v2.webp){kind=logo}
- The swim-in cave mouth: Blue Creek Cave, in the Toledo District near Blue Creek village, opens as a wide arch where the turquoise creek runs out of the limestone. You wade in and swim the first stretch, with cool water under you and the daylight fading behind. This is the picture most people come for.
- The Hokeb Ha entrance: The cave is also called Hokeb Ha, a Mayan name, and the surrounding forest is thick with the sound of cicadas and birds. The path in runs through shaded jungle, so you arrive already damp and cooled down.
- The swimming passage: Inside, a stretch of the creek is deep enough that you float with a headlamp, and the ceiling bounces your voice back. Life jackets are standard, so confident and nervous swimmers both manage it.
- Limestone formations: Stalactites, flowstone and smooth,
- The swim-in cave mouth: Blue Creek Cave, in the Toledo District near Blue Creek village, opens as a wide arch where the turquoise creek runs out of the limestone. You wade in and swim the first stretch, with cool water under you and the daylight fading behind. This is the picture most people come for.
- The Hokeb Ha entrance: The cave is also called Hokeb Ha, a Mayan name, and the surrounding forest is thick with the sound of cicadas and birds. The path in runs through shaded jungle, so you arrive already damp and cooled down.
- The swimming passage: Inside, a stretch of the creek is deep enough that you float with a headlamp, and the ceiling bounces your voice back. Life jackets are standard, so confident and nervous swimmers both manage it.
- Limestone formations: Stalactites, flowstone and smooth, scalloped walls show up in your lamp beam. The rock looks wet and glassy, and some of it has been polished by centuries of water.
- Maya ceremonial remains: The cave was used by the Maya, and pottery fragments and traces of ritual use have been recorded inside. You look without touching, and guides explain what you are seeing.
- The Blue Creek pools above the cave: Outside the cave, the creek forms clear swimming holes in the forest. They are good for a plain, cheap dip after the cave, with green light through the canopy and fish nibbling at your toes.
- Rio Blanco and the forest trail: The walk through the Toledo forest to the cave is a sight of its own, with huge buttress roots, howler monkeys calling overhead and very red mud after rain.
Spotted a mistake or missing something? Contact us.
Best Backpacking
.jpg)
Hi, I’m Johan (Netherlands 🇳🇱), the creator of TakeYourBackpack. Over the past 3 decades, I’ve backpacked through 90+ countries across six continents, gaining extensive experience with independent travel, long-term trips, and overland routes.