Rio Secreto

One of our excursions from the Platinum Yucatan Princess Resort was to Rio Secreto. At our resort they have an area where there are a bunch of tables that the excursion companies are at set up at. We went to the BD Travel table since we were already satisfied with their service from our shuttle ride. They recommended Rio Secreto. We did a half day with an afternoon pickup as we didn’t want to have to get up super early on our vacation. We met the Rio Secreto tour bus at 12:00 pm. After resort security verified our room number/name/tour company we were in a crowded shuttle and on our way for the half hour trip to get there. We were apparently the last stop.

Upon arriving at their facility we were shown to a covered area that had a bunch of benches and a couple of tv screens on the wall. A couple of really nice young ladies were breaking us all up into groups. There were 9 in our group and Anna was our tour guide. After watching a short video we headed over to change into our swimsuits. We were given a locker and there were dressing areas in the restroom to get changed. Once in our swimsuits we went to get our water shoes that they provide. I cannot vouch for the cleanliness but mine were rather worn. I can tell you it has been a week since we went and i do not have athletes foot or anything else for that matter. Anna showed us to the showers. She explained that we needed to get the lotions, oils, and deodorant off our bodies as not to contaminate the underground river water. Shortly after we went to area to get the wet suits, lighted helmets, life jackets, and walking sticks. You may not think you need a walking stick but it is very helpful in the uneven underground pools.

Once geared up we started a short hike to get to our destination. Before we got there, we stopped at a Mayan alter. There was a Shaman there that did a Mayan blessing for our safe journey. Once the short ceremony was over we headed on to the the mouth of the cave. I would like to note that we never saw another soul outside of our little group once we entered. There must be multiple caves that you can go into and they split everyone up. The steps are very uneven so you have to be very careful while walking. There were people in their late sixties on this excursion and they were able to do this without too much trouble. Once we were inside and had our headlamps turned on Anna our very knowledgeable guide started to tell us how everything was formed. She also explained the history there of the Mayans and how this was their main source of water. I won’t go into too much detail but suffice it to say that it was very interesting. I would also like to take note that this is not a swimming tour. More like going through knee high or waist high water with it a bit deeper in some areas. It is very uneven and you do have to sort of climb down and up through the water. This is where your walking stick is very helpful.

You are not allowed to bring in any cameras or personal items on this tour. Instead they have a photographer that follows you around. You are later able to purchase photos that he takes for either $25.00 each or $75.00 for the whole bunch. The water is absolutely beautiful inside the caves! I have never seen such crystal clear water in my life. You can see little shrimp and albino cat fish that swim away when the light hits them. We also saw some bats at the top that were sleeping.

Once the cave part of the tour was over we took the short hike back. We made quick work of handing in the gear and getting changed back into our regular clothes. We all then grouped together with Anna our tour guide for a celebratory Shot of Xtabentun. This was very good honey liquor that we were able to have seconds of if you wanted. Needless to say we did! Once the bottle was empty we headed through to another room set up to view our pictures that were taken during the tour. We told the guy which picture we wanted. He said to come to the gift shop after our meal to purchase and pointed the way to the lunch area. Included is a buffet lunch of local cuisine. This food was good but living in Texas we get the good Tex Mex so this was kind of bland for us. We ate enough to fill the stomachs though and went to pay for our single picture that we wanted. Once everyone was done eating we met back in the area where the shuttles were parked to go back to our Resorts. We gave our guide a 200 pesos tip and thanked her for the great excursion.

Our driver was very good going back to the resort and we were the first stop. Upon arrival we were greeted by our resort security who asked our room number and name. We tipped the shuttle driver 20 pesos which we were told is a good tip for a driver. For some reason i felt like i was short changing him since 20 pesos is only a dollar. Anyways, wether we were or not it is what we did. All in all we loved this tour! This was truly a magnificent experience and i was grateful to the BD Travel guide who recommended it. We strongly recommend this tour but if you cannot maneuver over uneven walking areas or are claustrophobic, this may not be the tour for you!