I’m a trained vertical caver who has participated in international scientific cave exploration expeditions, so was I really going to enjoy a discounted tour of Rio Secreto? I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw the lines of “regular” tourists wandering through the stunningly decorated cave passageway advertised. Even in the Riviera Maya, there’s no way you could just walk in from the street and do this. And even if you could, is it safe and ethical? Of course, I had to go and find out for myself.
Discounted tickets to Rio Secreto
We are not sponsored by Rio Secreto, so I’ll let you in on a little secret. Discounted tickets are available for Rio Secreto. We bought our tickets on Viator and saved a little money. You can also “hang out” on the website, and they may offer you a discount for booking via chat. I was offered discounts via chat several times while researching this piece. Even at the market price of $79, the trip is worth it, which is why we put it on our list of amazing Riviera Maya trips.
After getting our tickets, we headed to the entrance, which is located five minutes south of Playa del Carmen on the right of the federal highway. There was plenty of free parking, and we quickly waited for our group to assemble before embarking on our three-hour (and half-hour) tour.
Get ready to explore the wild caves of Rio Secreto
I love getting ready to explore caves. There is a special thrill when you put on your helmet and turn on your headlamp. One of the first things our guides asked us to do was take a quick shower to prevent our oils from contaminating the cave. Getting into a wetsuit was even more exciting. I have explored caves in Belize and they were absolutely amazing including camping in a cave around Caracol that has one of the largest chambers in the world. The entrance was 300 meters wide!
Exploring the wet caves in Arizona was a bit more sporty. In most of the caves in Arizona, we avoided entering the cave water because it wasn’t part of a stream or river. However, there was one cave that we went into only because it ran through a stream. We had to crawl for about three hours in the cold and cramped conditions to reach the “seven passages,” the last of which was the fallopian tube. By definition, the fallopian tube is narrower than the birth canal, but we had to crawl to reach the river passage. It was cold, wet, cramped, miserable, and nothing like the Rio Secreto.
Mayan Rituals of the Underworld
Caves are spiritually significant to the Maya because they are gateways to the underworld. On our Belize exploration, we would receive a blessing from a priest before our day of mapping or collecting specimens. Rio Secreto also asked a Maya priest to bless our group as well. I’m not sure exactly what he said, but there was a lot of smoke and we all chanted after him. Presumably we were blessed and safe to continue our journey into the underworld. I wonder what he would do to increase the number of visitors to our site if I gave him $20?
Next, we took a short detour to the cave entrance. Along the way, side roads led off in every direction. Our guide told us that there were four other cave tours at Rio Secreto. She said that there had been 35 kilometers of mapped passages in the 10 years since Rio Secreto was discovered. Today, five different trails cover about 7 kilometers of cave passages. Each trip is about a kilometer long. Soon after, we found our entrance to the underworld and entered the land of the gods.
What is the experience like exploring the caves in Rio Secreto?
In short, it was amazing! It was more athletic than I expected for a commercial cave, but there were no fallopian tubes. At times we were wading in waist-deep water. We had to bend down a few times too, but everyone made it through, even a 65-year-old French couple. Our guide even took the time to explain the spirit of the cave and why we shouldn’t touch the formations, and there were some amazing formations.
Everywhere we looked, we saw beautiful stalactites, stalagmites and columns. The whiteness of the walls contrasted beautifully with the blue of the water. It was breathtaking. We even took the obligatory minute of silence and turned off our headlights so everyone could fully experience what was underground.
Festive Foods and Drinks
We emerged safely from the darkness and were all promoted to cave survivor status. Rio Secreto celebrated the moment with a shot of Ixtapinton, a Yucatan-originated drink made with honey and anise. We finished off with our Ixtapinton, followed by glasses of arepa and abajo. After repacking, we relaxed for a Mexican buffet. The buffet was good, but the real draw was the cave.
The trip was different from our cave tour in the Yucatan. Caves are usually flooded holes, and here we explored cave tunnels. We found a passage while diving at Dos Ojos in Tulum, but here you don't need a diving certificate.
Parting Thoughts from Our Discounted Tour of Rio Secreto
Even as an experienced cave explorer, I thought this tour was worth the money, promo code or not. It’s close enough to include in our Tulum itinerary, but we made it part of our Playa del Carmen planning. Rio Secreto is one of the best day trips in the Yucatan. If you’re an adventurous couple who loves to play in the water, you should try diving with sharks in Playa del Carmen or snorkeling with turtles at Akumal Beach. Akumal Beach would be the perfect complement to Rio Secreto for a full day of adventure. If you can’t get enough of the cave waters, you can do a full day of swimming in some of the best caves in the Yucatan.
We also thank Janiel from CultureTrekking for providing us with all the photos in this article. Due to a camera issue, we were unable to capture any photos from this adventure at all.
To clarify, Rio Secreto does not allow you to take your camera through the caves under any circumstances, but they do provide a photographer for each group and you can purchase your photos upon exit. However – Janiel – you are the best!
Hi! We’re Ed and Jane Coleman, aka Coleman Concierge. In short, we’re a Gen X couple from Huntsville sharing our stories of amazing adventures through transformative, experiential, activity-based travel.
