Belize and Cave tubing-we went in January

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Tendering is required when arriving here due to shallow waters. If I remember correctly the ship tenders about 5 miles off the mainland, and you take high-speed tenders to the port. We were on Carnival and what they do for the people who have not booked an excursion with them they provide “numbers” (stickers numbered 1, 2, 3 etc) Now you have to line up to receive a number and everyone in your party must be present to collect-It makes sense, but some people cannot grasp this idea! They hand out the numbers around 9:30am the day you port, which it would be nice to hand them out a little earlier but hey it’s there system and I think it works-better than a free for all when it comes time to get off! They will call your number and you can then proceed down to the tendering area. There is small flea market just outside of the port terminal, it has basically all the same stuff you find at flea markets: necklaces, woodcarvings, paintings etc… There are also a few shops inside the terminal, but on your ship they will have a pamphlet outlining what shops are there.

 

We booked our cave tubing excursion on-line with regtour.com. Reggie emailed and phoned my friend who booked and gave her directions on where to meet them. We had no problem finding them; just out of the terminal to your right; they have a big white school bus that says “A-1 tours” on it. Once our group showed up, we headed out of town. Reggie drove and Jamai was our tour guide, telling us all about Belize, very informative! The bus ride was about an hour or so into the country side and then we headed down a dirt road to a park where all the other cave tubing companies were. So no matter whom you book with you leave from the same spot, however if you book through the ship, you only go through one cave, with Reggie we went through two, and its only $45USD vs. $95USD.

First you walk along a path for about 5 min and then you hit the river, there you cross it and proceed to hike through the jungle. Now it’s not a hard hike at all, I think it took about half an hour or 45min, but it is just amazing to see the jungle, I never thought I would get to see something like that in my life. We finally reached our entry point, and our two guides talked it over with us on what we would be doing, and they split the group into two. From there you head down some stairs and drop your tube in the water and “sit” down, from there they create a “human chain” you put your feet under the arms of the person in front of you and so on, until your line is formed. My advice: if you are not comfortable in the front or even second to the front it would be best if you sat towards the back. I was second and you are mainly the ones steering the line, a lot more work than just floating down the river! However the guides are great people and will help you out when needed…once you get out of the two tunnel systems you have a choice to float alone or stay connected, we chose to stay connected. It’s about an hour and a half or so of floating, and it’s all worth it!

If you’re unsure about safety or not a strong swimmer-don’t worry the river is calm. I had a blast and I think it’s safe for everyone; they give you life jackets and the guides are watching out for you all the time. I do recommend Reggie’s tour, friendly staff and just a great time had by all. We left our stuff on the bus and everything was fine, Reggie stayed behind with the bus and our belongings were there when we returned. What I do recommend on bringing: bug spray, water shoes, clothes or bathing suit that your not to worried about getting dirty- the tubes leave some black after words, I washed my stuff when I got home and it did come out of my shorts (most of it) but the mud from the hike did leave a minor stain on my top (peoples muddy shoes-we did try our best to clean the mud off of our feet but we couldn’t get it all)

Well I hope this helps you, I know I had a great time and I’m glad I did this tour, it’s not everyday you can say “I hiked through the Belizean jungle on my way to cave tubing!”:)