Barton Creek Cave Canoeing and Big Rock Falls Combo: Ancient Maya Burial Site to Scenic Waterfall
4.9
16 Ratings
San Ignacio
Embark on a personalized adventure through the ancient Maya burial site of Barton Creek Cave and the scenic Big Rock Falls. Enjoy a slow-paced, educational, and fun-filled day tour with convenient hotel pick-up and drop-off.
Duration: 7 hours
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • Barton Creek Cave Reserve - This archaeological site is about one hour from San Ignacio and requires about four hours from beginning to end. The drive to the cave is very scenic, passing through a few Maya Villages along the way. It is only accessible by canoe and requires minimal physical activity as you glide along gently. Formations of stalactites and stalagmites found inside are remarkable. Evidence of use by the Maya exists on ten ledges within the first kilometer of passage. Pottery shards indicate use between the Early Classic (200 to 600 AD) to the Late Classic (600 to 900 AD) periods. The remains of at least 28 humans have been found within the cave. This tour is slow paced, educational, and fun for all ages.
What's Included
  • Expert-guided tour
  • Complimentary bottled water
  • Tasty snacks provided
  • Delicious lunch included
  • Convenient hotel pickup and drop-off (selected hotels)
What's Not Included
  • Gratuities
Additional Information

Small groups for a personalized experience. Convenient pick up and drop off at your hotel within 20km of San Ignacio town.

This combination tour includes a visit to The Barton Creek Cave and Big Rock Waterfall located in the Mountain Pine Ridge Forest Reserve. Barton Creek Cave was once an ancient Maya burial site. It is only accessible by canoe and requires minimal physical activity as you glide along gently. The drive to the cave is very scenic, passing through a few Maya Villages along the way.

This tour is slow paced, educational, and fun for all ages. After the Cave tour is complete we drive to Big Rock Falls located approximately forty-five minutes away; a great swimming spot.

This combo tour is a full day tour that leaves from San Ignacio at 8:30am and returns at 4:00pm. Lunch is included.

  • Child rate applies only when sharing with 2 paying adults
  • Children must be accompanied by an adult
  • Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately
Location
Cayo Welcome Center & Tourist Information Center
Your driver guide will be holding a sign with your name so that you can easily recognize each other. We will meet at the bus terminal located at the Welcome Center, Downtown San Ignacio.
Cancellation Policy

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

Customer Ratings
4.9
(16 Ratings)
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Crusher22
May 7, 2024
Yes, you want to do this - To call this amazing is still underrating it. Our guide (Dimas) brought history to life as he lead our group through the incredible cave. Being able to canoe among the relics and then swim in the beautiful lagoon, a lunch that was so tasty we fought over the chicken, and a guide who could literally identify all the flora, fauna, and cave formations was fantastic. It’s also relaxing compared to the tour of Tikal 😉
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Radenes
Apr 29, 2024
A Mayan Cultural Experience Must-Do - We used Mike's Tours for canoeing Barton Creek Cave. Our tour guide has been doing this for many years and was a wealth of knowledge concerning the Mayan sacrificial rituals. It was a private tour, with just the 3 of us in the canoe, not having to navigate around other canoes or listening to distant chatter. I was amazed at the height of the cave in some areas and the huge stalactites/stalagmites. An experience I would do again, if given the chance.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Laurie_g
Apr 10, 2024
Perfection! - This was a fantastic tour! Excellent value. Our tour guide Josh was knowledgeable and friendly and made everything so easy. The inside of the caves were mystical, the lunch was outstanding, and we had plenty of time to swim at the waterfall.
Review provided by Viator
Davidhp9047qz
Apr 8, 2024
Cavefabulous! - Great guide, O’Neil took us into the cave to witness cave formations alone with Mayan history and artifacts. Incredible local lunch of stewed chicken with rice and beans before taking a refreshing dip at Bog Rock Falls. Excellent day!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
S
Dec 25, 2023
Awesome experience in San Ignacio - I highly recommend this tour if you want to explore caves and a waterfall but are not up for ATM and neck high water. Leo was my guide, and he was so knowledgeable. Exploring the caves via canoe was so much fun and incredibly interesting. Lunch is typical Belize food followed by a bumpy journey to the waterfall. Be mindful of the terrain. You have the option of swimming on the water near the falls. Outstanding experience!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Dream579156
Nov 1, 2023
so much fun! - David our guide was amazing. Very knowledgeable and personable. We enjoyed the day and he even help me on the climb up from the falls. Highly recommend David for this tour! You could tell he was proud to be guide and he was very professional. . Thanks David!!!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Cara
Jun 29, 2023
Great Must Do Tour in Belize - This tour and tour company is so great! The guides are friendly and the experience was everything you could ask for. The caves are an amazing experience and the falls are great. I am so glad I read a book that recommended this path less traveled. The place they take you to for lunch was so good too! was our guide and he is friendly and helpful. I really felt comfortable the whole time. We have 3 tours with Cayo Inland and they have all been great. Having been to 40+ countries and booked a lot of tours, I can say they are some of the best.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Mattrj8182fs
Aug 12, 2022
Barton Creek Caves - We (myself, my wife and daughters aged 10 and 14) went to Barton Creek Caves only on a half day tour. Onil, the guide was excellent- really knowledgeable about the caves, the area around them and Belize in general. We all really enjoyed the trip. The service we had from Cayo Inland expeditions was excellent, and the price was good. I have already recommended them to other people.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jessicatl4382ml
Mar 26, 2022
Don’t hesitate to book with CAYO INLAND EXPEDITIONS - Let me first say that the trip itself is such a beautiful drive and once there, even the sight of the cave cannot be done justice through pictures. This is such a laidback activity—perfect for your first day after arriving if you’re not quite ready to scale pyramids or trek through the forests. Now onto our specific experience with Cayo Inland Expeditions. On the surface, this company provides the same service as many others and I have been hard pressed to find a bad guide in our previous trips to Belize. That said, the guides in this company are the best we have ever come across. Their knowledge of the sites is first rate. Their willingness to slow down or speed up according to our needs left us with a completely customized experience. The seamlessness of pickups and drop-offs maximized our time seeing the wonders of Belize without any waiting around. At the site itself, my children were more interested in the surrounding flora and fauna—so our guide easily transitioned to biology expert and took the time to show us specifics about leaf cutter ants and the surrounding flowers. In the van ride, we enjoyed a wealth of conversation—everything from local economics to Chicago winters. And when we got tired and just wanted to lay our heads back in silence—they accommodated that as well. It was a wonderful, worthwhile experience with the best company we’ve ever worked with.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Siratorp
Dec 19, 2021
Highly recommendable - Awe-inspiring. The cave was beautiful and massive, the water was still and clear. It’s easy to understand why the Mayans considered this a place of the gods.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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May 2024
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