Caves Branch

On Tuesday we headed into the heart of Belize to visit Caves Branch. Led by our amazing guide, Ivar, we drove to St. Herman’s Blue Hole National Park (The Nohoch Che’en Reserve) to tube down Caves Branch River. Although it was actually a different activity than what was originally planned, this was my personal favorite stop of the entire trip due to the immersion of both Belizean nature and history. We changed into swimsuits and geared up with life jackets, headlamps, and helmets. This was no lazy river: the Caves Branch River tunnels straight through the mountains.


We started with a hike through the beautiful rainforest. Ivar was able to show off his incredible knowledge of the flora and fauna. There wasn’t a tree, bird, snake, or rock that he didn’t know the name and history of. The dense forest was overflowing with life and energy, and I’m so thankful to have been able to visit a tropical rainforest in my lifetime.


The end of the trail was the entrance to the cave. The area looked straight out of an Indiana Jones movie! We tied together all of our tubes and floated into the cave. Stalactites formed over thousands of years reached down to stalagmites that mirrored them on the floor. Once the river bended and the light from the entrance was blocked, we were in complete darkness. Using flashlights, Ivar shared with us the stories of the shadows cast by rock formations in the cave. Ancient Mayans believed that caves were entrances to the underworld, so they would bravely venture into them with torches and recognize the gods in the shapes of the shadows. Despite the 2000+ year gap in between us, we were able to experience the same journey as the Mayans.


- Katie W
Location: Caves Branch, Belize

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