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(435)
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!!
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.
This was a wonderful personalized experience four our group. Our guides Cardinal snd Enru (not sure of the spelling) who drove us to and from the location and were our guides on the river were engaged and very attentive. They gave us a great history of the area and insights about the rainforest and caves. The kayaking in the caves was amazing and our guides were very sensitive to needs of each person and safety conscious in the water. They were also very cognizant of the time and ensuring we got back to the ship on time. Most other groups were strapped together in tubes which limited freedom to explore the caves. Would highly recommend.
Our guide Fevalys was exceptional. In love with his country. Gave us a wealth of information. Amazing kindness.
This was one of the greatest excursions we have taken as a family to date! Fevalius was our tour guide and he really gave us an all encompassing lesson on the caves, the history of Belize, the flora and fauna…it was an absolutely rich day! He also picked us up early (9am) and dropped us off with an hour to spare before the last tender boat back to our cruise ship. He directed us to where to eat and the food was so tasty! I loved this because we were the only people in his tour. The kayaks were much more fun than the tubes we watched along the river! If you are on the fence over booking through ViV…do it! It was absolutely worth it and I hope we get to come back again one day!
Naz was a fantastic guide! He is not only knowledgeable about the history of Belize but also a lot of fun! I would highly recommend Naz for the cave kayaking! It's definitely on my top 10 excursions!
Great 👍 tour guides were very informative, caves were beautiful, water was refreshing, lunch was good.
