Cave Kayaking V.i.V.
Overview
Available languages
5 hours
Mobile ticket
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.
Additional Info
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 10 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
cruise guest stay on ship time and arrive early, checkin with us as soon as possible , play more , arrive early
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
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
What‘s Included
Bring Refillable water bottles, avoid disposing water bottles
Kayak Portage
We Tour on Ship Time, arrive early and return to the dock with plenty of time to spare
molded heavy duty sit on top kayaks, single or tandem, paddles, PFDs, Helmets, jackets
Shared Transport by air-conditioned minivan
Alcoholic drinks (available to purchase)
Gratuities
Meeting and Pickup
Pickup points
Select a pickup point
What To Expect
for cruise passengers the tour starts 1 hour after the ship arrives in port. Kayak thru the Jaguar Paw caves with the Guides that know, as our ancestors did, thru the caves of the Caves Branch River. The Nohoc Chen Caves network with the Caves Branch River flowing thru the Caves. The lower 3 chambers are popularly seen by Cave-tubing, while the Crystal Clear upper chambers are mostly unexplored and seen only by those that choose this Kayaking Cave Tour. Explore more caves on a kayak. See the upper Caves and the Lower Caves. the opportunity to hike a 20 minute trail in the rainforest, paddle on a kayak thru the dark caves and see the wonderful caves at Nohoc Chen Park - see many formations. Spend time swimming in the Crystal-Clear water, surrounded by Crystallized Formations. We have guides and vans assigned to each ship that visits Belize, so purchase the 8 am tour, come ashore as early as possible when the ship tendering begins, the guides will be ready to start the tour within 1 hour from when the ship arrives. reserve now, Have no Fear reserve early, we cater to thousands of guest from all cruises, we tour the caves and return to the port ontime since 2012, see you soon.
Options
Cruise
Pickup included
Reviews
407 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor
Family fun.
Clay T,
Aug 9, 2025
- Viator
5.00Lotta fun! Nice to jump in the water. We have done the tubing and the kayaking, both are great. Kayaking provides more freedom / exploration.
Do the Kayak Thru the Caves !!! 10*************
Holly K,
Jun 15, 2025
- Viator
5.00On our recent Alaska cruise, we did every adventure excursion, and this topped everyone of those. Kayaking in the caves with Naz and. Abner was absolutely amazing. We were hesitant because of the long van ride to get to the caves, but that turned out to be a big positive. While Abner drove, Naz narrated the trip through the country and Belize City. He answered lots of questions and we learned more about Belize than if we would have gone on one of those bus tours. They even stopped the van and jumped out to pick a cashew nut and show us what it looks like when it’s growing. once we got to the site, they took extra care in outfitting the three of us with correctly, fitting helmets, life jackets, and paddles. Our canoes awaited us after our walk through the jungle. You do need shoes that can walk in the knee deep water and lots of stones. on our hike, Abner told us about plants and animals, stopping to point out different insects and amazing plant life. The trail was not hard at all, similar to a state park trail. Our kayaks were first class. My grandson had brought along his fancy camera and was going to leave it in the van, but Abner told him there would be great photo opportunities and he provided him a dry bag to take in the kayak. The picture opportunities were spectacular, including bats flying, tiny bats, bats roosting, and a toucan, the national bird of Belize. We left our stuff in the van, and it was completely safe. There is security all over the place. We saw the tubers and their expedition, and we were so glad we chose the kayaks. The tubers are all tied together and your guide pushes and pulls them down the river. It would be good for families with little children, though. A tip, that we learned, if you book the tubing through carnival, you have to carry your own tube through the jungle for about a mile. If you book with VIATAR, they have the tubes waiting for you at the riverbank. VIATAR was very conscience of getting us back to the cruise ship on time and were waiting for us when we got off the ship. I cannot say enough good things about this trip, and our guide.
Do this instead of tubing!
Angel H,
Jun 4, 2025
- Viator
5.00This was 100% worth doing. I loved it all. The tour guides taught about the area on the drive out there and stopped to get snacks at a gas station so they would be less expensive for us. On the ‘hike’ (it’s a walk and a 2 year old could do it, so if you’re worried about your abilities, this is not a problem), the guides stopped several times to show us some cool things like these little coconuts (which they broke open and we tasted), termites nests (which he stuck a stick into so we could taste if we wanted, apparently they are minty), a colony of leaf cutter ants (did not taste) and then my favourite, a tarantula hole where we could look in with our flash lights and see a tarantula (no, she wasn’t scary and did not attack us, but she did have an egg sac and it was very very cool). We crossed the river 3 times (bring appropriate footwear) and could cool off in the water. It helped so we weren’t sweaty and sticky. When we got to the kayaks, we loaded up and went the OPPOSITE way of all the tubers. They went down stream while we paddled into the back parts of the caves upstream. It was so dark that without the headlamps, we couldn’t see our hands in front of our faces. We saw a colony of bats (nope, again, they didn’t attack anyone), and then pulled off to take a swim and jump off the rocks which was so refreshing. When we exited the upstream caves, we were back where the tubers were and made our way down the same as the tubers. The people in tubes were all tied together floating and relaxing but having no control over where they went or how long they stopped. With the kayaking tour, I could explore and go at my pace. The pace was very manageable even for those of us who don’t kayak much. Not too much of a current so it was easy. My husband and I both commented on how much of a better experience it was kayaking and were glad we chose that instead of tubing, although I’m sure tubing was good, just this was even better. When we got back, we got on the bus/van and had preordered a Belizian lunch to eat on the way home. Rice/beans, stewed chicken and plantain with a drink for $10 USD. The chicken was dry but flavourful and the rice/beans were good but the plantain was delicious! The tour guides were great. Very fun and informative. Abner (pretty sure that was his name) is of Mayan decent and I loved learning as we went instead of just walking quietly for 30 min. If I could give a higher rating, I would. This was certainly the best excursion we did. 100% worth doing this, especially over tubing.
We were on a cruise that...
Kyle H,
Apr 14, 2025
- Viator
5.00We were on a cruise that had delayed tendering to port due to ocean conditions but the guides waited for us and were able to put together a great experience within the time constraint we had to deal with. Friendly and fun to talk with during the drive and shared a lot of laughs!
Great Excursion- Third time for us!
Robb M,
Apr 11, 2025
- Viator
5.00It's a very fun and unique experience. The caves are an amazing, like being in another world. The kayaks are far better than tubing. This was our third time to take this excursion and we have enjoyed it each time.
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