Mexico – The Underground Paradise of Rio Secreto
We have all visited caves, I have many. But, I admit I had never experienced anything like this before. Rio Secreto is a huge system of caves near to Playa del Carmen, Mexico. Over many many centuries an underground river of pure water has been carving out pure beauty beneath. Of course so much of it would need to be explored in diving suits, but, at the area of Rio Secreto the networks are semi filled thus making it accessible to many.
Wetsuits on, right from the start as you go into one of the many entrances hidden in the jungle the eyes and senses are hit with pure natural beauty that cannot be seen hardly anywhere on earth.
The care taken by the owners and guides to ensure it stays pure for future generations is a great thing to see. All must shower before entering, all are briefed on how to avoid touching the stalactites etc to stop human contamination. No glaring touristic lights to show the way or footways. It truly is just you, a headtorch and an awesome natural paradise.
Sometimes you are walking, sometimes ducking down, sometimes swimming/floating through the pure clear water. One and a half hours slowly taking it all in. The guide has so much knowledge and enthusiasm too. Everything is explained or proudly shown.
Even as I write this with all fresh in my mind I feel I should pinch myself to prove I actually saw and experienced what I did. Magical! Beautiful! Mother Nature, my favourite architect, thank you!
About Paul Steele
Founder of BaldHiker.com and avid hiker, climber and trekker. never liking to sit still and always seeking new adventures around the world. Sharing personal views here and tweeting live via @paul_steele
WOW! I love going into caves and these are extroadinary. Waitomo Caves in NZ are kind of similar but if I remember rightly they don't have as many fantastic colours (its basically pitch black haha). Did you take the photos or are these from the company?
wow wow and wow again thank we started thinking about offering tours to this wonderful place
We just visited Rio Secreto Oct 16, 2011. AMAZING and highlight of our trip to Playa del Carmen. Your photos capture the true beauty of this place. The guides are more than eco-friendly and nice to see that the management has not sold out to total commercialization. The water was twice as deep as normal because of all the rain Playa had last week which made it even more of an adventure.
This is just beautiful. I was in Playa del Carmen last year and sure wish I had known about this place. Thanks for sharing your beautiful pictures!
Wow! These pictures are amazing! I'm sure it's even more stunning in real life.