About cave tubing in Belize?

Question

I'm planning a cruise that stops in Belize and have heard about cave tubing. But I understand there is a loooooong walk in rain forest to do it. How long and strenuous is the trek? Is the zip-line tour any better; less or more strenuous? My wife has some back problems and trouble walking long distances.

Answer 1

Go to CruiseCritic.com, click on "Boards", then go to "Ports of Call" and see what experienced cruisers think about the various excursions in all of your ports of call.

The cave tubing and zip-lining are both quite a ways away from the port [which you have to tender into] and the tubing has a pretty long hike uphill.  I know people who have done both and thought they were excellent.  

When we went to Belize, we did a ship's excursion to Goff's Caye to snorkel and it was fantastic.  We don't usually do ship's tours, but the boat picked us up right at the ship, so we didn't have to tender in to shore and then go back out again, saving a lot of time.

Answer 2

I went on a singles  cruise and did the zip line tour Great by the way. and a bunch of friends did the cavetubing and loved it.  We all booked through this company heres some info on what they say about it but go to the site and check out all the stuff they offer for Belize (shoretrips.com)

The zipline has 1 or 2  steep ladders and Not sure how that would feel on her back.  If its real minor the zipline might be better theres a ladder in the middle thats small but scary to me cause you are so high up and at the end you just zip straight down its a rush.

http://www.shoretrips.com/common/search3...

Once you arrive, you will spend approximately 30-45 minutes walking the trail to the first of 2 cave systems, tube in hand and flashlight on your head. Now for the easy part. Relax and just float through the cave systems, one leading into the other, viewing the sights as you pass in and out of areas from pitch black to filtered sunlight.

Pools of sapphire blue water carry you on this unbelievable journey downstream. After an hour and a half of tubing, you will have worked up an appetite and you won't be disappointed.

Restrictions

You must be in good physical condition to take this tour. You will be walking along a trail for 30-45 minutes and balancing an inner tube. This trail can sometimes be muddy, due to recent rains. The minimum age to take this tour is 5 years old. The maximum age is 75 and you MUST be in good physical condition.

Answer 3

I have done both. My wife has knee problems and didn't have any trouble with the walk. Yes, it can take a half hour plus, but the pace is casual. We stop and look at cave drawings, interesting plant life, etc. Either way, cave tubing is one of the best Caribbean excursions.

The zip-line could just as easily be an issue for back trouble because of the way people hang from the line, get off the line and onto the next tree, etc. But it's an exciting experience as well.

Both activities are moderately strenuous. The guides below describe both experiences.