Cave Tubing in Belize

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Two definite must do while in Belize are Mayan ruins and some type of cave adventure. We stopped at the St. Herman’s Blue Hole national park in Ringtail. They usually don’t take walk-ins but we were lucky a guide was available. We did not have the proper footwear on but he still agreed to take us out. They recommend athletic wear and water shoes but I had on sandals and hubby had on loafers, as long as they were shoes we did not mind getting wet, he was okay with it. After a detailed explanation of the tour, he got us our gear and embarked on our 10-minute hike through the jungle to the cave

It was a flat hike so it was not too bad since I was already suffering from climbing numerous steps earlier. The hike through the cave was not too flat, it was very steep actually. My initial feelings when we entered the cave was, “what the heck did I get myself into?”. It was very dark although we had the helmets with the headlights, I still could not see very well. We had to start from the top,stay on a narrow path on the side of the cave and work our way downwards to the bottom of the cave to meet the river. The only thing separating the path from us, was a robe railing. It was wet and muddy and my sandals were not helping because I kept slipping. One could easily slip and fall through the robes (a long fall at that), hit their head on a rock and die! Keeping all this in mind, we were carrying our tubes in one hand and had to endure going down some steep paths. I took it very slow and our guide was super helpful. He knew I was not made for this. Fifteen minutes later and we were down there by the river. At last!!

It was spectacular!! Although it was dark, the flow of the river and the sight of the minerals in the caves, made for a calming setting. Suddenly, my body temperature went from being very hot to cool. The temperature had drastically changed. It was humid outside but the cave was very cool. It was delightful! The hard part was over, now we can relax. We got in our tubes as instructed by our guide and followed his lead by moving along. At this point, our cameras were put in a water bag so that they do not get wet. I was initially disappointed that I would not be capturing anymore moments but now that I think about it, I am glad I did not. It was such a unique experience that should only be captured by the mind. It actually forced me to enjoy it even more because I did not have a camera in my hand.

The flow was slow and steady. At this time, our guide was educating us on how the Mayans used the caves for rituals and such. We floated on this water for over an hour. At one point during the float, our guide turned off all the headlights on our helmets including his. He didn't even tell us what he was doing. All he said was, "I hope you are not afraid of the dark", which I am a little bit lol. It was pitch black!! He had our tubes connected to each other before turning off the lights so that he could guide us in the dark. At first I was freaking out because although we were floating on the water, the cave was not very wide. I was afraid of drifting off and hitting the rocks but he said he had us, so I trusted him. After I finally let go of my apprehension, I began to enjoy the darkness. It was peaceful! I was thankful to God for the opportunity to experience this.

We hiked through the water back to the entrance of the cave once the tubing part was over. We were met with the many residents of the cave, Bats! They were harmless though. Our guide chatted us up with more stories on our way. We took a shortcut on our way back but we still had to endure those awful steps again to get out. I almost could not make it all the way up, my legs were giving up on me. The tour took a total of 2 and half hours. It was soo worth it! I highly recommend it.

We stopped by their Blue Hole afterwards. Boy, were we not prepared for the bugs that swarmed us. Make sure you have bug spray on hand. I still have marks from those bug bites. My entire body was covered in bites.

Our jungle adventures were over, now off to Hopkins for some beach fun!

#Belize