The Lanquin Caves have a long and interesting history. It was, and still is, used by Mayan Indians who believed strongly in a link between the underworld and this world, with caves being important as a bridge between the two.

The cavern is a piece of history, and it is incredibly interesting to visit. It lacks the built-in safety features one would see in caves used for tourism in the US. The cave is extremely slippery. I'd been warned, but even my best shoes had me slipping and sliding. Another tourist, Andreas from Germany, slipped as if on a banana peel and injured his arm and hit his head on the cave floor. Luckily, he was able to continue. There were no helmets issued and few handrails to use. This made the trip seem very exciting to me, but had I been the one injured, I probably would have felt differently.

Rene found us various bats high above us clutching to the dark ceiling and a gigantic cave bug that Rene swore was harmless. He did not, however, warn us, until we'd slipped 2 inches from a nest and had been putting our hands wherever we wished, about the cave spiders who laid eggs in human skin. As far as I know, I escaped contact with those critters.

Rene offered to take us out of the cave the "adventurous" way, which required us to wriggle through a tiny slippery crag in the rocks and climb upwards 8 feet to a ledge above us. Always the helpful guide, Rene grabbed our arms and pulled us up just before we fell or when our bodies seemed stuck.

Sadly, Rene admitted that use of the caves by humans, and especially tourists, is contributing to the death of the cave system itself. It was the only cave I've entered with a higher temperature than the outside air, a direct result, Rene said, of the damage that's been done to the cave. Many of the cave’s features are suffering badly from the bright lights strung inside the caves, candle offerings, and every step and touch a visitor takes. This guilt dampened my spirit and experience in the cave, especially since I try so hard to avoid harmful forms of tourism, and this is why I can't fully recommend this excursion. But I'll have to admit that I really enjoyed our little adventure here.