I just got back from a week in Belize, and our group of 6 went cave tubing. There was a long hike through the jungle, and one of our group is almost 7 months pregnant. The hike wasn't exactly strenuous, but the narrow mud path was very slippery and there were lots of opportunities to slip in the mud, trip over a branch, fall into a hole or off the trail, etc. One needs to wear good hiking boots or those scuba shoes with good traction. I wore Teva's, and most others wore sandals, which survived, but were not the best footwear. Load up on bugspray, a good meal and lots of water before starting the hike. Anything you carry/wear will get wet, and there are no garbage cans in the jungle. The hike was about 90 minutes, the tubing down the river about 40, the ride back to the nearest restaurant (Cheers) about 30. Then there's the hour ride back to Belize City, and in our case, the 15 minute flight back to AC. We all wore shorts and t-shirts over bathing suits, and there was minimum humidity - quite surprising. That said, the experience was fantastic. Our guide was a full Mayan and had grown up in the area. He explained all the plants, animals, and insects in the jungle, and gave us fresh wild rhubarb. Great for thirst and hunger. The caves were awesome, the scenery amazing, and I'd do it again!

Alyse

Nice report Alyse, and who did you book that wonderful day through?

Thanks Alyse! Too bad I don't have any hiking shoes! LOL. What did you wear while tubing? Did you need a wetsuit? What did you do with your shirts and shorts while tubing?

We booked the trip through Searious. We paid $135 each, and they didn't charge the 5% service fee for using a credit card. The price was about $5-$10 less than most places, they are all in the same range.

You don't need a wetsuit at all. A dive shop had recommended we rent them, but we decided it was probably overkill. The river is cool, not cold, and we were in the caves for about 15 minutes. We kept our shorts and t-shirts/tank tops on over our bathing suits. All of our group were wearing swimshort things, which dry quickly. Whatever shoes you wear will be stained with red mud if the trail is wet. A few of us were bitten by ants on our feet, but no big deal. Load up on bug spray before you start!

BTW, I posted a full trip report at //ambergriscaye.com/message/Forum4/HTML/003835.html

The one thing we weren't able to do on this trip was horseback ride. They have horses at Maruba Jungle Spa, but they were all rented out the day we were there

I was in Banana Bank about a month ago for a mission trip that I went on with people from all over the U.S. It was a really neat experince for me and something that you will NEVER forget!! The horse back ride was alot of fun, you dont have to know everything about a horse but you just need to pay attention because there a big vines and things through the jungle and you dont want to get caught in them. Also when we went the water was very high and we had to cross through knee deep water so i would take an old pair of jeans with you. Remember DONT DRINK THE WATER IN THE HUTS!!!!! Hope you have a great trip!!