Cave Tubing in Belize?

[attycruiser]

We've gone with cave-tubing twice now. Very professional. We arrived early and rather than making us wait for a large group, they did the tour with only the six of us. Because we were a small group we were able to get back quicker and do some shopping. While at their shop - try the cashew wine - very different. They also offer lunch for $5 and other beer and other drinks for around $3.00.

[Tampa Bay Irish]

:)We went cave tubing with the cave-tubing.com guys this past Thursday (April 2). They were great. Our guide, Richard, (who looks a little like former Tampa Bay Buccaneer linebacker, Derrick Brooks), gave us a very informative talk on the bus ride from the port area to the tubing area. You leave your valuables (money, passports, dry clothes, towel) in the locked bus. Completely safe. The walk from the bus drop off area to where you actually enter the water is a bit farther than you might expect. I am guessing about 20-25 minutes. It seemed longer in the heat. "Africa Hot," to quote a movie line. But the water at the end of the walk was very refreshing, not bone chilling at all. The caves were great, very unique. The guides were great, sometimes pulling the line of interconnected tubes through shallower water. At the end of the tour there is an opportunity to buy a quick, inexpensive, native lunch of chicken, beans and rice along with beer or soft drinks. My wife and I also purchased cave tubing.com t-shirts, which we will wear proudly. You don't pay for the tour until the bus ride back to port. (Cash only, no credit cards). You also can tip at that same time, which we did, an extra $20. The guides pool the tips and divide them evenly. They earned their money. In closing, I highly recommend cave tubing while in Belize and you can't go wrong with the cave tubing.com guys. Butts up!

[CMM]

Do you remember the cost of the t-shirts?

[basebare]

Tampa Bay Irish, I must have been on the same trip as you! only our port was on wednesday the 1st of April. Richard, Dennis (who was our guide), Keith and Harry the bus driver were just an amazing group of guys. We had a blast with them. We even allowed our kids a taste of that cashew wine :) it was tasty. the guys carried our tubes most of the way. we must have been about 40-50 people in our tour. they really "played up" to the kids so it made it even more fun for them. they jumped off a cliff into the river and then even swung from a rope swing and dropped in at the end. I can't say enough good things about them. we happily gave an addition 50 dollars between the 9 of us as a tip! well worth it! Patti

[Tampa Bay Irish]

Do you remember the cost of the t-shirts?

 

The "Butts Up" Cave-Tubing.com t-shirts were $10/each.

[dlambright]

We just returned from our April 4th cruise on Carnival Glory. On Tuesday, April 7th we took a tour with Major Tom that was one of the highlights of our cruise. To answer all the normal questions:

1) Yes we got back in time. I also noticed the guy running the tender operation ask Major Tom if he had all his tours back. They will not leave you behind.

 

2) How are the buses? A/C worked well, seats were comfy, guides keep you entertained during the ride.

 

3) Is the water cold? I have been in colder but it is a bit nippy.

 

4) How was the hike? About 30 minutes and fairly easy terrain. There are a couple places that would be difficult if you have issues walking. Not too steep, just rocky and uneven.

 

5) How's the zip line. Not as scary as you think it will be. Only 4 lines so it goes pretty quick. I think a big advantage of Major Tom was he got us on the zip lines before they got crouded so we finished quickly.

 

6) Would I book again with Major Tom. Absolutely - When you meet him you will be confident you made a good choice for your tour. We will look up Major Tom the next time we are in Belize.

 

I found Major Tom by googling MAJOR TOM BELIZE.

 

Hey Major Tom, if you read these sites, thanks for a great day!

[Gryphon65]

Okay, maybe this is a dumb question, but was there a place to put you stuff (wallet, spare shoes etc) before you left for the river or do you just put everything in a ziploc bag?

[samiam519]

You can leave your stuff in the van/bus. There is someone with the van all the time and they kept it locked. Our stuff was fine. Cave tubing is something not to be missed while in Belize. Butts up!

[di_tino]

Major Tom gets my vote.

****************

[irb33785]

My husband has really bad knees so I emailed a tour company that had steps & trails. They were y prompt in replying.

 

Message: How long is the walk from the van to the caves and how many steps does one have to climb? We are considering this in October but have bad knees to take into consideration.

 

------- Contact Coral Breeze Tours - Brenda Crabtree ----

 

Thanks for getting in touch with us. The walk from the van to the river is about 30-40 minutes. However, the terrain is flat and the pace is leisurely. I'd be most concerned about the three flights of stairs you'll have to climb at the end of the tour to exit from the river. Unfortunately, those are steep.

 

In any case, I hope you enjoy Belize.

