Altun Ha and Cave Tubing Tour: Explore Mayan City Ruins and River Cave Tubing in Belize
5.0
45 Ratings
Belize City

This tour, lasting six hours, will guide you through Altun Ha, an old Mayan city’s remains situated in Belize. It also presents the chance to experience cave tubing within the Branch Rivera Caves.

Duration: 6 hours
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • Belize City - This tour will take you to visit a Mayan ruin where you can learn about a great civilization that inhabited Belize over 3,000 years ago. Journey through the Mayan underworld, tubing through underground caves over 175,000 years old as your headlights reveal many untouched crystal formations below the surface of the earth.

Altun Ha was first settled somewhere around 250 BC, with construction of the buildings beginning in 100 AD and continuing throughout the Classic Period that ended in the 10th century. Some 10,000 Mayans lived in and around Altun Ha, which was a significant trading center as evidenced by the large amounts of jade and obsidian excavated here in the early sixties and seventies.

  • Altun Ha - Altun Ha Tour: spanning a 25 square mile area roughly an hour from Belize City, Altun Ha is made up of two central plazas surrounded by towering temples that enclose the palm strewn land. The larger of the two plazas, Plaza A, is the site of a mysterious tomb discovered beneath one of the temples called Temple of the Green Tomb. Jade, jewelry, flints and skins are among the three hundred remnants that were unearthed here.

Cave tubing provides thrills to suit nearly any age and fitness level. After a brief 30-minute hike to the entrance of the cave, inner tubes are used to float along the Caves Branch River.

Hear the echo of your own voice bounce off the distant walls. Listen to the water dripping from the ceiling, creating spectacular formations in the stunning chambers. And while you might be expecting dark and claustrophobic passageways, you are likely to find enormous chambers and cathedral-sized rooms.

You will be driven back to your hotel or cruise port at the end of the tour.

