The huge opening
Light reaching deep inside.
Dennis G. Jarvis — CC BY-SA 2.0 · Dennis G. Jarvis — CC BY-SA 2.0 · Kaldari — CC0 · Dennis G. Jarvis — CC BY-SA 2.0
Rio Frio Cave is a large cave with a river running through it, inside the Mountain Pine Ridge reserve in Cayo District in western Belize. A huge opening lets daylight deep inside, so you can see the water, sand and sculpted rock without special equipment, making it one of the easiest caves in Belize to visit. The reserve, created in 1944 to protect native pine forests, sits on a granite massif and covers about 430 square kilometres. Most of its cover is Caribbean pine, with broadleaf forest too. Its rainy season runs from July to February, while the dry season can reach 39 °C. At the opening you see river water flowing over gravel and rock, long stalactites on the roof and stepped stone formations on the sides, almost like terraces. A pale sand bank stretches inside, and the light plays on walls of brown and green. Visitors move along a broad passage, so there is no crawling or swimming involved. It is about 21 km in a straight line from San Ignacio by dirt road, so a 4x4 or a guided tour suits it best. UK travel advice warns of armed criminals in remote forest near the Guatemalan border, so read it and go with a guide. The rocks are slippery, so wear suitable shoes and do not touch the stalactites. Ask about river flooding after rain.
Light reaching deep inside.
Inside the cave.
On the roof.
Mountain Pine Ridge reserve, Cayo District
The passage is broad, but the rocks are slippery, so wear suitable shoes.
Yes, given the dirt road and security advice.