Xunantunich and Cave Tubing Tour – The Best Belize Excursion

The Mayan civilization at Xunantunich flourished primarily during the Classic Period, which spanned from approximately 250 to 900 AD. The name Xunantunich means “Stone Woman” in the Maya language, derived from a local legend about a ghostly figure that appears near the site’s main pyramid. The most prominent structure at Xunantunich is El Castillo, a massive pyramid that rises about 130 feet above the surrounding jungle. Unfortunately, the Mayans had to evacuate this area due to 200 years of drought.

Xunantunich Ruins Tour

The tour guide will help you understand the daily life and experience of Mayans in Xunantunich. Some of the ruins that have been uncovered display Mayan houses and you can see where beds, stoves and saunas existed. There are also plazas, temples, ball courts, and the most prominent structure, The Castle. You will get an opportunity to climb to the top of The Castle and take in the incredible views! I also enjoyed learning the history of some of the hieroglyphs that have been preserved. Ultimately, these ruins are really impressive and you get a good sense of Mayan civilization packed into a small area.

Driving from Xunantunich Ruins to the Cave Tubing

Once you finish the tour of the Xunantunich Mayan Ruins, you hop in the van for the longest drive of the day. Thankfully our guide made a stop at a convenience store so we could pick up beers, ice cream and any other snack for the drive. It took about 1.5 hours to drive from the ruins to the cave tubing spot. At this point you will probably be hungry so it is great that there is a delicious meal ready to go when you arrive. I enjoyed the chicken with rice and beans before we geared up (life jackets & helmet headlamps) and started the Cave tubing portion of the day.

Belize Cave Tubing

The cave system is called Nohoch Che’en Caves branch but most people refer to it as the Jaguar Cave System. These caves are unique because a slow flowing river passes through them making it the perfect spot for cave tubing. The adventure begins with a 30 minute walk. The trail is flat and easy and crosses through the river a couple times.  Elio made this walk exciting by showing us some of the flora and fauna along the way. We were able to try termites, sour sap and a few other leaves. By the time we reached the start point we were hot and ready to get in the water.

Entering the Cave System

Thankfully we did not have to carry our tubes on the walk. They were waiting for us at the start of the caves. We got to swim in the crystal clear pool for a few minutes before hoping into our tubes. I visited during May and it was one of the driest parts of the year so water levels were very low and the current was extra slow. We managed to float individually through the first section, but then Elio hooked our tubes all together and swam us the rest of the way.

The cave is so cool as you enter the bigger, darker section. It felt similar to being on a Disneyland ride because we were able to soak in the surroundings while our guide pulled us along and explained the intricacies of the cave. The stalactites and stalagmites are massive and really cool to check out in the cave. After about 30 minutes Elio pulled us over to a little waterfall and explained that we would be doing a little detour deeper into the cave.

Exploring Deeper into the Jaguar Paw Caves

We left our tubes back at the river and proceeded towards the turquoise waters of the Cenote. Here we got to do a mini rock jump and start our journey into the cave. The walk wasn’t difficult, but you have to take caution because it can be slippery. There were also some areas where we needed to climb over rocks. Our guide always helped us and made sure we felt comfortable. Once you get deeper into the cave the crystal formations become really incredible. It felt like we were in the underworld and we even got to see Mayan artifacts that would have been used in ceremonies.

One of the coolest parts of exploring deep into this cave was when we reached the furthest point that we were able to go (technically it went on for miles more). Our guide asked us to turn off our lights and any electronics with light. Suddenly it was completely pitch black. I could not see a thing and there was no change in blackness whether I opened or closed my eyes. I thought this was so cool.

Returning to our tubes

The way back to our tubes went a bit faster because we were mostly swimming through the pools. The last section was really cool because we entered a bit of a tunnel formed by the stalactites. This whole adventure was such a surprise addition to the tour and I am so glad it was included because the cave was amazing. It is crazy that most of the tour groups completely skip this spot! One of the main reasons to book your tour with St. Leonard’s Tours

Cave Tubing in Belize

We returned to our tubes and linked up into our group again. Elio got his workout in for the day swimming our group of 6 through the rest of the cave. It is awe inspiring how beautiful the formations are in the cave. We were all sad when we started to see the light at the end of the tunnel signaling the end was near. Once we exited the cave we had a few more minutes of floating down the river surrounded by the lush forest. It felt nice to warm up a bit after being in the chilly cave.

Returning to San Ignacio

After we exited the water, we carried our tubes 5 minutes back to the parking lot. Here we got changed our of our wet clothes before starting the journey back to San Ignacio. Everyone was definitely tired after a big day, but we were all so stoked on what we had experienced! The Xunantunich and Cave Tubing was definitely the best thing to do in Belize.