Grabbing our tubes, life jackets, and head lamps, we begin the 45-minute trek through the second-largest rain forest in the Mayan Mountains. There is plenty of food in the jungle with banana, coconuts, mangos, and pineapples growing among the forest trees. Along the trail, Louis, our guide, points out bark, leaves, sap, and herbs used for numerous medicinal purposes still used in Belize today.
Gigantic mahogany, chicle, and palms trees outline the trail through the valley. Mahogany, the national tree of Belize, is used to build homes here because termites cannot chew the hardwood. Chicle trees produce sap used to make chewing gum.
In the midst of the rain forest, we peer over a rock wall, gasping at the landscape of leafy vines dangling from sky-scraping, white-limestone cliffs above the turquoise water. It is no wonder the Mayans thought of this place as sacred ground. Words cannot describe the beauty, and film cannot capture the essence in the air. I can't wait for our early-morning float down the tranquil river.
Before entering the first cave, we form a train with Louis, a short, stocky man with broad shoulders, as our engineer. He pulls the train while we lie back, relax, and use our headlamps to explore the cavern. Flowstone and crystals sparkle like sequins across the ceiling. Gentle rapids echo around us. Stalactites, stalagmites, columns, and bumpy mineral growths are scattered around the cathedral-size rooms. Approaching the outdoors, streams of sunlight beam through the opening, producing a rainbow across the top of the water. Once outside, we drift single file down shallow rapids, passing small dry caves that line the sun-drenched river.
In the next cave, the sun shining in a sinkhole from the ground above illuminates a jungle atrium with waterfalls splashing into the river.
At the end of the tubing adventure, a buffet lunch is offered at the Xibalba Bar and Grill for $5 per person. The mouth-watering menu consists of chicken thighs, burritos, Spanish rice, pineapple pasta salad, fried plantains, bean salad, garlic bread, muffins--banana coconut walnut or double chocolate rum--and drinks.
Cave tubing, the number-one attraction in Belize, is located in the western mountains, 1 hour and 10 minutes from Belize City, near Belmopan.
Make your reservations online early, as tours sell out quickly. If you are coming from a cruise ship, like we did, I highly recommend booking this tour on your own for a more personalized day. We made reservations with Belize Cruise Excursions ($60 per person).
TIP: If you are coming from a cruise ship, let the cruise tour director know ASAP that you want to be on the first tender upon your arrival in Belize.