I am sorry to be a damper on reviews - I want to support the locals for sure, but I would have done well to read *this* before booking, to be quite honest. Sorry it’s so long - just stuff I wish I’d known!! First and foremost: We were staying on Ambergris Caye and this is one of the reasons I would not do this tour in hindsight. It involved a 90 minute water taxi to Belize City. This is a nightmare in and of itself, as the email confirmation for the water taxi says we have to be there/checked in by 30 minutes prior to embarking or you'll be denied boarding. This is a lie, btw. They allowed anyone onboard that came up until the last minute (that review is forthcoming and is NOT a reflection of 5 Star Tours!). We finally arrived at the port and were met a few minutes later by a man who walked us to where the cruise ship passengers had already boarded the van so we were stuck with the crappy seats, but that said - I had read reviews that there were no shocks on the vans, and our van was comfortable and totally fine for how crappy the roads are. The van driver gave a fun narrative on our drive that kept us entertained, but unfortunately, they couldn't hear anything in the back row of the van (where my kids and another guest were). Super bummed for them, as it was quite interesting. The drive was a bit scary - there are no speed limits in Belize, so the highway was a free-for-all where folks were passing on the 2-lane highway and intermittently speeding/tail-gating. We finally arrived at the location - FYI - YES YOU CAN RENT WATER SHOES THERE. I think it was $5 per pair (similar to Crocs), rented out by locals at the parking lot/kiosk area. This was not made clear to me, so we brought our own tennis shoes to get wet (fine) but I would've preferred to not have to lug a backpack of extra shoes. You can also pay locals (payable to your tour guide in cash, who pays the locals) to carry your tubes up for $10 pp - I HIGHLY RECOMMEND PAYING THEM FOR TUBE TRANSPORT, as carrying the tube for the 20-ish minute hike wouldn’t been fun. Yes, there was a supply of tubes are already up there, but they had to pay someone to take them up there, and I’m glad we didn’t carry them. Our tour guide also correctly advised that we did NOT need bug repellant (This was early January, for reference). Anyway, back to once we arrived to the parking lot: we had a potty break (decent toilets and sinks!) and then were fitted for helmets and life jackets. THANK GOODNESS I read a previous review: CHECK THAT YOUR HEADLAMP WORKS when you first receive the helmet. Out of 4 of us, 2 of our headlamps didn't work so we had to request different helmets. The other guests were apparently encouraged to strip down to bathing suits, but that's not necessary - my family wore board shorts and were happy we did so. The females in the large extended family we were grouped up with were wearing thong bikinis and that was a bit strange as we hiked behind them... but to each her own! :) They grouped our 3 separate parties into one large group so it was nearly impossible to hear the guide as he told us about the flora and fauna on the hike to the tubing site. This group size also meant we needed a second guide legally (?), but he was silent the entire time... Except when he was in charge of paddling - then he loudly floundered/paddled/splashed in the water to get us where we needed to go, making it impossible to hear our main tour guide. All this said, I felt safe - huge bonus. The sights were beautiful - but I must sadly say: I saw the pictures from reviews and after this tour, felt that the pictures were good enough and I didn't need to do the tour since I'd already seen it all through review pics. I know that is rude and asinine, but it's how I felt. After spending $265 US for the water taxi for 90 uncomfortable minutes (not including wait time) and then sitting in the van for another hour (but at least entertaining if you could hear our driver), it felt a bit like a waste of a day if I'm being honest :( On a positive note, we were the lucky ones who got in on one of the last tours of the day before the tour was shut down due to flooding. The waters had risen to near dangerous levels by the time we were back in the area where we get out of the river, so we were very grateful that we were able to at least do the tour after the hours of hassle to get there! We met some folks on a tour from a cruise ship and they were denied access, and the tour right before them (the final one allowed) only let adults on it due to safety reasons (very understandable). So that's another factor: if it rained the day before or day of, there is a decent chance it will be cancelled through no fault of the tour company. Once we were back at ground zero, we changed back into dry shoes/clothes and ate lunch. The chicken was tasty, but it was a leg bone, so not much meat on it; even though I don't eat a lot, I was still hungry unfortunately. At the end they allow time for you to spend your money with various locals' kiosks. The kiosks were fairly over-priced; they gave pricing in US$ which was a first for us having been on Ambergris Caye for a week prior to this tour, where everything is in BZE. They try to gouge you, but I encourage you to negotiate. We opted to donate 2 of our 4 pair of shoes we had used for tubing, and they were very excited about that but still didn't discount a key chain for my daughter. Other little tips: they say you don't need sunglasses, but I wish I'd brought mine for the river ride after you exit the cave (I have blue eyes so sensitive to the sun). You also have to wear the helmet until you're out of the cave, but once you're out in the sun on the river, you can take it off. A few men on the trip opted to keep it on since they didn't have hats. We brought our own water-safe cell phone holders for photos and they were great, but you can apparently rent them there. You CAN rent water shoes (like Crocs) at the base for I believe it was $5 US per person. You SHOULD pay the $10 US per person to not carry your own tube up the 20-ish minute hike. The drive home was scary for a few minutes - a sudden torrential downpour and it took our driver well over 30 seconds to turn on the windshield wipers successfully. Kudos though - he did stop at a local mini mart and we all got cheap Belikin beers "road sodas" for the drive back to the city. Wrapping it up - did I feel it was the tour of a lifetime, like a lot of the reviews purport? Not really :( . I feel like the pictures from fellow travelers did it justice and we didn't really need to go, given the 6+ hours of travel required for this tour from Ambergris Caye. If we were starting out in Belize City, maybe I'd feel differently. I also had read such glowing reviews of specific tour guides, however ours was only kinda funny on the drive if you could hear him, and then the rest was wah wah. One final note: when I went to wash the tennis shoes that we wore in the river, they stunk so badly I almost threw them out. My daughter ended up with a bizarre “cyst” on the back of her leg that became infected (she is now on antibiotics), and this “cyst” appeared a few hours after sitting in the tube in the river. This could be a coincidence, or could be that the flood waters were kinda dirty? The rest of us were fine, FWIW!

