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amazing secret river


dengirl
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  • 2 weeks later...

Is this what you mean?

 

http://www.playadelcarmentours.com/rio-secreto.htm

 

 

If so, there are several tours which include Cenote swims, which are fun, but haven't done this one. Try the search bar here or give http://www.TripAdvisor.com a try.

 

http://www.tripadvisor.in/ShowUserReviews-g150812-d1075137-r69403117-Rio_Secreto_Reserva_Natural-Playa_del_Carmen_Yucatan_Peninsula.html

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  • 3 months later...

I could not say enough good things about it!

I just did this excursion last week and HIGHLY recommend it!

 

This may have been one of the BEST excursions I have done on all my cruises. If you want some adventure and exploration, this is a great one!

 

Here is my review i just submitted about it today.

 

AMAZING SECRET RIVER/CAVES:

I did some upfront research about this one and it seemed intriguing to me. Summary, WOW! A+++++++ May just be one of the BEST excursions I have ever done! I wanted to do something adventurous and different and this excursion did not disappoint AT ALL!

 

We had only 9 people in our entire group which was nice and intimate. This RIO SECRETO was recently discovered a few years back by a local that was chasing an iguana in the jungle behind his home and it ran into this underground cave system. It is still being surveyed and had only been opened to the public for about 2 years. It surpassed all of my expectations I had even with some pre-research. Definitely worth the money and do not be discouraged by the long 7 hour duration. It is split up into parts

 

  • Ferry ride to the mainland- Playa Del Carmen
  • Short van ride to the cave system
  • 1 ½ cavern exploration
  • short meal break
  • 1 hr shopping time
  • and van/ ferry tri back to the ship
     

FERRY RIDE: First off, what a clean comfortable set up. More comfortable than the plane ride to the ship. LOL I sat inside as I read that the locals refer to this as the “BARF-BOAT” for tourists that race to sit on the outside 2nd level LOL. As with any sea vessel, the sway is larger the higher up you are. If you get motion sick, then sit intide in the middle. I sat inside on the plush seats in the air conditioned room. A little wavy, but not too bad. They offer water, drinks, and some snacks for sale on the ferry. Polite crew

 

VAN RIDE to the CAVES. USE THE BATHROOM on the ferry before getting into the van because the bumpy ride may not be for those with week bladders LOL. Well once we turned off the paved roads and onto the dirt road you know the adventure was about to begin. It is about a 5 mile trip down a very bumpy raw unpaved road. My suggestion is to just enjoy as much as you can the best is yet to come.

 

CAVERNS/ STAFF and FOOD: We were all greeted by our guide AIDA and each provided with lockers with locks to keep our personals. The excursion suggests, towels, change of clothes, but they provide towels so no need to drag them along. They will make you shower off any perfumes, lotion, make-up etc prior to entering the cave. It is to protect the natural envirement.

 

AIDA, our guide was very informative and a great for keeping everyone together and not missing out on anything from the first person in line to the last the entire time. This is a PHYSICAL TOUR so you do need to be able to bend, crouch, walk, swim/wade, and should have no problems with darkness, water and they say claustrophobia. There are really no tight spaces so do not be too discouraged about this. There is a section that you swim (or doggy paddle) about 50 yds? It's a relaxing swim and your like vest will keep you afloat as you wade through. There is no current in the cave system so an easy doggy paddle is sufficient. Most of the excursion is walking and wading in and out of water.

 

 

Water is fresh-water, crystal clear and about 70 degrees. They offer a walking stick. I say take it and even suggested to the guide once in the caves that they just pass them out to everyone instead of offering. You are not allowed to take any cameras or anything into the system. You get a knee length wet suit, swimming vest, water shoes and hard hat with a small light.

 

DEFINITELY check and make sure your light works and is not dying before you start the hike. The sights are amazing inside the cavern and the photographer that tags along takes great photos. They are offered for purchase at the end for a reasonable price. I took the entire CD of approx 30 personal photos and an additional 50 added cave photos for $59. WORTH every penny!

 

Rating 10 A+++ and should be rated as one of the top 10 excursions in Cozumel once word starts to get out. The entire tour of the cave/river just seemed to be so unexplored and makes you realize what a drop in time we really are when you think about how long it took for some of the formations to build up.

 

 

I would do this one again tomorrow!

Edited by wiskt
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There is an amazing cave system restaurant in Playa del Carmen called Alux (A-loosh) and it was discovered only recently as well. The food is great, but if you don't have time for a meal, have a drink and wander around admiring the formations. It is a large area to see considering it is underground and all lit.

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  • 2 years later...

