Río Secreto Nature Reserve from Playa del Carmen
Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Rating: 
Trip Type: Water Parks
Duration: 7 hours
Discover the splendor of Río Secreto Nature Reserve: Journey to the heart of a cenote, and in the silence of the underground cave, marvel at the cathedrals of stalactites and stalagmites formed over millions of years. As you wade your way through clear turquoise water, an expert guide explains the geological secrets behind these limestone formations and points out local flora and fauna. Out of the caves and back in the jungle, enjoy a tasty buffet lunch featuring Mayan cuisine. Round-trip transport from Playa del Carmen hotels is available.
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Discover the splendor of Río Secreto Nature Reserve: Journey to the heart of a cenote, and in the silence of the underground cave, marvel at the cathedrals of stalactites and stalagmites formed over millions of years. As you wade your way through clear turquoise water, an expert guide explains the geological secrets behind these limestone formations and points out local flora and fauna. Out of the caves and back in the jungle, enjoy a tasty buffet lunch featuring Mayan cuisine. Round-trip transport from Playa del Carmen hotels is available.
Enjoy hotel pickup from Playa del Carmen (if option selected) and the short ride to Río Secreto Nature Reserve, an ecotourism site open to a limited number of visitors and dedicated to preserving the natural state of the underground cave system found here.
Upon arrival, receive from your expert guide a safety briefing, and put on a wetsuit, life vest, water shoes and helmet with a headlight (provided).
Follow your guide through the jungle and down a winding staircase into the reserve’s underground caves. As you walk deeper into what feels like the center of the earth, note the growing silence, and hear only the plod of your feet on the limestone paths and the splash from your arms wading through the waters of the cenote. Watch your step as your guide leads you for more than a third of a mile (600 meters) through the labyrinth of cavernous chambers, noting the vegetation and small creatures you see along the way.
Stand amazed before the cave ceilings covered with icicle-shaped stalactites and the gravity-defying stalagmites growing upward from the cavern floor. Listen to your guide explain how water travels to these caves, triggering and developing these dramatic limestone formations. Now that you’ve witnessed this beautiful and mystical underworld, you can easily imagine how the ancient Mayans treated these caves as sacred, spiritual sites.
Enjoy your own quiet moment of meditation here when your guide asks your group to turn off all headlights. Focus on your heartbeat and the sound of water trickling down the stalactites into the pool of water in which you’re standing.
With a renewed sense of calm, hike upward out of the caves and back into the jungle. Return your safety gear at the reserve’s center and enjoy a buffet lunch featuring Mayan cuisine (provided). After lunch, relax on a hammock in the jungle before being transported back to your hotel.
Upon arrival, receive from your expert guide a safety briefing, and put on a wetsuit, life vest, water shoes and helmet with a headlight (provided).
Follow your guide through the jungle and down a winding staircase into the reserve’s underground caves. As you walk deeper into what feels like the center of the earth, note the growing silence, and hear only the plod of your feet on the limestone paths and the splash from your arms wading through the waters of the cenote. Watch your step as your guide leads you for more than a third of a mile (600 meters) through the labyrinth of cavernous chambers, noting the vegetation and small creatures you see along the way.
Stand amazed before the cave ceilings covered with icicle-shaped stalactites and the gravity-defying stalagmites growing upward from the cavern floor. Listen to your guide explain how water travels to these caves, triggering and developing these dramatic limestone formations. Now that you’ve witnessed this beautiful and mystical underworld, you can easily imagine how the ancient Mayans treated these caves as sacred, spiritual sites.
Enjoy your own quiet moment of meditation here when your guide asks your group to turn off all headlights. Focus on your heartbeat and the sound of water trickling down the stalactites into the pool of water in which you’re standing.
With a renewed sense of calm, hike upward out of the caves and back into the jungle. Return your safety gear at the reserve’s center and enjoy a buffet lunch featuring Mayan cuisine (provided). After lunch, relax on a hammock in the jungle before being transported back to your hotel.
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