One of the most popular natural attractions in Belize is the Rio Frio Caves area. Offering a welcome respite on hot days, the Rio Frio Cave is found inside the Mountain Pine Ridge Forest Reserve, a park located in Belize's western Cayo District. The most common way to get to the Rio Frio Cave is from the entrance to the park in the town of Georgeville just off of the Western Highway.
The cave is a completely natural attraction but looks as though it were made for visitors to enjoy. Walking up the well-maintained steps, visitors get to experience the enormous front entry cavern that measures more than 70 feet high, a beguiling beginning to what promises to be an enchanting caving adventure.
Inside the main entrance, visitors can marvel at the giant stalactites that hang from the cave's roof like elegant stone chandeliers. The front cavern is also home to enormous colored boulders that are casually strewn around like throw pillows in an upscale living room. Most visitors spend several minutes in the entrance cavern with their mouths agape as the huge scale of everything in Rio Frio takes a while to get used to.
Rio Frio Cave was once used as a sacred burial site for the ancient Maya. Visitors can wend their way through the stalactites and boulders in order to get to the running stream (Rio Frio or "Cold Water River" in Spanish) that flows through the cave, terminating in a lovely series of cascading waterfalls.
During the daytime, sunlight pours into the cave, giving visitors more than ample illumination to traverse the quarter-mile diameter of the entrance cavern. Nonetheless visitors are recommended to bring their own illumination as exiting out the other end requires careful footing. Simply by following the little "river" flowing through the cave, visitors can make their way to the sandy beach on the other end, a popular spot for enjoying a picnic lunch or simply drinking in the gorgeous scenery.
Visiting Rio Frio Cave does not require an abundance of athletic ability, one of the reasons why it is such a popular destination. Touring the cave is recommended for seniors, small children, first-time cave explorers, and individuals with reduced mobility.
Questions about visiting Rio Frio Cave? Send us an email or call 239- 494- 3281. We will love to help you plan your Belize vacation.
