Riviera Maya: Rio Secreto Guided Tour

North America, MX

from $119 per person

About this experience

Explore an underground river near Playa del Carmen, hiking and swimming through stunning stalactites and stalagmites, surrounded by millions of years of natural history.

Cancellation policy

Cancel up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund

Duration: 390 - 480 minutes

Available languages

English, French, Spanish

from $119 per person

Experience details

Highlights:

Once-in-a-lifetime glimpse of the Mayan underworld only discovered in 1996

Air conditioned pick-up and drop-off transportation included

Light lunch provided

Guided Tour: Expert guides share insights into the cave’s geology and ecology.

Immersive Experience: Perfect for adventure and nature lovers alike

Experience description:

Be immersed in an ancient world of stalactites and stalagmites. Roam the labyrinths of dramatic rock formations and tranquil waters. The Rio Secreto (Secret River) is a hidden underground network of rivers and caves.

An air-conditioned mini-van collects you from your hotel and takes you to Rio Secreto. Here you will meet your expertly trained guide and receive a wetsuit, wet shoes, a lamp and a helmet to get you ready for your adventure.

From here, enter the caves, where for 600 meters you will be free to walk, swim and enjoy the enchanting beauty of your surroundings with the supervision of your guide. Furthermore, with a maximum of 12 people per tour, you can be ensured a quiet tour experience free from outside distractions. The tours in Rio Secreto are organized so that no two tours happening at the same time will meet underground.

After approximately 1.5 hours you will be taken back to ground level and treated to a light lunch of delicious local food. Choose the green salsa if your taste buds like it hot! This is a chance for you to relax in the serene jungle habitat and reflect upon your experience in the caves. After this, you may wash and change before being transported back to your hotel.

Includes:

Round-trip air-conditioned transportation from your hotel

Wet suit, life jacket, helmet, wet shoes, lamp

Live guide

Light lunch

Towels, bathrooms, showers, hammocks

Photographs

Souveniers

Tips (optional)

Additional information:

• The tour is organized for small groups of up to 15 people, for adults and children at least 4 years old

• Participants must be able to walk without assistance and weigh less than 120 kg/250Ibs

• The following items must be kept inside the lockers provided: hats, glasses, sandals that are not secured at the ankle, watches, jewelry, cameras, band-aids, backpacks, and handbags

•You must reconfirm your tour at least 48 hours in advance

• All nature reserve programs operate in all weathers, therefore no refunds will be given due to poor weather conditions

About Plannin

Creators: Earn with Plannin

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Recommendations and reviews

ScottsdaleTravelChickrecommends

Lara Espin

1 / 0

Sarah - France

2026-04-26

Moment unique en toute sécurité. Le transport etait cependant très inconfortable dans un mini bus ancien. Placés serrées, pas d’amortisseurs

Randall - United States

2026-04-21

Rio Secreto was spectacular. Our guide was knowledgeable and helpful. The pictures taken by the photographer were nice, but expensive. The lunch provided was ample and varied, but not exceptional. My only problem was with the transportation. They did not give us much option on location, communication was spotty, and the van was 15 minutes late for our pick-up. We were concerned for these 15 minutes, but it went smoothly after that.

GetYourGuide traveler - Netherlands

2026-03-27

The caves themselves were quite nice, but it take ages to actually get inside, lots waiting while the guides are high fiving each other and watch YouTube clips. I recommend to skip the crappy buffet lunch, since we both got food poisoning. The photo prices are criminal.

Arianna - Italy

2026-03-25

Martìn è stato eccezionale, thank you Martìn! Very good food, good people, beautiful place and the cave AMAZING!

Isabelle - Canada

2026-03-17

Superbe, sécuritaire, guide passionné, magnifique !

GetYourGuide traveler - Germany

2026-03-09

Die Tour ist sehr durchorganisiert und touristisch. Gleichzeitig lohnt sie sich total. Nachdem der Guide einen in Empfang nimmt wird es herzlich und persönlich und der Rio Secreto ist der Wahnsinn! Der Ort ist Magie pur. Schade nur, dass man selber keine Bilder machen darf. Es kommt zwar ein professioneller Fotograf mit auf die Tour, aber da bekommt man nur gegen Gebühr Bilder von sich selbst. Mich hätten Bilder der Höhle und der Vegetation deutlich mehr interessiert.

GetYourGuide traveler - Sweden

2026-02-24

Fantastisk tur i grottan. Svindyra och inte jättebra bilder. Man är inte tvungen att köpa dem, men det är ju kul med något minne.

Martina - Germany

2026-02-22

Seeing Rio Secreto is an amazing experience and our guide José was great. Unfortunately, you are not allowed to take pictures as there is a photographer from the tour operator with each group and they sell the photos later for 30$ each. The transport from Cancún was good, but for the transport back I was put in a bus that stopped several times in Playa del Carmen, Puerto Morelos and Resorts outside of Cancún which caused the drive to take more than 2 hours. I guess as I was a solo traveller, they just used me to fill up a bus, but I pay as much as every other customer and should be treated with the same respect and get back in the same bus I arrived with.