Cave Canoeing with Local Tour Guide

Exceptional and highly recommended, tremendous guide, and the caves an almost spiritual experience. Exceeded expectations.

Took our 3rd and final tour with Belize Caving Expeditions today. We used them for ATM cave, Tikal and Barton Creek. Received a small discount for booking multiple tours, but had to ask for the discount. Barton Creek may have been my favorite which was a surprise to me! We are normally all about action, excitement, physical activity and adrenaline rushes. ATM provided all of that. Barton Creek was none of that and yet a great day. Why did I prefer this day then? For everything great ATM was it was also touristy and full of people. The exact opposite of Barton Creek! We were the only 2 on our tour today with our guide. I believe we only encountered 3 other canoes during our time in the cave? Felt as if the entire cave was ours and ours only. Was such a peaceful day! The guide even did all the paddling. All we had to do was enjoy the cave, it’s beauty and the quiet! I would not recommend this tour if you get car sick, though. It’s an hour plus car ride that’s very rugged and in my opinion probably only meant for 4x4 vehicles. You will be jostled around so FYI! I personally would not take a rental car down this road. Too much opportunity for damage to the car and no cell signal to call for help. If you do, I would take nothing less than a SUV type vehicle. In addition to the extremely rough condition of the roads you also have a water crossing. Just before you reach the entrance there is a river that is often flowing over the road. Water levels were currently “normal” according to our guide so would assume this is typically the case with water over the road. Could easily navigate this with an SUV, but would not try in a small car. Remember, some times just because you can doesn’t mean you should! 😉. Hire a guide on this one!!! The drive for us was a lot of fun. Took us to an area we had not been to. Also drove us thru the Mennonite community, but ended up not being much to see there. The BC park itself was beautiful. You can swim at the cave entrance upon arrival before you begin your paddle in to the caves. We opted not to as it was too cold for us! Our guide said you could also opt to swim in the cave if you choose. Our favorite part of the cave tour was when we had to sit in the bottom of the canoe and lay back flat in order to fit under the low lying crevices. Added a slight element of adventure and fun. Time in actual cave is less than ATM. Don’t recall exact amount of time in this cave, though. If you are interested in caves, but ATM doesn’t sound right for you due to the hike to the cave, the swimming, etc then Barton Creek may very well be a good option for you. After the paddle we were provided chips and salsa, watermelon, waters or rum punch. There was a bar where you could order beer, soda and a small limited menu. Before returning us to where we were staying at Vanilla Hills Lodge our driver was kind enough to make a stop so we could grab a quick to go dinner and take back to our tree house in the jungle. Definitely recommend this tour for a lovely day!

My father and I took a canoeing trip to Barton Creek Cave guided by Abel. It was a once in a lifetime experience to travel so far into a cave and see the natural wonders. The trip was safe, comfortable and enjoyable and Abel gave us so much helpful and interesting history and scientific information about the cave. Belize Caving Expeditions provided round trip transport from our hotel, the whole process was easy and very fun!

Barton Creek Cave is a great stop for natural history buffs. We didn’t book ahead for the tour since it was off-season, but had no issues grabbing a guide and going in. Paddle a short distance to enter the cave. Our guide was very knowledgeable about the history of the cave and the country. We learned about chuk, the rain god and the influence of seasonal patterns on where settlements were established. Fascinating to experience true darkness inside, when we turned off our lights and just floated for a bit. Sensory heightening allowed us to really appreciate the water music (droplets from varying heights of the cave ceiling.) The water was crystal clear and COLD. Good to know: during the off-season, the snack, bar, etc., are not open. Pack your own snacks and drinks.