I took this excursion tour thru the Carnival ship excursion last week, April 29, 2013. The shipboard excursion cost $104.99 pp. All the things that the previous commentator stated earlier, Wiskt, were true. Let me just add some other things that she did not mention. By the way here is the website of the company that provide this tour, riosecreto dot com. Check out their FAQ and the pictures.

Again, everything was wonderful except for the photographic packages they are selling. They were charging $35 per printed picture (Ship board pictures cost $15), and for the entire "personal" pictures in CD or USB $75. $200 for the entire picture of the group, again in CD or USB. They separate you by individual or couple to look at your picture, so you really do not have time to interact with your group. I felt like I was in a car salesroom. Anyway, none of the people in my group, 9, bought any pictures. Suggestion, prior to landing in the mainland, try to get in a group and talk about the price of the photos and divide the cost ($200) of the "entire" photos. You can then copy the pictures later back in the ship, just bring your own USB. The river guide usually takes 10-12 people, 6 couples.

The last nuisance I have is the Carnival requirement that every person needs to know how to swim to book this excursion. I do not consider floating swimming, but after Carnival wrote back when we inquired about swimming, my DW and 6 of our friends cancelled. They provide wet suit and a life vest which warms your body and makes you stay afloat with head above the water. We have one person who doesn't know how to swim and our guide/everybody showed him how to float and move. Stay vertical, your life vest will make you afloat with head above water, move legs like you are walking and wade with your arms to wherever direction you want to go. Check out their website FAQ about swimming.

This is a wonderful experience and I will probably do this again if ever we pass by Cozumel or Cancun again.:)

Edited by pexman
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  • 1 month later...

I am curious as to after the cave tour what exactly goes on.

 

Is the whole 7 hours spent getting two and from the cave and then the rest of the time in the cave?

 

I swore I read somewhere that after the cave they take you to a beach and you get to stay there for the rest of the time before getting back on your ship.

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I am curious as to after the cave tour what exactly goes on.

 

Is the whole 7 hours spent getting two and from the cave and then the rest of the time in the cave?

 

I swore I read somewhere that after the cave they take you to a beach and you get to stay there for the rest of the time before getting back on your ship.

 

 

No beach break, the whole trip is broken up into parts. They do drop you off back where you catch the FERRY to go back to the ship, but that is later for about an hour later in the day (dusk) not really what I would call beach time. You can do what you wish during that hour. Hang out by the water, shop at the few stores or grab a beer.

 

  • 45 min Ferry ride to the mainland- Playa Del Carmen
  • Short van ride to the cave system
  • 1.5-2 hr cavern exploration
  • about an hr meal break and time to look over photos
  • 1 hr shopping time
  • and van/ ferry tri back to the ship

Edited by wiskt
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  • 3 months later...

Thanks everybody for the details. Now I NEED to do this tour. :) And I'm even getting acquainted with the fact that the pics will cost USD 75. :( But if you can't take your camera, well, you really have no option, right? And it's enough cool to last a lifetime, I think. :) So I'll buy the pics and I'll post some here.

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  • 1 year later...
  • 4 months later...
  • 6 months later...

I'd love to do this tour, however, my husband does not swim at all (scared to death).

However, last year in the Virgin Islands, he did for the FIRST time, jump off the boat with life vest on and swim to shore at the Soggy Dollar bar in Josh Van Dyke island.

For someone who is scared of water over his head (to deep) is this an okay day trip to do or skip it?

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  • 2 years later...
I could not say enough good things about it!

I just did this excursion last week and HIGHLY recommend it!

 

This may have been one of the BEST excursions I have done on all my cruises. If you want some adventure and exploration, this is a great one!

 

Here is my review i just submitted about it today.

 

AMAZING SECRET RIVER/CAVES:

I did some upfront research about this one and it seemed intriguing to me. Summary, WOW! A+++++++ May just be one of the BEST excursions I have ever done! I wanted to do something adventurous and different and this excursion did not disappoint AT ALL!

 

We had only 9 people in our entire group which was nice and intimate. This RIO SECRETO was recently discovered a few years back by a local that was chasing an iguana in the jungle behind his home and it ran into this underground cave system. It is still being surveyed and had only been opened to the public for about 2 years. It surpassed all of my expectations I had even with some pre-research. Definitely worth the money and do not be discouraged by the long 7 hour duration. It is split up into parts

 

  • Ferry ride to the mainland- Playa Del Carmen
  • Short van ride to the cave system
  • 1 ½ cavern exploration
  • short meal break
  • 1 hr shopping time
  • and van/ ferry tri back to the ship

FERRY RIDE: First off, what a clean comfortable set up. More comfortable than the plane ride to the ship. LOL I sat inside as I read that the locals refer to this as the “BARF-BOAT” for tourists that race to sit on the outside 2nd level LOL. As with any sea vessel, the sway is larger the higher up you are. If you get motion sick, then sit intide in the middle. I sat inside on the plush seats in the air conditioned room. A little wavy, but not too bad. They offer water, drinks, and some snacks for sale on the ferry. Polite crew

 

VAN RIDE to the CAVES. USE THE BATHROOM on the ferry before getting into the van because the bumpy ride may not be for those with week bladders LOL. Well once we turned off the paved roads and onto the dirt road you know the adventure was about to begin. It is about a 5 mile trip down a very bumpy raw unpaved road. My suggestion is to just enjoy as much as you can the best is yet to come.

