Tour Description
The Maya name for the Blue Creek is “Hokeb Ha,” or “Where the water enters the earth”. Blue Creek is an extremely large cave that begins near the village of Santa Cruz, where the river rushes under ground, resurfacing five mile later near the village of Blue Creek. The cave is classified as a wet cave with dry routes.
To reach the cave, you’ll hike approximately twenty minutes over mostly easy terrain, through the jungle and upstream along the banks of the green-blue river. As you approach the cave, the river breaks into small waterfalls and beautiful clear pools for swimming. The last hundred yards of the journey are the most challenging, climbing over roots and rocks.
When you arrive at the mouth of the cave, you will step into the water and swim upstream towards the cave’s interior and the river’s source. You will be provided with headlamps, life jackets, and a trained guide to assist you. After you turn the first corner all natural light disappears. You will then see stalactites, stalagmites, and other unique rock formations as you swim and hike upstream, hearing nothing but the echoes of water splashing around you. Archaeologists have found Late Classic ceramics and an altar inside this cave, leading them to theorize that Hokeb Ha Cave was used specifically for ceremonial purposes.
Keep going as far as you can, spending about an hour inside the cave. In the rainy season the current will be stronger and the swimming more difficult. This is certainly a challenging trip, but worth it. Guests as young as two and as old as eighty have participated in the past. And if this trip doesn’t tire you out, you might consider combining it with the Blue Creek Hike. You can also kayak back from Blue Creek Village to Cotton Tree Lodge.
