CAVE CANOEING

Xibalba Cave at Barton Creek

     This cave canoeing adventure is very mild yet very fun and educational. This cave contains the cultural remains such as ollas and human sacrificial remains that were left hundreds of years ago.
     The Barton Creek Cave is located within the traditional Mennonite village so you do get to see this very interesting people of Belize.
This cave is rich with cultural remains that were once offered to Mayan gods in supplication for rain and good agricultural harvests.
     Come to enjoy “ Xibalba “ from the comfort of your canoe.
     Barton Creek is a remote cave which, like many of the subterranean caverns of Belize, was used by the ancient Mayan people for ceremonial purposes.  This is a relaxed, but exciting canoe trip inside a mountain on an ancient waterway where you can observe grand cathedral ceilings in the cave, as well as numerous formations and stalactites and stalagmites.
     We begin our journey through farmland where you can observe the Mennonite community of Upper Barton Creek and experience their traditional lifestyle.  We then reach Barton Creek Cave, much of which is still to be explored and which stretches for 4.5 miles. We canoe in for one mile exploring the amazing history and geology of this massive cave. At the entrance of the cave, we board our canoes, switch on our headlights and start to slowly paddle into the cave passage.  While floating deeper into the passage we learn about the geology, archaeology, and Mayan history of these caves.  Our lights will bring to life sparkling crystal formations that are millions of years old. After exploring the caves, we turn our canoes around and float back to park our canoes and complete our half day tour with a refreshing swim.
     Barton Creek is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the Cayo District. In addition to its natural beauty, the site contains a wide range of cultural remains that were left within the cave as offerings by the ancient Maya. Artifacts, hearths, modified cave formations, and human remains were deposited on ledges above the river indicating that the cave was of great ritual importance to the ancient settlers of the region.

PHOTO GALLERY - Cave Canoeing