Caves River Kayaking, Explore More with V.i.V.
Description
for thousands of years our ancestors used the caves system for dwelling, performing sacred ceremonies and to store food. join us in this journey to the underworld. we provide the headlights, helmets, life jackets, kayaks and a experienced guide. All geared up, the guides led you thru a forest path sharing local uses of the plants seen along the forest trail. at the caves entrance, the guide shares information as to the seven caves layout, kayaking equipment familiarization and kayak route. here you will notice awesome large cave entrances with a crystal clear river flowing thru it. as you paddle you will go thru a series of caves, see many formations. the guide will show you places to stop and rest and enjoy a refreshing swim. the paddling continues thru the caves systems until you arrive at the exit where the sunlight glitters on the water, and the birds can be heard singing on the river bank. here we store our gear, use the facilities and prepare for the return drive home.
Tour Options
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
we pick up at the Belize Marine Terminal for guest arriving from Caye Caulker and San Pedro Ambergris Caye, we also pickup at Belize city hotels. For cruisers, Once your ship visits the Belize City Port or FSTV, enjoy this tour. Tour starts 1.5 hours after the ship is in port. we have a van and guides for your ship, come ashore very early, get a early tender ticket and come ashore early and enjoy this unbelizable adventure. cruise ships stay 4 miles offshore, the cruise provides boat shuttle tenders guest to shore. the tenders start at 7:45, there are 6 tenders each carrying 200 passengers going back and forth from ship to shore during the first hour. the tender boats are then reduced to 2 going through out the rest of the day. so its vital to get a early tender ticket, Come ashore early. near shore you will see the lighthouse, the terminal buildings housing giftshops. proceed to terminal 1 and go thru the terminal to the EXIT where street side you will see us in RED shirts and holding the V.i.V sign
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
- we pick up at FSTV cruise port, Terminal One Exit, street side, San Pedro Express water taxi, hotels
- A moderate amount of hiking is involved
- Not recommended for children aged 11 and under
- Inclement Weather Concerns: we get hourly weather updates as to the condition of water levels at the rivers.
- sometimes its raining around the cruise line and coastal areas, and the rivers are fine.so we go ahead and do the tour as scheduled. only if the rains are in the mountains and right now the rivers are low and we need more water in the rivers then the float will be better, last week the kayaks were getting stuck in the lower parts of the rivers. if the rains are in the mountains and more than normal and the water rises and we can not take up the kayaks , then we use tubes to do cave tubing.plus the Crystal Caves... if the rangers in the mountain top measure more than usual water then the caves system are closed for all activities....we have the zipline tour. or the altun ha Maya site tour or refund for not participating on the alternate tour.
- participants must know how to swim
- bring a reusable water bottle, disposing of empty plastic bottles is not allowed
- for helmet cam use, bring helmet attachment
- restaurants, river shoe rentals, available at the park
- bring towels, change of clothing, swimwear, insect repellent, footwear with thick soles used to walk on gravel path and do the river crossing.
- Reserve Online and come ashore early, we dispatch as the vans fill up
Reviews(440)
DO IT DO IT DO IT! Kayak was AWESOME! Fun/Funny Guide. We drove a rental car to the place and met the guide inside the park.
My boyfriend and I booked this excursion for one of our stops on a cruise. The price is so much better when you avoid booking with the cruise line. Plus the meeting location was very straightforward that you couldn’t miss it. Our tour guides NAZ, JONATHAN, and CARDINAL were lovely people and very knowledgeable. They made us laugh a ton and had such a friendly vibe. They had a lot to say about Belize, its people, the caves, and more! All while keeping a safe environment while we enjoyed the caves. I would highly recommend these three crew members in particular! The trip to the caves is on foot, so bring waterproof shoes with a bit of grip if possible. The walk wasn’t too far to the entrance of the caves where the kayaks were waiting for us. The entrance to the caves was gorgeous and could’ve stayed there for hours. The first cave was super peaceful since it was just our group in there. That was the most fun I had while kayaking! The second cave was really fun because parts had a mild current, so you barely had to row. However the second cave also had tubing groups, so parts were difficult and annoying to navigate around them. Either way it was still a very fun experience to be in that cave! Book with VIV and book with this crew!
