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Xunantunich Tour: A Full Day of Adventure from San Ignacio
5.0
259 Ratings
Xunantunich
Embark on a full day of adventure from San Ignacio with a Xunantunich Tour. Explore ancient Maya ruins, go cave tubing, and enjoy a delicious lunch at Jaguar Paw.
Embark on a full day of adventure from San Ignacio with a Xunantunich Tour. Explore ancient Maya ruins, go cave tubing, and enjoy a delicious lunch at Jaguar Paw.
Duration:
11 hours
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
-
Xunantunich - The guide will meet guests at their hotel in San Ignacio Town and drive approximately 20 minutes to Xunantunich for a guided tour lasting about 1 to 2 hours.
After the tour, there will be a drive of approximately 1.5 hours to Nohoch Che’en Caves, also known as “Jaguar Paw,” where a delicious homemade lunch will be served. - **Nohoch…
- Xunantunich - The guide will meet guests at their hotel in San Ignacio Town and drive approximately 20 minutes to Xunantunich for a guided tour lasting about 1 to 2 hours.
After the tour, there will be a drive of approximately 1.5 hours to Nohoch Che’en Caves, also known as “Jaguar Paw,” where a delicious homemade lunch will be served.
- Nohoch Che’en Caves Branch Archaeological Reserve - Enjoy an approximately 1-hour drive from Xunantunich to the cave tubing park, where a Belizean lunch will be provided. Afterward, guests will pick up the tubing gear and walk for 30 minutes to the starting point for cave tubing. This activity will last between 2 to 3 hours.
Depending on the time, interests, and fitness level, guests may explore and swim in a fascinating cave within the cave system (the guide will inform if conditions are safe to leave the river to explore this area).
At the end of the cave tubing, guests will have the opportunity to change out of wet clothes, and the drive back to San Ignacio will take approximately 1.5 hours.
What's Included
- All entrance fees
- Cave tubing equipment
- Water
- Lunch
- Small group tours
- Hotel pickup and drop-off (within San Ignacio)
- All entrance fees
- Cave tubing equipment
- Water
- Lunch
- Small group tours
- Hotel pickup and drop-off (within San Ignacio)
What's Not Included
- Alcoholic drinks, souvenirs, gratuities
- pickups & drop offs OUTSIDE of San Ignacio Town (contact us to confirm availability)
- Gratuities
- p/up NOT included: GAIA, Blancaneaux, Hidden Valley, BLACK ROCK, sweet songs, Mahogany hall, alianas
- not included: Monkey falls TABLE rock CRYSTAL paradise Villa cayo MYSTIC RIVER Mariposa MACAW BANK,
- not…
- Alcoholic drinks, souvenirs, gratuities
- pickups & drop offs OUTSIDE of San Ignacio Town (contact us to confirm availability)
- Gratuities
- p/up NOT included: GAIA, Blancaneaux, Hidden Valley, BLACK ROCK, sweet songs, Mahogany hall, alianas
- not included: Monkey falls TABLE rock CRYSTAL paradise Villa cayo MYSTIC RIVER Mariposa MACAW BANK,
- not included: any other accommodation 5+ miles outside san ignacio town
Additional Information
First Stop: Begin your adventure at Xunantunich, where you can explore and climb the impressive Maya structures, including El Castillo, and discover the rest of the Maya site. Afterward, enjoy a scenic drive of approximately 1.25 hours to the cave tubing park.
Second Stop: Arrive at Nohoch Che’en, also known as Jaguar Paw, where a delightful…
First Stop: Begin your adventure at Xunantunich, where you can explore and climb the impressive Maya structures, including El Castillo, and discover the rest of the Maya site. Afterward, enjoy a scenic drive of approximately 1.25 hours to the cave tubing park.
Second Stop: Arrive at Nohoch Che’en, also known as Jaguar Paw, where a delightful lunch awaits before embarking on your cave tubing experience. A 25-minute hike will lead you to the starting point, where you can float through the crystal-clear waters of this underground system, offering a serene tubing journey.
