to everyone. All of our belongings stayed in the locked van with Maya. There were 6 large greyhound buses from cruise lines, as well as 30-40 passenger vans. Obviously a popular excursion point. George, another excellent tour guide was added to our group and we gathered at VIV's starting point.

 

As we began our tour, George took over the narrative. He pointed out specific trees, and explained their medicinal uses. George then proceeded to grab hold of our 73 year old family member and adopt her. He held her steady throughout the walk through the forest reminding her the whole time that he was there for her, encouraging her to walk at her own pace. He had an incredible howler monkey call that often times had other tour guides attempting to answer. We could hear other guides also call out to him to make the call, which he quickly responded to. Although our group got straggled out along the trail, each group still had a guide providing interesting information on the Mayan culture and Belize conservation efforts. We were passed several times by other tour groups who were forced to lug their own tubes. Other groups did try to slow their pace to listen to our guides narratives, as their guides provided little to no information.

 

The walk through cave portion was easily navigated while we learned about specific formations, and areas where bats were often found. Because it had rained the day before our arrival, bugs were scarce. I would otherwise suggest a bug spray. George led us to the fertility cave where he sent the young kids out to the side then pointed out why that cave earned that nickname. I should point out that many times during the tour, George was providing information to more than just our group. He became the super guide many times. We observed lots of groups stopping to listen to what he was saying, much to the chagrin of their groups tour guides.

 

We were a little surprised to find that we had to cross the river at one point. That may be a little fact we failed to pick up on. The crossing was easy as the river flow was mild and water did not exceed mid shin. There is a rope that is strung across the river that you could grab ahold of for support. Taking it slow, no one in our group or other groups I observed had problems. George took great care escorting our family member across. We reached the launch site where our tubes were waiting for us. There had to be over 100 people entering, standing alongside, or in the water at the launch site. Because no one single tour company has a contract on cave tours, there are many companies represented. We noticed three different cruise ships at port when we arrived that morning. Possibly as many as 6000 people visiting Belize that day. Because of the large crowd of tours entering the water it was a little chaotic, but our guides lined us up and one by one, got us easily into our tubes, and connected to our group tube line. The water temperature was described as “refreshing”. For our group from Colorado, the water temperature was mild. It was not shocking in any manor.

 

We managed to lazily drift along while our guides provided further narrative on what we were seeing. There were a couple of times we hit log jams of tour groups. Our guides quickly pushed and pulled his group through the jam. We heard other tour group members openly state their envy at our experience. It became clear to us that the gold standard was large tubes with head rests and net bottoms. Not having to carry your tube along the 35 minute hike through the forest. Tubes linked together with carabiners. Informative personable guides who took great care to ensure the safety of elderly tourist. And..... our tour was $40.00 per person! The cruise ship cave tubing excursion available had a cost of $110.00. I do not know if anyone participating in the cave tubing experience at the same time as our group was from our ship.

 

Our tour ended at a point where it was just a short walk back to the park facilities. There were several booths selling food, t-shirts, and some beautiful rug/table runners. One vender was offering coconut wine. We were tempted but could not get the wine back on the ship easily. We got back to the van with snacks for the ride back. We made absolutely sure that our guides were tipped well. They had taken such good care of our group.

 

We drove through the city on the way back. The city of Belize is very poor. Although our group travels a lot in very poor countries, we were a little culture shocked. We were dropped off about 10 yards from the cruise terminal gates. It was a bit of a struggle to get filed back, as there were vendors standing on either side of the sidewalk. We were forced to go single file through the vendor line, before entering the cruise terminal. Inside the terminal there are many vendors who offer everything from standard t-shirts, liquor and diamonds. Most vendors were in buildings with a small group of vendors with tent booth area. There are several restaurants and bars catering to cruisers. We found Moho Chocolate, a company offering organic cocoa products made from beans found in the Moho Rivery Valley, Belize. Milk chocolate with salt and vinegar, ginger or even chili. They had truffles, plain dark and milk bars, chocolate tea, and even chocolate covered bacon.

 

If you are considering a Belize cave tubing excursion LISTEN TO ME.... book your excursion with VIV Tours. http://www.vivtours.com. Their guides care about their customers. They are knowledgeable and love Belize. You won't regret using this quality tour company for any of the tours they have available. It was a fantastic experience for each and every member of our family group!

[Kellie Poodle]

Thanks all. I have booked our tour with .bz. They seemed to have a good safety record and were very nice about responding to my inquiries. Some other company might have been cheaper, but I am more interested in quality than saving a few dollars on the price. Safety is my major concern.

[mitsugirly]

Thanks all. I have booked our tour with .bz. They seemed to have a good safety record and were very nice about responding to my inquiries. Some other company might have been cheaper, but I am more interested in quality than saving a few dollars on the price. Safety is my major concern.

 

You won't be disappointed. If you get the guide "Junior", it will be an added bonus. He was awesome and deserved every bit of the tip we left him, and then left him more, then left him more before the day was over. He was just the greatest! :)

 

Report back and let us know how things went.

[CRUIS4ME]

Hey Kellie - we, too, are looking for a tubing excursion...think I will be going with .bz also. We will be there on 6 Feb - how about you? JanO

[CRUIS4ME]

Decided to book with .bz also...they responded quickly; explained they have new equipment; got good reviews and lunch included. Yahoo - looking forward to the experience.