Cave Tubing for Claustrophobics...?

[Lollipop's Mom]

Can anyone tell me what it is actually 'like' from beginning to end - basically I want spoilers...how strenuous to get to where you start the tubing, how dark, how close does it feel, do you feel like you can't see for while or feel closed in at all??? How big are the caves?

[spfar]

Can anyone tell me what it is actually 'like' from beginning to end - basically I want spoilers...how strenuous to get to where you start the tubing' date=' how dark, how close does it feel, do you feel like you can't see for while or feel closed in at all??? How big are the caves?[/quote']

 

The walk is a bit up and down but not too strenuous. DH and I are chubby out of shape 50 somethings and we had no problem with the walk or the trip. You walk carrying your tube. First you cross the river in knee deep water. There's a rope you can grab to steady yourself but we didn't need it. You walk a path that has you stepping over and around rocks and logs. Not much differnt from any hike in the woods. Once you get to the spot, you have to lower yourself into the water. You can jump in with your tube or lower youself by a rope. The end result should be you with your butt in a tube. If you've ever done a Lazy River at a water park, you can do this. There are several staff there to help kids and uncoordinated adults. Once everybody in your group is in the water, you begin to float downstream. When the guide says "Butts up" it means the water is really shallow. For the most part, you could stand up at any point in the trip. I'd say the depth ranges from 10 inches to 4 feet deep most of the time. The only non-human creatures we saw were a few bats in the caves and a really nice dog that swam with us for a while. No fish, no snakes, no insects until we got back on dry land. A few of the caves are dark for a few minutes, but for the most part you can see daylight above or in front of you. Thye caves are very wide and fairly high. I didn't feel crowded or clautrophobic at all. They are more like rock bridges than caves. You end up at the same place you crossed the river in the beginning of the trip. I highly reccommend this excusion. It's a once in a lifetime experience and really fun. As long as you don't have a serious fear of water or real difficulties walking you will have no problem.

[Nebr.cruiser]

The first poster is very accurate in her assessments. My husband and I were 61 last Dec. and thought the walk was pretty mild--we're in pretty good shape. Some slight slopes, a couple of places to clamber down rocky areas. Mostly just a winding dirt path with some rocks and roots. I didn't think carrying the tube was bad, but the guides will help if needed.

 

I am slightly claustrophobic and never had a twinge of anxiety in the 'caves'. (They really are more like high tunnels.) There's very little to no total darkness and the ceilings are quite high in most areas. The water didn't seem especially deep to me, though some people have stated up to 40 feet deep in places, and several areas were very shallow.

 

Our guides (cavetubing.com) helped us into our tubes, which was a little difficult. We didn't see any animals at all, just a few gnats.

[Travel Angel]

The walk is a bit up and down but not too strenuous. DH and I are chubby out of shape 50 somethings and we had no problem with the walk or the trip. You walk carrying your tube. First you cross the river in knee deep water. There's a rope you can grab to steady yourself but we didn't need it. You walk a path that has you stepping over and around rocks and logs. Not much differnt from any hike in the woods. Once you get to the spot, you have to lower yourself into the water. You can jump in with your tube or lower youself by a rope. The end result should be you with your butt in a tube. If you've ever done a Lazy River at a water park, you can do this. There are several staff there to help kids and uncoordinated adults. Once everybody in your group is in the water, you begin to float downstream. When the guide says "Butts up" it means the water is really shallow. For the most part, you could stand up at any point in the trip. I'd say the depth ranges from 10 inches to 4 feet deep most of the time. The only non-human creatures we saw were a few bats in the caves and a really nice dog that swam with us for a while. No fish, no snakes, no insects until we got back on dry land. A few of the caves are dark for a few minutes, but for the most part you can see daylight above or in front of you. Thye caves are very wide and fairly high. I didn't feel crowded or clautrophobic at all. They are more like rock bridges than caves. You end up at the same place you crossed the river in the beginning of the trip. I highly reccommend this excusion. It's a once in a lifetime experience and really fun. As long as you don't have a serious fear of water or real difficulties walking you will have no problem.

 

 

The above is fairly accurate per my recent experience, I must add that our tour guides Major Tom and his son were very concerned of "SAFETY" on their tour......we felt that they put it FIRST rather than just an average tour and made us feel more confident in their experience. I think what I really liked about them the best was their knowledge of the rain forest, the formations in the caves and that I did not have to pay for the tour UNTIL it was complete. In the initial contacts with *****, it was always clear that NO PAYMENT HAD TO BE MADE until the tours completion... no deposit, nada ! I just have learned that they now have PayPal for pre payments should a client wish if they are worried that they will not have a space allocated for them on the tour and also that if there is a cancellation due to ship not making port of call, weather, etc...., they will gladly refund any payments you have made, or you can just confirm space at their website w/out payment until tour is complete.

 

So in my opinion, a GREAT TOUR w/ SAFETY IN MIND at a GREAT PRICE and NO PAYMENT REQUIRED to hold space.... it can't get any better from Major Tom and his "Fun Crew" in my eyes !

 

Happy Cave Tubing !