Cave tubing - time frame?

[chubby_faye]

My family and I are going to Belize in late October and want to go cave tubing. We have not decided on a tour yet but wondering how long are most tours? I've looked on-line and some are 5 hours longs. Other tours don't post the length of the tours. How long were you gone on your tour? Did it seem too long? Thanks for any information.

[Ellya]

The cave tubing does take all day, but it doesn't seem long at all! The bus ride is about an hour each way, but it's pretty interesting to see the countryside and the guides will tell you all about the things you see. The walk to the river is about 30 minutes or so depending on the speed of your group. Your float in the river will depend on how fast the current is at the time, but somewhere between 30 and 90 minutes from what I understand. Then you go for lunch and the drive back. You will only have a short time to shop most likely and then it's done!

[chubby_faye]

Will I have time to do some shopping? From what I've read about Belize it's a small shopping area. I only need an hour or so.

[Ellya]

We went with the ship's tour and we only had 20 or 30 minutes to shop. Some private tours get back in time to shop and some get back with no time at all from what I've read. You do walk directly through the shops from the busses to the tenders though, so it doesn't take much time to pick up a couple things. In 20 minutes we bought a wood carving, a small bracelet and some postcards.