What's Included
  • Bottled water provided
  • Expert driver/guide included
  • Goods and Services Tax (GST) covered
  • All local taxes included
  • Fuel surcharges taken care of
  • Access to all activities
What's Not Included
  • Lunch
  • Gratuities
  • Alcoholic drinks (available to purchase)
Additional Information
  • Child rate applies only when sharing with 2 paying adults
  • At time of booking, cruise ship passengers must provide the following information at time of booking: ship name, docking time, disembarkation time and re-boarding time
  • Vegetarian option is available, please advise at time of booking if required
  • A minimum of 2 people per booking is required
  • Please dress appropriately for this tour
Location
8 Fort St
Fort Street
Cruise ship passengers are advised to try to get off the ship as soon as possible. When you get off your tender please go to Terminal # 1 and exit from the glass door. As you exit you will see a representative holding a sign showing your individual or group name.
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
5.0
(45 Ratings)
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1 star
Dianna
Mar 6, 2024
Private is the way to go! - My husband and I flew in to Belize City and overnighted near the ferry. Our plan was to do this tour and then take the ferry to Caye Caulker at the end of the day. We decide to go with the private tour because we were concerned about timing and making sure we made it back in time for the last ferry. It worked out perfectly! Dorian picked us up from our hotel in a nicely air conditioned vehicle and we were able to store our luggage in it. At the end of the day he dropped us off directly at the ferry terminal. Couldn’t have been easier! We started at Alun Ha which was about an hour drive from the city, He did a great job explaining the history and pointing out the perfect photo opportunities. Since it was a private tour, we were able to go at our own pace. Turns out that climbing one pyramid was enough for me 😜 After that it was about 80 minutes to our next stop for the cave tubing. We had a tasty lunch at a little restaurant that was in the park where the cave tubing was. The chicken and rice was included in the tour though the restaurant had other menu items so I’m sure they could accommodate special dietary needs. There was a bar that you could pay extra for adult beverages. We were a little surprised that the cave tubing portion of our tour was not private. We joined two sisters from NY and our guide was Paul for that part of the tour. The sisters were sweet and the group was still very small so it worked out just fine. There were facilities to change clothes at the park, which I wish we knew about in advance. It was about a 30 minute walk on a well groomed trail carrying your tubes to the launch point. Anything you bring on the water will get wet. The tubing experience was very gentle and so beautiful. After we got out of the water, there were some howler monkeys putting on quite the show. Overall a great experience! This adventure is offered by a lot of companies but I definitely think that paying a little more to make it private was well worth it!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
James_m
Mar 3, 2024
A Great Guide Makes for the Best Experience - My wife and I booked this tour for the day our cruise was petted in Belize City. It was a shorter than average day for us in Belize City due to the need to tender to/from the ship. So we got off the ship early where we met Paul. Our tour guide for the day. After loading into his very comfortable minivan we were on our way to Altun Ha. Along the way I explained to Paul that the last tender to the ship was 3:15 PM. So with this in mind Paul made sure we had time to enjoy the ruined Mayan city of Altun Ha, underground cave tubing (a must do experience), and still have a little time to buy a few handmade souvenirs from the locals before whisking us back to our ship with about half an hour to spare. Job well done! Thanks Paul 🙏
Review provided by Viator
Lindsay_b
Mar 10, 2023
Flacco and cave tours do it!!! - Flacco was amazing. He knew everything from natural bio, diverse species of animals and plants and stopped to show us tracks of tapir even on the cave tour. He was very sweet when we were running a little behind and needed to get back to the ship he made it happen, he was really a fun tour guide to be with. I would highly recommend Flacco. If you can request him you should! Sincerely mom and 18 year old
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David
Feb 24, 2023
Brilliant day. Excellent host - Fantastic trip! Our guide, Dorian reassured us he would wait while the tender dropped us to the terminal, Dorian managed to squeeze in 3 activities including tubing through the caves, zip lining in the jungle and a visit the ruins at Altun Ha. Dorian was very knowledgable and an excellent host. Thoroughly recommended!
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Cjuneholl
Jan 27, 2023
Great Way to spend the day in Belize! - Our group of nine really enjoyed the Altun Ha and Cave Tubing Tour that Dorian and Paul provided. They were professional, knowledgeable and affable. When our ferry from Ambergris Caye arrived later than expected, they recommended we switch our tour order to avoid the crowds from the cruise ships. They displayed that level of accommodation and flexibility throughout the day. They were intent on ensuring we got our money's worth. Definitely recommend!
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Christinar305
Jul 16, 2022
Unbelizable! - This was a remarkable experience. We cruised in, got off late, the company reached out to us (even though we were unreachable thanks to the horrible Wi-Fi on the ship) and even waited for us!! We were so thankful they were still available to take us on our journey. Paul was our guide. He was everything and more the other reviewers talk about. He showed us his Belize, we went to Altun Ha, Cave tubing, and stopped at Amigos for lunch it was the most enjoyable day!
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Dinah_p
Jan 31, 2022
Best day in Belize! - Everything was stellar! Our guide Paul was exceptional! He stayed with us, let us know what was going on, was very knowledgeable and even recommended a perfect spot for lunch. He was so wonderful we asked him to join us! The ruins were perfect for moderate activity and you could climb to the top.... if you were feeling an extra burst of energy. Sandles are perfect for the hike in to the river and the caves were beyond anything I've ever seen before. There's nothing I would add...or change!
Review provided by Viator
Karen_m
Dec 29, 2021
Fantastic adventure!! - All was great. The cave tubing was especially fantastic and so relaxing. This was one of the coolest family adventures we’ve ever experienced. The drive through the country side to the different activities was also relaxing. Paul w/ Private Adventures was an awesome and hospitable guide and very punctual picking us up at our hotel! If you are planning to have the guide drive you to the airport for a flight to one of the cayes, afterwards, make your flight reservation from the smaller municipal airport, only because it’s easier and less expensive to fly after the activities (suggested by tour operator).
Review provided by Viator
Ronap388
Dec 18, 2021
Altun Ha/cave tubing excellence! - Our guide, Paul, was very knowledgeable about both the caves that we tubed in and Altun Ha. He also knew to get to the caves before the cruise ship tours arrived. He knew local artists and vouched for them and had a great recommendation for lunch. We had such a good time!
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Dmbrown11
Jan 25, 2020
Great Sights and Knowledgeable Guide - Paul was a fantastic guide, and we had a great time on this excursion. Unfortunately, our cave tubing experience was canceled due to weather, but Paul pivoted quickly and we visited the Howler Monkey Reserve which was much better than I anticipated. The monkey climbed down out of the trees and onto our shoulders. We were supposed to do Altun Ha first, but Paul noticed the weather pattern and changed plans so that we were able to accomplish both experiences with little rain. Altun Ha was beautiful. Paul showed us around and discussed the history. We also go to try some Governor's plums. Finally, we stopped at a small restaurant on the way back that was great. I had some stewed chicken, beans, and rice that may have been my favorite meal on the trip.
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up to 15 guests
2 Adult
June 2024
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