[Eeyoregon]

Q: We have 1 adult in our group that does not swim. Do you wear life vests?

 

Also, are there ANY rapids/fast currents during the float? If there is ANY chance that she cold tip over she is OUT and I don't want to tell her it's "fine" if it's not.

 

TIA!

 

Gina

[Travelcat2]

We also used Major Tom -- he and his staff are great. There are with you every minute - although would be difficult to fall out, someone would be there to assist.

 

The cold water felt great after walking for 1/2 hour in the heat. Our guide also told us a lot about the plants in the area -- which ones you can eat (gave us tastes). If you listen to what is said, you would never starve in this area. He ate termites and said they were lemony (no, we didn't try this delicacy).

 

The one thing I would recommend is to try and avoid large groups. Perhaps going early in the morning would be a good thing. If you contact Major Tom, he can give you more information about this.

[katf1sh]

we booked through MAJOR TOM on the 12th of april...here is the low down on the difference between cave tubing.com and major tom

 

major tom

1)you have a guided tour of the city on your way to the park(50 min bus ride)

2)when you take the 30 min hike through the rain forrest they stop and teach you all that the rain forrest has to offer..this includes eating termites(yum) and chewing on sugar cane(yum) as well as showing you all the different plant life and trees! the walk ends up taking about 45 min with major tom

 

before you hit the rain forrest they stop and allow you to do some tree swinging and rock jumping!

 

3)EVERYONE MUST WEAR A LIFE VEST WHILE IN THE TUBE!

EVERONE MUST REMAIN SEATED IN THE TUBES

EVERONE GETS 1 GUIDE PER 8 TUBERS!

SAFETY IS #1 WITH MAJOR TOM!

 

cave tubing.com

 

1) i can't comment on what i didn't see or do

BUT.....

 

they had one guide per 20 tubers

they allowed you to tube free style people were walking through the caves

the guides were loud! screaming and hooting and hollering inside the caves!

life jackets on alot of tubers were still strapped to the tubes! unsafe!

they just rush through the rain forest! very sad

no rock jumping or tree swinging...bummer

 

 

most bang for the buck....major tom

 

wanna party and get rushed through...cave tubing.com

 

both companies take you to the same place..why not enjoy the day?

 

 

the tour with major tom will take 5-6 hours and they know what time to be back to the port!

 

we had a blast with major tom!

[Kafitz246]

Has anyone gone with theJaguar Paw resort tour?

 

Kim

[Kafitz246]

Has anyone gone with theJaguar Paw resort tour?

 

Kim

[Momx4boys]

Gotta question. I where hearing aids. They shouldn't get wet. Will this be a problem when cave tubing? I don't want to leave them at the bus since then I wouldn't be able to hear the guides. What do you recommend. I'm an able bodied person, just kind of deaf.

[Rev. Joe]

how many people are in each group?

[jessed]

Gotta question. I where hearing aids. They shouldn't get wet. Will this be a problem when cave tubing? I don't want to leave them at the bus since then I wouldn't be able to hear the guides. What do you recommend. I'm an able bodied person, just kind of deaf.

 

They won't get wet, assuming you don't jump off ledge into the water.:-)

There is one place in the cave with a little waterfall that the guide likes to pull the tubes through, just tell him you are wearing aids and he will push you around it. Other than that, it's smooth sailing.

[dst]

Q: We have 1 adult in our group that does not swim. Do you wear life vests?

 

Also, are there ANY rapids/fast currents during the float? If there is ANY chance that she cold tip over she is OUT and I don't want to tell her it's "fine" if it's not.

 

TIA!

 

Gina

 

There are only a few areas that would be over your head, but what we did was tie two of the tubes together and then it was comforting. You are also going very slow; its not like rafting.

 

I think it would be very safe but to answer your question, yes they will give you a life vest if you ask for one.

 

Enjoy it, it was probably the most fun our friend had who does not swim!

[Grits53]

Gotta question. I where hearing aids. They shouldn't get wet. Will this be a problem when cave tubing? I don't want to leave them at the bus since then I wouldn't be able to hear the guides. What do you recommend. I'm an able bodied person, just kind of deaf.

 

I also wear hearing aids. I take them out whenever I do water activities, which is most often snorkeling. I have a waterproof container that I put them in and leave that in my beach bag. I am able to hear most guides speak, and if I have a question about something that I might not have heard, I will ask whoever is with me. I don't now how deaf you are, but I have 80% loss in one ear and 50% loss in the other, so I'm pretty deaf. Just last week, I did the Royal Swim with the dolphins in Cozumel. I had no trouble hearing the instructions without my aids, even when I had to swim way out. Also, I did tell the guide that I needed him to speak up for me, since I had a hearing loss.

