Rio Secreto

Useful Information

Location:	Playa del Carmen. (20.5882314, -87.1339801)
Open:	All year daily. See online booking. [2024]
Fee:	Río Secreto Classic: Adults USD 89, Children (4-12) USD 44.50. Río Secreto Plus: Adults USD 109, Children (7-12) USD 54.50. Río Secreto Wild Tour: Adults USD 119. [2024]
Classification:	Karst Cave
Light:	helmet with headlamp provided
Dimension:
Guided tours:	Río Secreto Classic: L=600 m, MinAge=3, MaxWeight=120 kg. Río Secreto Plus: MinAge=6, MaxWeight=120 kg. Río Secreto Wild Tour: MinAge=13, MaxWeight=120 kg.
Photography:	allowed
Accessibility:	no
Bibliography:
Address:	Rio Secreto, SA de CV, Playa del Carmen, Tel: +52-984-877-2377. E-mail:
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then. Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

2008	opened to the public.

Description

Rio Secreto is a cave which was discovered inadvertently by the owner of the land, Don Cleo, while chasing one of his animals. The cave is quite exceptional, as it is one of very few caves which are not submerged. Most caves are filled with water, either sweet water or seawater, or both with a halocline. In other words the water is dee, the caves require swimming and diving. This cave is by chance located right at the current level of the groundwater. This is really a coincidence, as it was formed long ago by groundwater at the same level. Then the cave became a fossil cave and many speleothems formed. Later it was flooded again by the rising sea levels after the end of the last ice age some 8,000 years ago.

Today it is possible to visit this cave by wading through mostly knee-deep water. There are only few places where it is necessary to swim. This specialty makes this cave quite unique, somewhere between a show cave and a cave trekking tour. There are no electric lights and visitors are equipped with helmets with head lamps, and swimming suits. Of course, this visit is more demanding than a paved path through a normal show cave, so visitors must be at least four years old and weigh no more than 120 kilograms.

Beneath the original wading tour the operators now offer all kinds of sportive activities, this includes rappelling, biking and climbing. So all other tours except the "classic" tour are only for sportive and physically fit participants. All tours are also offered with transport from Riviera Maya or from Cancún.