Day Trip To Crystal Cave and Blue Hole National Park

My 60 year old father and I did the Crystal Caves tour with guides Marcos and Jose. What an incredible journey! I suspected it was going to be challenging but I still underestimated the amount of physical prowess needed! That being said, I never felt unsafe and it was great to get down and dirty and feel challenged (ATM felt like a Disneyland kid ride compared to this). We were 1 of 2 groups down in the cave so it felt very private, in contrast to ATM where we were shoulder to shoulder waiting in line at some bottlenecks. At some point our group split in 2, 1 turned back and 1 continued on to Wonderland, based on skill/ability to descend into the harder to access parts of the cave. I am infinitely grateful to Jose who led us down to Wonderland and shared his intimate love of caving and ‘extreme adventure’ with us along the way. My experience would not have been complete without making the descent to Wonderland! Jose was so kind and patient and exuded passion for caving and rescue. My father thinks this tour should come with a more robust warning about the physical ability required to reach Wonderland- I think if you’re just slightly above average physical fitness level, you would be fine, but it takes mental fortitude as well! And even if you’re an exceptional rock climber, still expect to be covered in mud by the end-there are tight spaces you have to slide through. Bring 3-4L of water per person, and plenty of snacks too. I highly recommend (if you are physically able) to ask your guide to take you to wonderland- they may not if you do not specifically request. They may even say ‘no’ if your group is too slow! But the experience overall was unforgettable and I encourage everyone to request Jose for this tour!

This was one of the coolest things I have ever done in my life. Words can't capture how amazing it is to be deep inside a cave formed millions of years ago and used as a special ceremonial location by the Mayan people. Truly amazing. This tour is strenuous. We slid down rocks and mud on our backsides. You will need to use your hands and upper body strength as leverage as you descend into the cave and your hands get muddy immediately. It was very slick and you need to be somewhat athletic to complete this. Our group split up about 45 minutes into the cave as one person was not recommended to complete the entire cave due to their abilities. I stayed with the slower group as I didn't feel comfortable picking up my pace. Our group still got to see the major sites like the human remains and ashes from ceremonies and pottery. Our climb back out of the cave was slow but we had lunch right after we arrived back at the parking lot at 2:30. There is a 30 minute hike to and from the cave. You will need good bug spray for the mosquitoes for the hike and for the parking lot area. The other group returned at 4pm and ate lunch and we departed. You need good hiking boots for this tour with good grip. You need good hiking / climbing pants to slide around in and will be in contact with rocks. You need long sleeves as your forearms will be useful as leverage. We were told to bring 2L of water each, snacks, a camera or phone for pictures, and bug spray only into the cave. I would bring some quick energy (sugar) and some other snacks to have along the tour to keep your energy up. I would try to bring the smallest backpack or bag possible as there are some really tight squeezes in the cave and even sometimes you will have to wear the bag on your front or pass it down to someone else while you squeeze through a tiny rock opening. You and your backpack will get very very dirty so also bring a full change of clothes. Our group didn't go swimming after but I don't think anyone was too upset about that. There are no bathroom spots in the cave so we used the "facili-trees" beforehand so bring some toilet paper and a trash bag for your trash. Our tour guide was Marcos and Jose. Jose stayed with the faster group and Marcos stuck with us and he was absolutely incredible. So patient and helpful and encouraging. He clearly knows a lot about the Mayans and happily shared so much detail. I can tell he really loves to share his culture with us and I really appreciate it. Marcos made this tour very special and amazing.

We were told afterwards that this is the most difficult cave to visit in Belize. The driver Ashton was right on time and very engageable fellow as we were driving to the cave and back. Walter was our guide and he certainly knows a lot about Belize and caving. The hike from the parking lot is pretty strenous and muddy and then definitely you want to be fit to enter and descend into the cave as it is pretty slippery and good footwear and arm strength is required. This is not walk down some stairs stuff. We were the only 3 people in the cave. Some tight spots and this is full on spelunking and bouldering. Still my partner is 67 years old and she did okay and I am 63 and we came back out happy and really dirty. It all washed out okay later. Lots of interesting formations. Good lunch afterwards and nice to go swimming.