 

Another option is to wear a pair of your old hearing aids and leave the "good ones" behind. I have done this in the past. However, I seem to have left them on a boat after an excursion a year ago. :rolleyes: Good thing they were old ones! One more option is to ask your hearing aid service person if they have a waterproof cover for them. I think you can get them for certain aids. Don't let your hearing loss prevent you from going and doing what you want on your cruise!

[Grits53]

I have a question that I was going to post separately, but maybe someone will see it here. What is the best time of year to go to Belize for cave tubing? Is there any season which should be avoided?

[Momx4boys]

Thanks for the great in-put. I'm not going to let it stop me. Looks like I can keep 'em dry so it won't be a problem.

[M&MCruisin]

Hi all...I saw alot of questions out here, but not sure if they were answered because I dont have time to read all the posts at work, but I would like to give you an overview of our cave tubing experience from 2 weeks ago.

 

1. we were with Major Tom (actually, we had his son "minor tom"). He is unbelievably knowledgable about the island. Its a little less than an hour drive to the caves. We requested a separate tour for 14 people, which they did for us. In the van, he engaged us in great conversation, he was up on current events, he was very intelligent and told us fasinating stories about the island and his Dad. He pointed out things all along the drive. He was top notch in my opinion.

 

2. we got to the site and changed clothes. The driver stayed with out belongings while minor tom took us on the tour. There is a fairly clean bathroom there to change in and a place to get drinks. There is also a couple locals selling their crafts, but not pushy like you normally see. We got our equipment and he took a group photo for me on my digital water camera (highly recommend this camera - Olympus).

 

3. Most of us wore water shoes, a couple wore tennis shoes...DONT DO THIS! Trust me. You walk about 10 minutes and you have to cross a river. (you get to swim here a bit) Its very rocky and I dont advise going barefoot, so your tennis shoes will get soaked. Then its another 30 minutes to the caves, which you will walk in your wet shoes. I had water shoes and it was not a problem at all for me. I didnt have any problems walking in the wet shoes and they dried quickly. Didnt hurt my feet at all.

 

4. Along the way, we stopped nurmerous times to learn fasinating things about the jungle. Such as the deadly snakes and the antivenum tree or leaves used to make paper money, etc. It was an easy walk and very informative. I personally am recovering from Mono and I made the walk. I couldnt carry my tube all the way, but that was due to my being sick, most everyone could carry the tube without much effort.

 

5. We are here! yeah! THe water is cold, but refreshing. Once you are in, its not bad, but taking the plunge is another story. Everyone sits with the butts in the hole and you are linked together by feet. So, the person behind me, their feet are under my armpits. It is pitch black in that cave and they make sure you are linked together. You will not be able to sit any other direction. Again, this is with major tom's group. The famous saying is "BUTTS UP". Its so funny, you will be saying it for a while and if you dont listen...your butt is gonna hit those rocks so hard. You will get a nice workout on your stomach! lol! Its not strenuous at all...just really funny.

 

6. We are off! This was the dry season as they called it and there was one part, where we couldnt get far enough left due to the current in this spot and therefore, we did a bit of cave "hiking". It was really shallow in this spot and since we got stuck, we had to get out of the tubes in the pitch dark (light on head) and walk with our tubes a little bit, until we reached a little deaper water. We may be the only group that ended up hiking, so we felt special. Again, it was funny and they can help the water levels, so we just went with it and laughed. Although, Id be the first to admit I was scared to death!

 

7. You are in the cave system about 30 minutes...its a slow float and they show you things in the caves. Its really neat and not scary at all like I thought it would be. You float outside the caves for a short while and then its back to the spot where you crossed the river in #3. You can swim here and even jump from a cliff or use the rope swing.

 

Overall, this was an amazing experience. I dont think I would go again, only because it was such a long trip to get there and once you have done it, I would think it would be anti-climactic. It was definitely worth the trip and I am so happy to have gone.

 

Right now, my heart goes out to major tom and his group since they have pulled out of Belize. I know they depend on these tours to live. I guess I got lucky and was able to go. I will be back on later if you have questions. Ask away.

[M&MCruisin]

I have a question that I was going to post separately, but maybe someone will see it here. What is the best time of year to go to Belize for cave tubing? Is there any season which should be avoided?

 

Well, right now the water level is a little low and as summer progresses, It may get worse. From what I gathered from minor tom...I would think that it may be better like January time frame. Which is just a couple months after the wet season and so the water level may be higher, but I really dont know. If you email major tom...he will tell you. They are wonderful and very responsive when we emailed.

[M&MCruisin]

I'll post pictures tonight of the cave tubing. Stay tuned.