Note: If Nohoch Che’en is closed due to flooding, don’t worry! An alternative cave tubing park will be available for the tour, unless severe rainstorms affect this location as well.
Dietary Preferences: Please inform us if a vegan, vegetarian, or gluten-free meal is preferred.
Tour Details: Shared tours may consist of just two participants or up to eight people per guide, depending on the tourism season.
What to Bring: A complete change of clothes, your favorite snacks, cash for souvenirs, and any necessary medication for the duration of the tour.
- A minimum of 2 people per booking is required
- Level of fitness required: moderate
- Child rate applies only when sharing with 2 paying adults
- ALL PARTICiPANTS must be 40inches and taller to be able to participate in the cave tubing tour wherever applicable
- Please advise any specific dietary requirements at time of booking: vegan/vegetarian/gluten free
- using the Special Requirements field-Please inform us if you or any guests are non-swimmers,
- Things to bring: a COMPLETE change of clothes, sunscreen and insect repellent
- EXTRA FEE for any pickup & drop off to: mystic river resort/GAIA/Blancaneaux/Hidden valley/Black Rock/Sweet Songs/Table Rock/Monkey falls/Mahogany hall/parrots nest + a few more. FEE varies as per location of resort
Location
Xunantunich
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
5.0
(259 Ratings)
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1 star
Spencerst4419tl
Mar 27, 2026
Amazing in-depth experience - Jose with St Leonards Tours was an absolute treat. We had the pleasure of having him take us to Xunantunich and cave tubing. Unbeknownst to us we were the only ones on the tour so we had our own private time with Jose and we yes to everything that he offered. He showed us the flora and Fana of the area. was very knowledgeable about the history of Belize and the Mayan sight. When it came to cave tubing, we had an amazing experience with him. If you have the chance, say yes to the extended cave tour. We had an extraordinary traditional meal as well, and he even stopped so that we could grab coffee on our way back from the tour. If you have the chance, take advantage of this family owned business over the larger more corporatized tours. We will definitely be reaching out to St Leonards in the future when we go back for some of the other tours. Thank you again, Jose.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Adele_h
Mar 25, 2026
Great day for all ages. - Amazing Day . The guide knew so much about both the Mayan site and the caves, and the knowledge made the trip so enjoyable.
Review provided by Viator
Mahendra_p
Mar 14, 2026
Fantastic tubing in caves with a great guide, Jose - Jose was the best guide we’ve had traveling all over S America (more on him later). It’s a 35min drive to the Mayan site. Climb as much or as little as you want. The structures are impressive with panoramic views from the top.
From there the drive to the river & caves is longish (1.5hr). About a 30 min walk up the river and then leisurely tubing down through huge caves. Tubing through the caves was phenomenal made even more enjoyable by our guide Jose. He shared interesting details about the caves, their evolving nature and intricate passages one could take if one wanted to. Jose was full of interesting little details of the flora and fauna of the region which he learnt growing up in the area. Above all he enjoyed the work he did and spread the joy to our party freely and frequently. I highly recommend him and the tour company he works for (sorry cannot recall the company’s name).
Review provided by Viator
Candace_m
Mar 8, 2026
This was a long and fun... - This was a long and fun day! We were picked up at 7:30am and dropped off just after 7pm. Carla was a lovely and friendly guide.
Pros: The van we were in was air conditioned and Carla gave us a good idea of what the day would be like. She definitely knew her archaeology and gave many details about the ruins. And she was an amazing cave guide! She had to work so hard to get the group of 6 of us moving on the slow moving river- she is small but mighty! She also led our group to explore and swim through the Crystal Cave, which was an incredible experience that our whole family (kids aged 10&12) loved! On the way home, Carla had watermelon and local plantain chips to snack on. She was pleasant and very knowledgeable.
The only suggestion I’d give is to make the ruins tour a bit more beginner friendly. My kids and I had no prior knowledge about the Mayan culture so felt a little lost. It would have been helpful to have an overview of the culture, and comparisons to cultures today, to help us understand.
