Caving
Requirements: Good health, recognition of risk, not afraid of the dark and enclosed spaces. The specialized equipment for this activity is provided for the administrators of the places to visit.
Places: Rey Marcos Caves, Candelaria Caves (Mucbilhá, Camposanto, Bonbil Pek), Lanquín Cave, Kanbá Cave.
About this activity: Guatemala offers a vast amount of caves for your discovery and excitement. Most of them are located in the north east part of the country. You will find limestone caves with gorgeous rock formations to partly underwater caves among others.
Learn how the Mayan celebrated their rituals and even lived in some of them. We will explore them on foot and then by canoe or tubes.
The Guatemalan cave system is very impressive, it combines the Mayan culture with the natural beauty end even in some cases with spectacular wildlife, foe in stance in the Lanquin cave, where you will see thousands of bats flying out for their nightly hunt.
In ancient times, the region encompassing Alta Verapaz, was considered by the Maya as Xibalbá, the entrance to the underworld. The region has a basement karstic which has allowed the formation of incredible underground passages. Among those the complex of caves in Candelaria, is the second largest in Latin America.
Do you want to undertake this activity?
Caving in Kanbá Cave, swimming in the sub terrain river
What is Caving?
Caving, also called spelunking, is the recreational sport of exploring caves. In contrast, speleology is the scientific study of caves and the cave environment.
The challenges of the sport depend on the cave being visited, but often include the negotiation of pitches, squeezes, and water (though actual cave diving is a separate sub-specialty undertaken only by very few cavers). Climbing or crawling is often necessary, and ropes are used extensively for safety of the negotiation of particularly steep or slippery passages.
Caving is often undertaken for the enjoyment of the activity or for physical exercise, as well as original exploration, similar to mountaineering or diving. Physical or biological science is also an important goal for some cavers. Virgin cave systems comprise some of the last unexplored regions on Earth and much effort is put into trying to locate and enter them. In well-explored regions (such as most first-world countries), the most accessible caves have already been explored, and gaining access to new caves often requires digging or diving.
Caves have been explored out of necessity (for shelter from the elements or from enemies), out of curiosity or for mystical reasons for thousands of years. However, only in the last century or two has the activity developed into a sophisticated, athletic pastime. In recent decades caving has changed considerably due to the availability of modern protective wear and equipment. It has recently come to be known as an "extreme sport" by some (though not commonly considered as such by its practitioners, who may dislike the term for its perceived connotation of disregard for safety).
Many of the skills of caving can also be used in the nature activities of mine exploration and urban exploration.
See the Wikipedia for more
