Caves Branch River Tubing

If you're looking for a lazy, relaxing day or a rather unusual adventure, this is the activity for you! The Caves Branch River flows in and out of a series of limestone caves, and it is possible to ride inner tubes down the river. There are several entry points for accessing the river, each involving a certain amount of hiking. The paths are relatively cool and pleasant, but just warm enough to make you want to get in the river! The tour can be lengthened or shortened, depending on how far you want to hike and how long you want to be in the river. We hiked for about 45 minutes, and floated down the river for about an hour and a half. That was plenty for us. There were other groups that had gone out earlier and hiked further, and they seemed like the ready to get out! There are also mixed wet/dry caves, where you can ride in the river for a bit, then get out and explore a cave, and then go back to the river. Ask your tour guide when booking!

The river is not very deep in the dry season, an average height person could probably stand at most places. The current is also not very swift, at least along the lower part of the river, which together makes for a very relaxing trip. We were very glad we did this after hiking Xunantunich and Tikal the previous two days - it gave our tired legs a rest!

There are many different companies that will run cave tubing tours. Locally, Ian Anderson's Caves Branch lodge and the Jaguar Paw resort seem to be the primary outlets, but tours can also be booked from the various tour companies in San Ignacio, Belize City and the Cayes. It's easiest to book the tours from the mainland, where it is only about a one hour drive to the Caves Branch River. Booking from the Cayes additionally involves getting to the mainland, and is sometimes combined with another trip (for example, the Mayan city of Xunantunich in the morning and cave tubing in the afternoon). As of March 2008, cave tubing by itself cost about $60 per person from the mainland.