Cave tubing at Jaguar Paw

[flyingmom]

I am going to Belize next week (YEA!) first time. I was told that all cave tubing tours go to the Jaguar Paw Reserve, has anyone booked directly through Jaguar Paw. I also heard somewhere that Tuesday is a big cruise line port day in Belize. Is there somewhere I can find out how many ships will be in port that day?

Looking forward to Explorer of the Seas 3/12/06

[LSUNizz]

www.cruisecal.com should tell you what ships will be in port when you are there.

 

I booked the cave tubing with Nacho and Cynthia. Here is my review:

 

Prior to embarking on the cruise I had done extensive research on activities and shore excursions in Belize. My wife and I were interested in the Aerial Trek and Cave Tubing excursion. We ended up booking this tour with Nacho and Cynthia of NCQ Adventures (www.ncqadventures.com) and it turned out to be a great decision. Nacho had advised us to get off on the first tender boat to avoid long lines at the Jaguar Paw Resort, the site of the zip line and tubing. After wrangling a bit with the purser’s desk we were able to “sneak” onto the first boat off which was carrying only people that had booked excursions through Princess. We woke up early and got a tender ticket from the Vista Lounge and then headed down to deck 4 midship to wait on the first boat. We made friends with the security guys working the tender area and they ended up letting us on first. The tender boats vary for this port, but most are midsized vessels holding between 50-75 people. The process seemed very efficient and the waits were minimal. After a 10 minute ride to shore we were met by Nacho and Cynthia immediately after exiting the terminal. We loaded up in their van and headed out to the resort. Along the way Nacho treated us to some interesting history of Belize while he pointed out numerous sites along the way. The drive out to the Jaguar Paw resort entrance is not bad, but the dirt road entrance is another story. The dirt road leading to the resort is in very poor shape complete with pot holes that could swallow a car whole. Nacho explained that he and the resort owner have been pressing the government for years to repair the road, but all that has been done thus far is a bit of gravel placement as you get closer to the resort. The dirt road trail is approximately 8 miles so it is a long and bumpy ride. Actually, the van we were traveling in had one of its rear shock absorbers come loose during the journey. After inspecting the damage, we continued on at a slower pace and we were treated to a nice banging sound that turned heads as we passed by. Initially I was worried that the tour would be cancelled due to this development, but Nacho insisted that we push on towards the resort. Upon arrival at the resort, we were escorted by Cynthia to the Aerial Trek/Zip Line course. We were greeted by two very friendly guides that helped us suit up for the adventure. After another short hike we were atop the first of 8 platforms that make up the course high above the rain forest below. Zip lining was fantastic and our guides were excellent. They take care of you very well and their first concern is always your safety. I bring this up because if you book this excursion through the cruise line, your guide to patron ratio is approximately 15:1 or greater, while with Nacho and Cynthia’s connections we had two guides for me and my wife. Also, there was absolutely no line when we arrived since we had beaten the cruise tour there. After speaking with several of the people that chose to take the tour with Princess their Aerial Trek adventure took around 1 – 1.5 hours while we zipped through, literally, with non-stop action in around 25-30 minutes. After repelling down off the last platform, Cynthia was waiting to take us to prepare for the cave tubing. We changed in the resort restrooms, and then were escorted to get a tube, life jacket and head lamp. My wife, Cynthia and I were met by a guide and we began the trek towards the river. Along the way we passed several large tours that had a ratio of 1 guide for every 20-30 people. Again we had Cynthia and a Jaguar Paw guide for just me and my wife. The personal attention was great as Cynthia showed us numerous sites and unique plant life along the way. The hike was around 30 minutes to the place where we entered the river. Be aware that some tours that leave from the “government area” require closer to an hour hike. The hike is mildly strenuous and 30 minutes is definitely much better than 1 hour. We entered the chilly river waters, hooked up together as a group and Cynthia and our guide again navigated us through some of the larger groups. It was a very refreshing journey especially since Cynthia did much of the paddling for us! Again if you are going to do the cave tubing I highly recommend going with a tour company such as Nacho and Cynthia as the caves are very dark and at times the currents are very strong. If you get separated from a large group you could find yourself lost and drifting in the darkness. The river cave tour lasted for approximately 30-45 minutes and after a quick snapshot of our group we were out of the water and back at the resort. We changed into some dry clothes and joined Nacho and Cynthia for a wonderful, authentic Belizean lunch of chicken, rice and beans. The food was great, but be careful of the hot sauce! The word hot does not do it justice. After dining, we were taken on a tour of the resort including the butterfly exhibit and the beautiful rain forest surroundings. After the nice walking tour we headed back to the van for the return trip to Belize City. While we were away Nacho, with the assistance of some of the Jaguar Paw workers, had managed to remove the damaged shock which saved us from the noise for the return journey. The drive back was nice and we were again treated to some great stories and riddles by Nacho. We drove into downtown Belize City and explored some of the historic buildings. We opted not to shop downtown although Nacho and Cynthia were more than willing to accompany us for this. We instead decided to head back to the port as we were exhausted. After picking up a bottle of cashew wine we headed back to the tender boat and immediately loaded up and headed out for the Grand. All in all this is one of the top 5 excursions we have taken at any port. Nacho and Cynthia are absolutely wonderful and I would highly recommend them to anyone. Although you will pay slightly more for their tour, the extra few dollars are well worth it as I know we got a lot more out of our tour than any of the other larger groups. Thanks Nacho and Cynthia for a wonderful day in Belize!

