Cave tubing- how difficult is the hike?

[iluvtravel]

My mom had her knee replaced about a year ago. She walks a mile to a mile and a half everyday now, but steep hills are ####### her. She (and myself) are both a little overweight. I am wondering about the hike for her. If it's mostly walking, it shouldn't be a problem. If there's a lot of hills and climbing involved, she might have difficulty. Can someone fill me in on the nitty gritty? Thanks.

[terryde]

There is some climbing and walking on rocks, that could be slippery if it had recently rained or was raining at the time. My husband and I are 54 (each!) and go to the gym 7 days a week, are very active, etc, and the walk was mildly challenging for us in places.

[Cake123]

We just got back about a month ago from our cruise & did cave tubing with Reggie's Tours....it was a great day with a great guide & I recommend it highly. The walk goes on a path through a rainforest & is quite scenic. It is a relatively mild walk with a few spots with wood stairs, stairs out of rocks & only one or two short, steep uphill/downhill spots. Our guide took his time & asked numerous times if everyone was ok. It wasn't too hot the day we went & it was shaded...but it had the possibly to be very hot. You do have to carry your inner tube & lifevest...but the guide offered to help. It was probably about a 1/2 hour walk at the most (i didn't have a watch). It was well worth it for a leisurely ride through the caves. I should also note that parts of the river were low & some people needed to pick up the tubes & walk a few steps to get through the shallow part....wear water shoes or old sneakers. I hope this helps a bit - others may have had a different experience. Enjoy your cruise!

[Imasealuvr]

Thanks for the very good description. I was wondering about the trek, and you have answered everything I needed to know.

[jaycee200]

Just wanted to put my 2 cents in!

 

I went in April, and I am "overweight" too... ok, I'll be honest, I'm more than a little overweight (5'4 / 250# ). Anyway, I was able to do the hike, though I agree it may be a whole lot hotter in July! Definitely wear tennis shoes or Tevas, take your time on the walk in, and have a good attitude for the times when you need to do a "butts up" or stand and walk a bit to get back to the deeper parts. It really is hilarious! As an FYI, I had bunion surgery at the beginning of January (what is that, like 3-4 months prior to my cave tubing adventure?) and had only been off "The Boot" for a little less than 2 months, and I was ok. I know knee surgery and some pins in a foot are VERY different, but just wanted to offer encouragement and an example that it can be done :)

[dillardr]

When we went two weeks ago with Reggie, they never rushed us, even asked if we needed to stop and rest. You should have no problems.

[iluvtravel]

Thanks for the help! We have book the cavetubing with Coral Breezes, and my mom is reassured that she will have a good time, too!

[LisaWar]

We just got back from Cave Tubing last week. It was very hot and it was slippery but if you wear shoes with traction, you should be ok. Some areas you had to climb slightly and there are some steap areas but to be honest, this was a fantastic adventure that I am so glad we did. We went with Cave-Tubing.com and had 2 guides for 12 people. One guide stayed completely with 2 ladies that needed extra assistance. These guys were GREAT!

 

Have a blast, it's something you'll remember forever!

 

PS. Be careful at the end getting out of your tube, it gets slippery on the rocks.