Kenton took our family of 5 today on a journey that we thoroughly enjoyed. He had lots of experience and knowledge of the country, the birds, plants, the caves etc. Could learn from him all day. He showed my kids a great time (age 10, 12 and 14), and I would recommend both the zip lining and cave tubing for this age group. I recommend 5 star and Kenton

We did our tour with Manuel and he was an absolute professional and such a pleasure to work with! The ride there was very smooth and he was very knowledgeable about the experience and shared a lot of very interesting information with us. The meal we had was delicious and we all had so much fun. I would love to do another tour with him when we return. if you decide to do a tour with this company, I highly suggest that you request Manuel as your guide

Ask for Jimmy and Fred! Knowledgeable guides who made our rainy day tour unforgettable and engaging for all ages. Highly recommend!

Our group of 17 had a wonderful experience doing both ziplining and cave tubing. The staff were incredibly accommodating (a member of the group is handicapped) and ensured our safety and comfort throughout the activities. Lunch provided was delicious! Would definitely recommend if you are in Belize.

5 star tours we’re wonderful! Jimmy and Fred were outstanding tour guides and we were fortunate to have them. The chicken tamales were wonderful for lunch. The caves are beautiful. I highly recommend booking with them. They know the ship times and made sure we were on time. Thank you Jimmy and Fred!

We had an amazing experience from start to finish with our tour guides, Jimmy and Fred. They were very knowledgeable and shared so many interesting facts through our excursion. They took the time to share stories during our walk and the cave tour! We had kids ages 12-19 and they enjoyed it as well. It rained most of the day but that just added to our adventure! I can not say enough about this experience! Well priced and very adventurous!

Tour guide was super knowledgeable. Must be able to walk and carry your own tube. Strenuous but adventurous activity! Highly recommended!

Awesome trip for our family of 6 (four kids, ages 10 through 16)! Aaron, our guide, was amazing and did an awesome job pointing out tons of things throughout the journey and really made the trip memorable! And the lunch provided was fantastic!

I had a great time. All the guides were very nice and safety conscious. There was a disabled member in the party and they were very accommodating to them which was really awesome to see.

Our family of 6 adults and one child thoroughly enjoyed this excursion. Our guide/host Jimmy was wonderful. He narrated our trip from the port to the park and back. It was both educational and humorous. Our whole group enjoyed it. The rainforest walk and cave tubing was great as well. Jimmy guided us all the way. We were back at the port with ample time to spare. Well done 5 Star tours and Jimmy! If we every visit Belize again we will definitely book 5 Star and request Jimmy as our guide.

We were late because of the cruise ship but they still waited for us. Both Fred and Kenton were exceptional and made the experience that much more enjoyable. The delicious homemade tamale for lunch was memorable.

My girlfriend and I booked a cave tubing excursion during our recent cruise stop in Belize. While the activity had some fun moments, the overall experience left much to be desired. The Good: • The tubing itself was enjoyable. Floating through the caves and taking in the unique scenery was the highlight of the excursion. The Not-So-Good: • Transportation: The 45-minute drive to the tubing area was rough. The roads were in terrible condition, and the van’s suspension was shot. To make matters worse, the driver was clearly nodding off during the ride there—a safety concern no one should have to deal with. • The Hike: We were told upfront there would be a 30-minute hike to the river, which was fine, but we also had to carry our own oversized tubes. For an extra $5, someone else would carry them for you. However, we later discovered a stash of tubes already waiting at the river. That felt like a money grab. • “Lunch”: After the tubing, we were given a single tamale and a bottle of water. That’s not what I’d consider a lunch, especially after a long hike and tubing. Very disappointing. The tubing part of the excursion was enjoyable and unique, but everything else—transportation, hidden fees, and the meager meal—dampened the experience. I’d rate it 3 out of 5 stars. If you’re considering this tour, know what you’re signing up for!

Best tour ever! So educational. Donisha was excellent at giving history of Belize. Donisha's narrative was informative entertaining and a nice surprise during our ride to the caves. The walk through the rain forest was very educational. The lunch was great! Would recommend this tour.

The view of the cave and the river was beautiful. The water was so clear and Jimmy our tour guide was wonderful. He pointed out stellartite shapes and it was just amazing. His knowledge of the cave was also on point. Overall WONDERFUL experience 10 stars for 5 stars