Xunantunich & Cave Tubing Day Trip from San Ignacio
Description
Travel back in time and experience what life was like in the city of Xunantunich, one of Belize’s most popular Mayan sites. This tour from San Ignacio takes you to San Jose Succotz, a Maya-Mestizo village located close to the Western Border and delivers you on an old-fashioned, hand-cranked ferryboat to the magnificent ruins deep in the Belizean rainforest. Admire astronomical carvings at El Castillo (The Castle) and sweeping views of the Belize River Valley and neighboring Melchor de Mencos, Guatemala once you’ve climbed the steep pyramid steps to the top! Hotel pickup and drop-off within San Ignacio Town are included.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Travel back in time and experience what life was like in the city of Xunantunich, one of Belize’s most popular Mayan sites. This tour from San Ignacio takes you to San Jose Succotz, a Maya-Mestizo village located close to the Western Border and delivers you on an old-fashioned, hand-cranked ferryboat to the magnificent ruins deep in the Belizean rainforest. Admire astronomical carvings at El Castillo (The Castle) and sweeping views of the Belize River Valley and neighboring Melchor de Mencos, Guatemala once you’ve climbed the steep pyramid steps to the top! Hotel pickup and drop-off within San Ignacio Town are included.
Nohoch Cheʼen, or more commonly known as the caves branch, is a great tour if you’re looking for a relaxing and peaceful day. The expedition starts by gearing up with life jackets and safety tips. The tour then continues with a hike through a forest trail, at which point the group is given the option to shorten or extend the hike to get a longer viewing of the caves and a longer ride down the river, since it’s a large cave system. Along the trail, you sometimes encounter wildlife such as birds like the crested quetzal bird and other small creatures like the “lone coati” or coatimundi, small scavengers looking for nuts or fruits to eat. As the hike concludes, it's time to get into the water. Everyone is placed in their tubes and guided down the river and through caves. While in the cave, there are plenty of beautiful rock formations to view, and the river also provides some exciting rapids to pass through on the tubes.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
We provide complimentary pick up for hotels located within town limits, for hotels outside of town, we can arrange pick up at a small surcharge
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Wheelchair accessible
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Specialized infant seats are available
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- It is recommended you wear comfortable shoes and clothing
- Please note: a minimum of 2 passengers is required in order for this tour to operate. There is a possibility of cancellation after confirmation if there are not enough passengers to meet requirements. In the event of this occurring, you will be offered an alternative or full refund
- Bring reusable water bottle
Reviews(36)
Super fun day even in the rain! We enjoyed the ruins, the information our guide provided really colored in what we were seeing. The tubing was magical.
The tour was in two parts.We were lucky enough to have Edgar (Speedy) as our guide. What an energetic, knowledgeable, people loving young man. He is passionate about his Mayan Culture and the community he lives in. He was very hard working and attentive to our needs. The tour(s) are very well structured and make a full informative and enjoyable day. The lunch was great and we liked that it had been prepared by a local solo mum - just love this ethos. Edgar set a beautiful picnic table with her very delicious food. The air conditioned vehicle used for the tours was comfortable to travel in, immaculately presented and appropriated for the days activities. The equipment used was excellent. We also enjoyed Edgar's selection of music. The tour was excellent value for money, I highly recommend it.
My grandson and I had the best tour with Marvin and Leo! The history of the Mayans was so interesting. I learned so much. After a delicious lunch we started our trek up the hill for the cave tubing. I'm 75 years old and definitely not in the best of shape, but Leo stayed with me and encouraged me all the way up the hill. Once we got in the water it was everything I had imagined. The water felt great and the terrain was beautiful. Leo pointed out the different birds we saw. We then entered the cave and it was awesome! This was definitely the highlight of my trip to Belize.
This was a great tour!!! We had the best tour guide Marvin! He shared so much great information about the Maya ruins, the people and history- really fantastic! Loved the cave tubing!! So much fun and perfect after all of our touring of the ruins! The lunch was delicious! Highly recommend this tour!!!
The destination itself was beautiful and absolutely worth seeing, but the overall tour experience was not what I had hoped for. After doing a tour with MayaWalk, the bar was honestly set very high, and this one felt much more lackluster by comparison. Our guide seemed frustrated or irritated with me throughout the day, which made it hard to fully relax and enjoy the experience. I do not want this to come across as harsh, but the energy of the guide really does shape the whole day. One suggestion would be for the guide or company to either bring emergency water or clearly tell guests ahead of time exactly how much water to bring, especially when it is extremely hot. That would have made the day feel safer and more comfortable. The experience had beautiful moments, but I left wishing the tour felt more engaging, prepared, and welcoming.
This was a great all-day tour. A good way to experience the “inland” side of Belize. Totally worth it.
Omg this was so great! Angel was the PERFECT guide: he took his time, showing us things that other guides rushed past. There was a member of our group who struggled with balance so he was always there to hold her hand and help her across certain spots. Finally, he was so well informed: we learned so much about Mayan history as well as modern day Belize. We can't recommend him enough..
This experience was really nice and I totally recommend. I felt we didn’t really know the planning for the day so here is a big overview: - you will take a bus to Xunantunich (15min drive) and visit the site for about 2h - you will then go on another drive for 1h30 to the caves - once there, you will have lunch (homemade lunch, really nice), be able to change into swimsuits and leave for the caves (be sure to take water shoes and a t shirt that can go into water) - you will walk for about 25min with a tube both in forest and water and then go in the tube once in the cave - the cave tubbing is really nice and relaxing - then you go back to the changing rooms before jumping in the bus for the way back I didnt really know that before doing the tour but don’t forget walking shoes for Xunantunich visit (with sun cream) and water shoes and another t shirt for the cave tubing (shoes that you are confortable walking with and that can go into water). Enjoy !!
The Xuantunich ruins were amazing and the tubing was very fun. Our guide Edgar was very knowledgeable and kind. Highly recommend.
This was an awesome experience! Our guide, Angel, was fun and informative. He went out of his way to make sure everyone on the tour had the best time (even helping one of the other travellers propose <3 ) The lunch was absolutely delicious and the cave tubing exceeded all expectations. Highly recommend :)
