Should we go cave tubing?

[DEL67]

Here's my dilemma. We (my DH, adult DD and me) will be in Belize late next month while on the Elation. My DH is disabled and has told us that he does not plan to get off the ship in Belize so my DD and I are trying to decide what to do. My first choice is cave tubing and my DD has said she will go with me, but she does not love the out-of-doors or cold water.

 

I have read many reviews. I know there are conditions vary and I know people react differently; however some say that the walk though rainforest is a 25 minute, easy, walk. Others say it is a tough 45 minutes. Some say the tube is heavy, some do not. Some say the water is very cold, others say it is pleasant Some have mentioned snakes and other animals, others only bats.

 

I'd like to go, but I do not want to push her into doing something she will not like. Otherwise we will go snorkeling (she'll wear her wet suit) which we both always enjoy. Thoughts?

[cruisinhs]

The walk is not tough, but it is much more like 45 minutes. You are in the rain forrest, so you are in complete shade. Other than ants on the ground and some termites on a tree, we saw no bugs, so I consider that pleasant.

 

The tube is not heavy, just a little awkward. I wore mine across my chest, like I would wear a purse that I wouldn't want to worry about falling off my shoulder. I had no problems at all.

 

I don't think the water is cold, but like you said, everyone has their own opinions. We were there at the same time as you last year and it is still very hot there. The water inside the caves stays at the same temperature year round because it is underground. You are out of the wind, etc., so I never did get a chill.

 

The only animals we saw were bats. Honestly, eventhough you DD is not an out-of-doors person, this is a once in a lifetime experience. I don't think she will be sorry that she tried something a little out of her comfort zone!

[Susky]

I agree that the walk is not difficult. It is a little tricky because you have to watch your step, and the only reason it can take 45 minutes is that you need to walk carefully, and also that the guide stops a few times to explain things.

[addicted to cruising]

Went tubing with Regtours in May..My husband, and 2 kids and myself had a very good time. The walk is shaded, but on a dirt/rock path. I found myself looking down alot so I would fall. You cross the river and the rocks are pretty big but smooth and the current is forceful at times but not super difficult to do. The walk was alittle longer than I imagined, however due to going with a private tour we walked about 10mins farther to go through a cave where we were the only ones. The tube is alittle challenging as it is large so needless to say when I got to the water I couldnt wait to jump in. It is cool, not cold. I found it quite refreshing, however my 10yr old was cold. Wearing a t-shirt might be a good idea for your daughter as it is unlikely to get wet except on the back tail area where she is sitting in the tube. I saw no snakes, bats etc...we did see the bat holes, and we heard a wild pig off in the distance. It is the jungle so a bug or spider would be expected. The food at the park is to die for, all homemade and a good cold beer!! Go for it, you may never get the chance again!!

[clackey]

First of all, ask yourself this: Will I ever be back to Belize? If the answer is no, then by all means, go tubing. This is one of the few places that you can do this. It would be a shame to have the opportunity to cave tube and not do it. We even booked another cruise on the Elation because our first trip to Belize was canceled due to bad weather. That was the only reason that I booked again. I had to go cave tubing. People, I was not disappointed.

[damenacer]

Go tubing. You won't regret it.

 

Let your daughter pick the next excursion.

[gail811]

My mom made the walk and she is 72. Since there were only three of us and two guides, they would not let my mom carry her own tube! I did not have a problem with the tube at all. The guides stop often along the way to point things out and there are plenty of opportunities to "shift" it during the walk. The caves were amazing!

[mrrick747]

In doing the research for the tubing, Ive found that Nacho and Cynthia run a little different operation than the rest. They start their walk from the Jungle Paw resort and the walk is only 20 mins. It is a much more secure environment for bathrooms and your stuff although the price is a bit higher at $75 with a lunch after at the resort. We have yet to finalize our booking basically because I think the extra walk would be educational, however, if a long walk isnt what youre into, this may be just prefect!

Ricknlynn

[shrimp0]

You dont say how old your daughter is...

We took our then 6 year old son on this trip with Wet and Wild. If your daughter is younger, they do have child sized tubes. My son was not able to carry his tube for the walk... DH carried it for him. My son was a bit scared at times.... but shining the head light on my face and reassuring him gave him some ease. To him, the water was cold. That was also because he was hooked to my tube the entire time and I was doing all the work. But in the end, my son was SO excited that he did this!!!!!! It was one of the highlights of his trip!!! I would think that your daughter could wear her wet suit on this excursion... I would just say to wear the bottom half with the top half down until in the water. ( otherwise i would think it is a bit too warm to walk through the rain forrest in a wet suit.) Let her read about the trip and see pictures from the varjous companies and pictures posted from other CC'ers. Then, see how she feels about it.

[DEL67]

Thank you all.

 

We just returned from the Elation and cave tubing was one of the highlights of the cruise. My daughter did not even thing the walk was too bad. In fact she wished that we had gone with Yhoni as planned instead of Carnival so we could have done more caves (she won a free trip for 2 on board so we went with Carnival instead.)