Take a two day trek in an underground river across a mountain, camping in the cave overnight. Or rappel 200m deep into a marble cave, camp on a sandy beach that has never seen the sun, and walk behind an underground waterfall following a clear creek through endless crystaline tunnels.
Kayaking in a class II/III underground river is an experience very few people have ever experienced. Combine the excitement of rafting with the breathtaking beauty of some of the largest caves in the world.
Some of the caves we use for these underground adventures are Aguabrava (Puebla), El Zapote (Mexico), Chontalcoatlan and San Jeronimo (Guerrero), Cuetzalan System (Puebla), Puente de Dios (Querétaro), Río La Venta / Sótano de la Lucha (Chiapas).
General Information - Underground Rivers
Cacahuamilpa System Caves
San Jeronimo River: You can't even see the actual dripline entrance from where you must enter the river due to the initial canyon which is about 10m wide by at least 40m high and which forces you to swim shortly after entering the frigid water.
Chontalcoatlan (aka Chonta):
Almost exactly half way through, the cave passes beneath the Claraboya Entrance, which has a very impressive flowstone and gour pool cascade that flows water every rainy season down its 60m height. The original explorers in the 1930's got down here to within about 600m of the bottom entrance and turned back within one corner of the sight of daylight. The resurgence of the river, at Dos Bocas, is right next to the also huge San Jeronimo exit, making it an extraordinary sight.
Season: November to March
El Zapote River, Mexico State
From the Grutas de la Estrella, a 20 m rappel and then a cable-aided descent in the rocks takes us to the El Zapote underground river. From there, the huge cave takes us by land and water to a palce that used to have pre-Hispanic idols and remains. It is said that it was also a refuge for fugitives during the revolution.
The river caves are two independent, almost 6 km long caves that have lower entrances within 100m of each other (thus the Dos Bocas name - two mouths in Spanish) and can both be done as separate through trips. All three caves feature enormous passages for their whole lengths, they truly make up one of the most impressive cave systems in Mexico and surely one of the classic through trips in the world.
For active cavers, though, it is the lower caves that hold the real attraction, for each has almost 6 km of sporting river passage in caves that average 40m wide by 40m high. They are so active that the cave is generally not passable from the start of the rainy season in june through to about November/December and the river formed by the joining of the waters of the two caves is paddleable all year round (nice class 3 whitewater - the Amacuzac River).
Before entering the river you should know this: it's COLD; the source of this river is meltwater from the snows on the Nevado de Toluca volcano, 50Km upstream. Still, we usually do it in shorts and t-shirts.
After about 100m you can wade again and see the true entrance high above you, though it is still another 200m before the cave opens up into the cave passage proper. Here you are overwhelmed by the sheer size of it; at least 60m wide, 70m high and still well lit. In fact it is at least 500m further in before the light finally disappears and you are left to guess how far the walls are, if you don't have enough people and/or lights in your party to see. This is one of the advantages of a large group, especially when you are the last in line and the long string of lights enables you to actually see the whole outline of the enormous passage.
Numerous swims are necessary along both rivers. Occasionally there are some large gour pool flows (that are referred to as fountains in Spanish as they resemble cascading fountains). The largest one stretches at least 100m along one wall and at least 50m up, and makes a good spot to stop for a snack, or a full lunch in our case.
About two thirds of the way through, the ceiling finally comes down to where you can easily see it, about 10 to 20m high and you start to notice the draft. There can't be many cave passages of 5m height and 25m width where you can feel a draft that is strong enough to blow out a ceiling burner carbide lamp. The claustrophobic types need not worry for it opens back up again to its more normal dimensions.
The lower entrance is just as impressive as the upper one in its own way, and also takes at least 500m of gradually increasing light levels before you even see blue sky again. The swifts (or golondrinas) no doubt get a bit of a surprise when the occasional group of light bearing figures comes out of the darkness above which they are nesting. The normal traverse time is about eight hours, though it has been done in as little as 2 hours, but this way you don't get to see any of the nicer formations. It's definitely worth the time to go slow and savour it all.
Knowing that you are going to a Big cave doesn't prepare you for the size of the entrance. The fifty meter wide opening is located at the base of a 500m high vertical wall, and is made all the bigger by a side passage heading off it near the entrance (*). Without doubt the scariest part of the trip is downclimbing a fixed, overhanging ladder held together with baling wire. Sensible guides (like us) use rappel gear here.
Chonta may be actually a bit smaller than San Jeronimo, but is very consistent in its 30m width and height. It is also a lot easier than San Jeronimo, having more sandy beaches to walk along and less boulder piles to climb over.
(*) An unexplored cave after a big, pillared room in this side passage in Chonta has us planning to hike up and over to the entrance sometime. This is one of the many true Search and Discover expeditions you could sign up into, and make history with us. Not everything has been discovered.
Close to the district called Laguna de Pitzquintla, a about 15 minutes hike will take us to the entrance of the Puente de Dios cave - "God's Bridge" in Spanish - a place that really lives up to its name. Here the Escanela river goes underground.
This is a medium difficulty excursion, about 4 Km long, that requires a little preparation and specialized equipment. The landscapes, at both ends of the cave, are by themselves worth the trip. Inside the cave we'll see some very different, but not less extraordinary places, besides living an adventure that no other place in the world can offer.
Season: November to March.
In addition to the fascinating sensation of being so deep underground, the this amphibious expedition has its exciting parts; we must swim through deep, cold ponds and intricate descents. To get to the exit, we must jump 2 m into a pond and swim to the river's resurgence. There are ponds outside where we can swim and bask in the sun for a while before starting our way back through the jungle.
Any adventure you wish, we can make it happen
Information & Reservations:
52(228) 857-1798