 

CAVERNS/ STAFF and FOOD: We were all greeted by our guide AIDA and each provided with lockers with locks to keep our personals. The excursion suggests, towels, change of clothes, but they provide towels so no need to drag them along. They will make you shower off any perfumes, lotion, make-up etc prior to entering the cave. It is to protect the natural envirement.

 

AIDA, our guide was very informative and a great for keeping everyone together and not missing out on anything from the first person in line to the last the entire time. This is a PHYSICAL TOUR so you do need to be able to bend, crouch, walk, swim/wade, and should have no problems with darkness, water and they say claustrophobia. There are really no tight spaces so do not be too discouraged about this. There is a section that you swim (or doggy paddle) about 50 yds? It's a relaxing swim and your like vest will keep you afloat as you wade through. There is no current in the cave system so an easy doggy paddle is sufficient. Most of the excursion is walking and wading in and out of water.

 

 

Water is fresh-water, crystal clear and about 70 degrees. They offer a walking stick. I say take it and even suggested to the guide once in the caves that they just pass them out to everyone instead of offering. You are not allowed to take any cameras or anything into the system. You get a knee length wet suit, swimming vest, water shoes and hard hat with a small light.

 

DEFINITELY check and make sure your light works and is not dying before you start the hike. The sights are amazing inside the cavern and the photographer that tags along takes great photos. They are offered for purchase at the end for a reasonable price. I took the entire CD of approx 30 personal photos and an additional 50 added cave photos for $59. WORTH every penny!

 

Rating 10 A+++ and should be rated as one of the top 10 excursions in Cozumel once word starts to get out. The entire tour of the cave/river just seemed to be so unexplored and makes you realize what a drop in time we really are when you think about how long it took for some of the formations to build up.

 

 

 

I would do this one again tomorrow!

 

Hi Tommy! We did this last August and agree with this review completely!

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  • 4 weeks later...

Thanks for the review. We haven’t yet been to RIO Secreto even though it is just a 15 minute drive from our home! We look forward to going.

 

We can also recommend the Alex restaurant for folks in the Playa area in the evening, the cuisine is pretty good and the experience very unique. Also an excellent wine “cellar”.

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  • 4 months later...

My favorite excursion of all time! You don't need to be a good swimmer. The swimming distance was relatively short and with the life vest on the best I could do was dog paddle anyway! Just about the time I was wondering if I was going to make it, I hit bottom(and I'm short). You do, however, need to be steady on your feet and relatively mobile.

enhance

 

enhance

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I first did a review of this excursion almost 8-9 yrs ago. Glad to see it is thriving. I was one of the first people lucky to do this tour before it was a full excursion as a test group. Since then I’ve done it multiple times and each time further parts of the system has been discovered and opened.

 

I was just promoting it again to someone on my cruise last week and they were fascinated by the photos I still had.

 

A+

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  • 3 years later...
  • 1 year later...

This excursion is fantastic. I just went in September. I agree with all of the above. Some additional points...

 

- Weight max is 250, but I was a little over and no one weighed me or cared, nor was it a problem at all.

- Wetsuits not mandatory, water is about 75 degrees so similar to a cold river swim. Your body adjusts. You'll prob be more comfortable with it, but not a problem.

- Very short area you have to swim, especially if you're tall. I'm 5'1" and was still touching most of the way, just a short doggy paddle across one area. Our guide was great, if you're not comfortable swimming they will help float you along. Life vest will keep you up. Very safe and easy to do.

- Mobility is important. That's the most challenging thing ... it's rocky and unsteady and sometimes slippery. Definitely take the walking stick no matter what, and be careful. If you can't bend and squat, don't do this tour. It's not something you'll have to do constantly, but you'll need to be able to.

- Photo price has gone up. We paid it. I don't remember the exact cost but it was over $100 for all the photos, no USB you download them from a link online. We felt it was worth it. The cave was incredible and we were able to be 100% in the moment and still have the images to remember it.

 

Pepe was our guide and I couldn't say enough nice things about him. He was fantastic, and this was absolutely one of the best excursions I've ever done. 

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