Belize

Most vacationers headed to Belize bring along diving gear to explore the world’s second-largest coral reef. But there’s an alternative water adventure that requires only the simplest of equipment: an inner tube.

Jaguar Paw Jungle Resort, located on a 200-acre preserve, offers guided cave-tubing expeditions along the Caves Branch River, site of one of the country’s longest cave systems. The trip starts with an easy 40-minute hike through the rainforest, then follows the river until it disappears into a series of pitch-black caves. Once your group is settled into their inner tubes, the guide passes out small headlamps, everyone links hands, and the gentle rapids pull the floats into complete darkness. Along the way, the guide relates the history of the ancient Mayans and their practice of performing ritual ceremonies inside the caves, which they believed served as portals to the underworld. At times, slices of sunlight filter through the cracks, illuminating stalagmites, stalactites, and walls glittering with mica.

For more info, check out jaguarpaw.com.

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