[Heatherkaa]

Thanks for the review. I've been trying to get info on Nacho's tour to compare to Yhony's since there's such a significant price difference. What was the butterfly exhibit like? Live butterflies? Also, was the river route taken different from what the other tours took?

[LSUNizz]

Thanks for the review. I've been trying to get info on Nacho's tour to compare to Yhony's since there's such a significant price difference. What was the butterfly exhibit like? Live butterflies? Also, was the river route taken different from what the other tours took?

To answer your question, I think the main differences are the personal attention and length of the hike. While they use the same course the groups with Yhony are significantly larger than you will have with Nacho. The smaller groups allow you to move quicker on the hike and also to stay together in the dark caves. The tour busses (Yhony) park a mile or two from the Jaguar Paw resort which adds about 20 minutes to the hike.

 

The butterfly exhibit is at the Jaguar Paw resort and is a caged habitat with tons of unique looking butterflies. Personally I'm not much of a butterfly man, but my wife did find it very interesting.

[LSUNizz]

I forgot to mention that lunch inside the resort is also included in Nacho's price. While the guys on the cruise ship tour are sweating it out under the pavillion you'll enjoy a nice lunch inside!

[Chupa Cabras]

That sounds like a wonderful day in Belize!

 

Our ship will be on EST and arrives at 8:00am and leaves at 5:00pm. I'm wondering if that will be enough time. What time did your ship get into port, and what time did you actually meet with the guides? And what time did they get you back to the pier?

 

Sorry for all the questions. I'd really like to do this excursion if possible. I've been wracking my brain trying to decide what to do, and I want to do it all, of course!!

[LSUNizz]

My ship arrived in the waters off of Belize at around 6:30A. We were onshore and met Nacho and Cynthia at around 7:30A. The key is to get off of the ship as soon as possible to be the large groups from the cruise ship tours. We did both the cave tubing and zip line as well as lunch and we were still back downtown near the pier at around 2:00P. We still had a few hours to do a bit of shopping before our last tender departed at 5:00P.

 

It sounds like you would have time to do at least two activites whether it be tubing, zip line or the Belize zoo. Tubing and zip line are in the same place and the zoo is on the way (or way back).

 

Glad to help!

[greyhoundgirl]

I am SO happy to read your review. We are planning on doing the same tour and I am most excited about this excursion than all others on our cruise. My question is, what do we do about bags? How do you carry a bag for a change of clothes, cash, and a camera? Or is it just not worth it? I am thinking a backpack may be the easiest. I am wondering where the bags go during the cave tubing. Thanks for all your advice! I can't wait!

[LSUNizz]

My wife and I brought a backpack with a change of clothes, cameras (waterproof and digital), sunscreen, bug repellent etc. Nacho locked it up for us in his van while we were zip lining and tubing. Cythina accompanied us on the tours while Nacho "stood guard" around the van. :)