But other than that, I’d recommend St Leonard’s wholeheartedly- the communication, the customer service and the actual tours were awesome!!
Review provided by Viator
Steve
Mar 4, 2026
Very in tune with local knowledge, friendly, fun! - We had Carla show us around and she was amazing. Highly recommend going with St. Leonards tour company. Carla has a wealth of knowledge regarding Mayan history and local knowledge also. She treated us very well throughout the day. Two happy customers here, would do it again!!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Nathanwk4643jq
Feb 21, 2026
Highly recommend!!! - Had a great trip with Jose! At both sites, his knowledge was extensive and he put in a ton of effort to make the best possible trip for us. This really felt like a once in a lifetime experience for my son and I. Thank you Jose.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Lauri_t
Feb 14, 2026
An amazing day with Jose!!! - Unbelievable day touring the Mayan Ruins at Xunantunich and tubing snd exploring the Jaguar Paw caves of Nohoch Ch’een! Our guide Jose was incredible in both knowledge he shared and care he took of us exploring parts of the cave that many do not get to ever see! Thank you for a fabulous experience!!
Review provided by Viator
Emiliecm2590qm
Feb 9, 2026
Best tour and guide! - We spent the day with Jose and it was the highlight of our trip. He had so much knowledge of the Xunantunich ruins and he kept our kids engaged even though it was a lot of history! He then took us for lunch and a cave tubing tour which was so much fun. He also taught us so much about the local flora and fauna and had us trying all kinds of plants and explaining how they were used medicinally. At the end when our kids were starving, he went out of his way to stop at a place for dinner before dropping us off. Truly the best, you won't regret booking with him!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Audrey_s
Jan 30, 2026
Fun trip - We booked a group tour but ended up having the guide Jose all to ourselves! Xunantunich was great. Jose was super knowledgeable so we leaned lots. There’s a fun hand pulled ferry ride en route. We were there by 8am so there was only a handful of other people there. We climbed to the top of the structure (about 50 metres). You get an amazing view from the top but I imagine it could be a little scary if you’re afraid of heights. The climb is in lots of stages so it’s not difficult.
There is a large toilet block in the car park and a few tourist shops.
The cave tubing is around 1.5 hours drive from Xunantunich. There are several stalls selling swim suits, shorts, tshirts, beach towels, waterproof phone cases and water shoes or you can rent a pair of crocs for US $3. There’s a simple restaurant.
Again, there is a large toilet block where you change into your water clothing then get a helmet with head torch, life jacket and your tube. You can hire someone to carry your tube for you but although they are large, they’re lightweight. You walk for around 5 minutes then wade across the river. The water was thigh height. You then walk for around 40 minutes through the forest on a clear and mostly easy path with a few steep staircases.
The tubing was fun - you’re mostly floating through caves - it’s all very peaceful with just the occasional faster flowing section of river. We stopped off en route in a large cave to scramble over the rocks. I’m a terrible swimmer so I just watched while the other 2 jumped off ledges into deep pools.
You end up back at the point where you waded over the river so it’s then a short walk back to the car park.
Even if you don’t do any swimming, you get wet (from the waist down) so a change of clothing & towel is essential.
We rented crocs but I was pleased I took my walking sandals because I found it hard to walk in the crocs - they were a bit too wide. The forest walk was much easier and faster in my own shoes. There’s a bottle holder in the tube and you can attach a waterproof bag to your life jacket to put your spare shoes or your phone in.
Review provided by Viator
U400ibjuliap
Jan 21, 2026
Amazing day exploring and discovery. - We spent the day with Jose and had an amazing time. Jose was extremely knowledgeable about all things Belize. From the forest to the wildlife, culture and Myan history. We started with a great horseback ride along the river then a tour of xunantinich. From there we had lunch and went to Nohoch Ch'een for cave tubing. Jose went above and beyond to show us parts of this cave system that were incredible. Can't recommend this company enough and definitely ask for Jose!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
