Rio Secreto Tours: The 10 Best Underground River Trips

1.Cancun/Playa del Carmen: Tickets to Rio Secreto and Lunch

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 521 reviews · 3.5 - 6.5 hours · from $89Our pick

Enter Rio Secreto with a bilingual guide, wetsuit, helmet, lamp, and life vest. Walk and swim 600 meters through limestone caves, pause for a quiet darkness ritual, then enjoy a regional buffet. Small groups make the route personal, but personal cameras are not allowed.

“We were a bit apprehensive as some of the reviews called out the cave tour to be a bit difficult as we were visiting with a 12 and 9 year old. However at the reception we were pleased to see that the activity is rated as one of the top 10 activities for families by Natgeo and the actual experience turned out to be far superior to what we expected. Omar was an excellent guide navigating seamlessly between Spanish and English and very kind to a couple of less mobile older individuals in our Group. We and the kids had loads of fun and there were other kids a couple…”

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2.Rio Secreto and Tulum Tour from Cancun or Riviera Maya Hotels

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 429 reviews · 5 hours 30 minutes (approx.)

Visit Tulum with a guide, then walk and swim through up to 1 kilometer of Rio Secreto’s limestone caverns. Hotel pickup, lunch, water, wetsuit, helmet, locker, and towels are included. Expect a small group, cave photography restrictions, and a much longer day than the advertised 5.5 hours.

“The experience was extremely unique, and our tour guide (Diana) was absolutely wonderful. It was not permitted for us to take pictures with our phones throughout the tour as they have photographers who take photographs throughout the tour and charge $30 per picture at the end of the tour. In addition, the buffet was gross.”

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3.Rio Secreto Plus: Classic Tour, Bycicle, Rappel & Ziplines

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 365 reviews · 5 hours (approx.)

Spend about five hours at Rio Secreto near Playa del Carmen, combining a guided underground river tour with jungle biking, rappelling, and ziplines. Small groups, wetsuits, helmets, lunch, and refreshments are included. Guides such as Gustavo, Alfredo, and Diana are praised for clear explanations and personal attention.

“Very awesome tour, I would highly recommend this to anyone physically able. There where several additional smaller tours, which were good, but not amazing. But the main highlight of the ~1.5h wet cave path is well worth it. The tour guide (Darely) stayed with us the entire time and was very helpful and spoke fluent English. Parts of the cave path were spent floating lazily (mostly supported by the life jackets) along beautiful formations. The path was quite spacious for the most part, with only the end of the path we took (Supreme, blue line) being a bit smaller, but still wide enough to comfortable pass through without even touching…”

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4.Riviera Maya: Rio Secreto Guided Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 177 reviews · 6.5 - 8 hours · from $119

Enter Rio Secreto’s 600-meter cave system with a guide, wetsuit, lamp, helmet, and small group of up to 15. You’ll walk and swim past stalactites and stalagmites, learn about Mayan geology, eat a regional lunch, and return by air-conditioned van.

“Unforgettable adventure. Must have while visiting Yucatán. Availability of direct transport from hotel. The object provides wetsuits, wetshoes, life vests and towels. Guides are very helpful, caring and well-spoken in English. Only disadvantage I see is an enormous price for the pictures taken during the tour, especially due to the fact that taking photos with your own devices is forbidden.”

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5.Río Secreto Nature Reserve from Playa del Carmen Entrance or Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 168 reviews · 3 to 8 hours (approx.) · from $89

Swim and wade through Río Secreto’s crystal-clear underground river on a guided 1-kilometer route. You’ll receive a wetsuit, helmet, headlamp, water shoes, life vest, locker, towel, and lunch. Add transportation, Tulum, Puerto Morelos snorkeling, or other options when available.

“This was truly a magical experience. To experience a small portion of this cave system was a special experience. We had a great guide, Imelda, and the entire experience was very well organized. I would not recommend this for young children or elderly travellers, but overall this was a wonderful day. We had the great fun of torrential rains coming down as we got ready, which got us, was just another fun part of the day.”

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6.Rio Secreto Skip-the-Line Admission Ticket

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 157 reviews · 3 hours (approx.)

Spend about three hours at Rio Secreto near Playa del Carmen, walking and swimming through a crystal-clear cave system with a guide such as Martín, Jared, or Marite. Wetsuit, helmet, life jacket, towel, locker, fresh water, and lunch are included. Photos cost extra.

“It was a great experience my family and I had a dreat time on the tour in the cave. The under water rivers are great crystal clear waters and beautiful formations.”

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7.Rio Secreto Underground River Tour with Hotel Pick Up

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 11 reviews · 6 hours (approx.) · from $129

Explore Río Secreto’s underground trails and water channels near Playa del Carmen with guides such as Sergio, Tainara, or Benito. Your $129 price includes hotel pickup, entry, lockers, thermal suit, shoes, safety gear, bottled water, and a guided four-hour visit.

“The tour guide was great. Pick didn't have to wait long. Waited a little when got there. Good value for money. I loved it”

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8.Río Secreto Playa del Carmen

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 11 reviews · 4 hours (approx.) · from $124

At Río Secreto, you’ll hike jungle trails, then walk and swim about 1 kilometer through a dark underground river and cave system. A guide leads the roughly 1.5-hour cave visit, followed by a regional buffet, drinks, and an Xtabentun toast. Pickup and equipment are included.

“Excellent trip to one of nature's wonderous sites! Our driver was waiting for us when we arrived at the pickup location – no waiting around. Stephanie (our guide) and the staff at Rio Secreto were knowledgeable and well organized. Our hike/swim through the caves was a highlight of our Mexico trip. Enjoyed viewing intricate rock formations and learning more about how caves are formed. Liked having a photographer record our adventure – we purchased a complete set of photos. Our driver was waiting for us at the end to take us back to our hotel - no waiting around. Overall great experience. Well done!”

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9.Full-Day Tulum Expedition and Rio Secreto Adventure

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 10 reviews · 12 hours (approx.) · from $189

Spend about 12 hours visiting Tulum and Río Secreto from Playa del Carmen or nearby Cancun and Riviera Maya hotels. You’ll walk among Maya ruins, swim through a crystal-filled cave, use provided safety gear, and eat lunch. Guides such as Ariel, Diana, and Luis have been praised for care and strong explanations.

“Booked this trip as an excursion from Cancun. It was an excellent day trip. Picked up at hotel right on time. Be advised-the vans are small and there’s not. Lot of leg room. Ariel was a fantastic guide-personable and knowledgeable. We did tulum first and Rio secreto second, which was ideal. Life jackets, helmets, wet suits, water shoes, and towels are all provided. Loved it!”

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10.Rio Secreto Natural Reserve

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 4 reviews · 3 hours 30 minutes to 8 hours (approx.) · from $88Best value

You’ll walk and swim through Río Secreto’s clear underground waters with an English or Spanish-speaking guide. Choose Classic, Plus, or Wild for different levels of activity, from the cave route to biking, rappelling, ziplining, and added photo service.

“What an incredible experience - highly recommend it! Maricio was a fantastic guide and the caves were breathtaking”

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