Naz, Johnattan & cardinal were wonderful host very informative. The banter from the three and insight on the cave was amazing would recommend to anyone to book with those three.
Very knowledgeable crew. The kayaking in the caves was quite an experience, will recommend this to anyone
We came from a Carnival Cruise. Our water shuttles were late and we were on the second shuttle of 12+ we arrived 10 minutes late to the meeting point and called and she said she left us but would come back. 35 minutes later a lady shows up and tells us we missed it and there’s no way to do the tour, told us even if we found our own way to meet them at the river, we couldn’t do it because it’s a big group but told us she’d refund our money since we did show up. We ended up finding another guy that took us on a private tour on the same river and charged us less. Not only was there plenty of time to do the river he also took us to a mall. Now I tried to get a refund and they denied it! This was the worst experience of our entire vacation! No flexibility for things out of your control or even attempt to be understanding to the cruise travelers that are buying their excursions.
Thanks for the review, yes you missed your scheduled tour which is longer than the abbreviated tour you eventually did, everyone else arrived from the Cruiseline ontime and did the regular kayak cave tour which is more caves than tubing, we remind guest, reserve online, the tour starts and hour and fifteen minutes after the ship arrives in port, everyone that is interested comes ashore early and checkin, the tenders to shore have doubled there capacity and bring guest ashore within the first hour, then they slow down and bring those who may want to come ashore to walk around, dont miss your tour, others arrive ontime onshore and ready to tour. reserve early, come ashore, text, whattsup, email if there is any changes, these individuals refused to communicate. thanks for your consideration and tour the Caves of Belize with us as thousands of cruisers have done over the past 20 years, see you soon.
It was an amazing trip, the tour guys Naz, Cardinal and Abner were personable, well knowledgeable in the history and culture, and made is so much fun! They took their time not rushing the tour and made it an amazing experience! Definitely will go again when visiting!!
Thanks for the review, Cruisers are welcomed and we are Happy to hear that you enjoyed you're tour with us, and yes, we don't rush our tours, we try to show as much as possible and share our culture and natural wonders, thanks for choosing us.
Waited for us at the port. In the ride to the caves they gave great talks with pictures of animals, plant, fruit, and maps. The hike was very nice. The cave where great and made even better with the guide.
Thanks for the review, we are happy to hear that you enjoyed your tour, thanks for choosing us.
Almost wasn't a tour! Got on our cruise and we were thr only ones booked. Day before they informed me another group booked. So happy they did, was the best excursion yet! 4 of us and our guide paddling Up river to see what the tubers never will! It was an awesome experience! Yes I said UP river, but its nothing. If you can paddle a canoe, you can do this! I did all the work while my other half held the camera! Beware the mosquitoes!
Family of 5 thoroughly enjoyed this day long journey. Shared bus ride about an hour each way with about 20 people and 3 guides. At park, our family with Fab who was extremely knowledgeable and kind. Initial hike about a mile, fairly level and easy, crossing river a few times. Beautiful jungle. Kayak equipment in good shape. First went up river through caves to magical spot where opening to beautiful jungle and stone walls… felt like movie scene but completely natural. Two in our party not comfortable in kayaks so when returned to starting point, they decided to walk back. Three of us continued on and thoroughly enjoyed the little rapids and further exploration of caves. Waterfalls, stalagmites, and tubers in this portion. The hikers made it back about the same time as we did. Chicken and rice/ bean lunch was additional but good. We had to rent water shoes, missed that in the fine print but they were just $3 per pair. Fab was perfect guide and very patient with a grumpy teenager, my old lady knees, and husband who wasn’t comfortable in kayak, accommodating us at every juncture.
The pick up outside of the port was very easy and efficient. It takes about an hour to get to the actual cave spot by bus, and the tour guides kept us informed and entertained during the entire trip (with some downtime to relax on the bus ride back). The kayaking was great, except for all of the other tubing excursions that were going on at the same time, making some spots very crowded. The guides were informative and entertaining, we could not have asked for a better trip.
