Rio Secreto and Tulum Tour from Cancun or Riviera Maya Hotels

Recommended by 94% of travelers

Playa del Carmen, Mexico

Great choice

5+ bookings last month.

5 hours 30 minutes (approx.)
Pickup offered
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

Why travelers loved this

4.7

· Katherine_L ·

Apr 2025

Well organized and fun for all. The tour is run by Rio Secreto so very legit. Diego was an AMAZING tour guide and ensured we were well taken care of. Snacks and water on the shuttle were much appreciated. Both Tulum and Rio Secreto were great experiences for the whole family.

· Anuket_B ·

May 2025

What an absolutely brilliant place, its absolutely beautiful. We had a wonderful time walking through the cave and wading trough the pools. We saw all the geographic features, bats, catfish, etc. Our guide Aaron was excellent and was incredibly knowledgeable about Rio Secreto as well as Tulum, which we visited in the afternoon, I would highly recommend this excursion.

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Overview

Combine a visit to Rio Secreto with a tour of the Tulum Archaeological site on this small-group experience. Learn about ancient Mayan culture as you explore the ruins with a professional guide before continuing to the Rio Secreto natural reserve, where you'll walk and swim through a beautiful underground river. Hotel pickup is included for added convenience.

Travel in the comfort of an air-conditioned vehicle
Lunch and bottled water are included
Safety equipment and wetsuits will be provided
Hotel pickup included for convenience

What's Included

Lunch

Regional buffet
Life jacket. Wetsuit. Lockers. Towels. Helmet with lamp.
Bottled water

Non-alcoholic drinks
Umbrella
Air-conditioned vehicle
Private transportation

Alcoholic Beverages
Photos
Souvenirs

Meeting and Pickup

You can head directly to your preferred meeting point, or request pickup.

Pickup points

Select a pickup point

Pickup details

If at the time of your reservation will not find your hotel, your confirmation will have the following legend: "Hotel not available", this means that in the next 48 Hrs, one of our consultants will contact you via phone or email to confirm the data needed, and once our consultant will confirm with you wherever you stay, the tour schedule may be affected depending on the location of the hotel. It is important that you present 15 minutes before the hour named in the lobby of your hotel.

Meeting points

Select a meeting point

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

Operating hours
.8:30 am

Itinerary

Tulum

2 hours • Admission Ticket Included

Rio Secreto

3 hours • Admission Ticket Included

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Near public transportation
Not recommended for travelers with back problems

No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 15 travelers

Supplied by

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Gallery picture 1 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 2 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 3 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 4 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 5 (from a traveler's review)

Featured review

charles_s

The river was a one and a lifetime experience. The guide that we had, Tatiana was amazing. She stuck with us from the beginning to the end. She did the river made us feel safe and helped us understand a lot of the environment that created the underground rivers. We learned so much. At Tulum it was very hot, but we got the basics and were able to see what it was like back in the early ADs

Reviews

4.7

based on 434 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

We perform checks on reviews

Fun Experience at Rio Secreto

Shannon_W, Mar 2026

This was a fun experience. I was not really sure what to expect. Our guide, Anna, was very knowledgeable and help create a memorable experience for this unique tour. The river part was fun. I kept asking Anna if we would see a bat in its natural habitat and she found one. The Tulum tour was so interesting. Anna did a great job explaining the ruins. If going mid-day remember to bring an umbrella or sun hat because there is not much shade and it got toasty.

Excellent combo tour

Jill_W, Jan 2026

Loved this two stop excursion. Tulum is fantastic and not overcrowded like Chichen Itze. Guide was knowledgeable and professional. Rio Secreto is very special and worth the trip. We should have done the biking and zip lining at Rio.

Be prepared for a stenuous tour

Trischa_B, Dec 2025

My partner and I are late 70s, and used to walking distances. This was very poorly explained, and turned out to be very strenuous for us. The guide, Diego, was incredibly supportive of our need for assistance during the 1.5 hour excursion. To explain: The bulk of the tour is in an underground cavern, where you must walk over rocky sandy bottom, dodging stalagmites and stalactites while you walk in water--knee or hip deep--mostly in semi darkness, lit only by the lamps on your helmet. You are provided with a mandatory wetsuit and poor water shoes, and must walk about 1/2 a mile on a rocky path to the entrance of the cavern. The shoes were not mean to walk on such a path. We were the oldest of the group, and had some balance issues--we would not have chosen the tour had it been explained fully, That said, it was spectacular and a worthwhile site.

Fantastic!!!

Krista_M, Dec 2025

Absolutely fantastic! Our guide Diego was the best guide we have ever had on any trip. This excursion is well worth the cost. You will not regret it.

Awesome tour

charles_s, Jul 2025

Highly Recommend

Anuket_B, May 2025

Great family tour

Katherine_L, Apr 2025

Great Time with Friends

Nadia_B, Apr 2025

Twas a great time with friends, although the weather was hot. I would recommend not having such a long tour. It was a long day

Rent a car and go yourself

Serge_L, Jan 2025

The places themselves are awesome. We would highly recommend visiting both Rio Secreto and Tulum. Rio Secreto is an amazing once In a lifetime experience, it's definitely a go. However, the organization of this experience is terrible, the vendor is a very poor-quality organizer. 1) Transportation cars are uncomfortable - they squeeze around 15 people in a small bus. The air conditioning is barely working, it's very hard to breathe, and there is not enough space. 2) The bus itself is old and broken - seats are FALLING OFF and not secured in place, air conditioning is just holes in the ceiling, seat belts are TORN OFF and not working - it's NOT SAFE by any means. 3) The organization was very chaotic, they brought us to the Rio Secreto, and no one knew what to do, people were just standing there, the guides weren't aware of which group is which, and our guide were assigned two times incorrectly. 4) Most of the excursion time is spend on the chaotic organization and transportation, rather than experiencing amazing places. We have to wait until they figure out which group you belong to. And you pay 300 euros for this. 5) Our guide was very slow, not informative, not encouraging, and did seem not very interested in the excursion itself. It was not interesting and not fun to listen. 6) We spent much more time on this event than it was advertised (11 hours over 7). Mostly because of terrible organization and transportation. We were very exhausted and it diminished every nice thing about such a beautiful place.

Do not miss the opportunity to visit the underground river.

ornellamison, Dec 2024

Despite a very wet day we had a great time visiting Tulum. The underground river tour was the highlight for us. We could have spent a little less time in the shopping area.

Finest experience I’ve ever had!

Jamie_M, Dec 2024

Fernando w/Rio Secreto was absolutely a fantastic guide. He was well knowledges in the caves and at Tulum. Was able to answer all and any questions. We felt safe always. My 10 year old was nervous at first but Fernando reassured him everything would be okay. Hector was also great, our photographer, and got really good pics of us! We had a group of 4 people and enjoyed the smaller group, we got lucky with this as we were supposed to have a larger group. Overall I’d recommend Fernando for this tour and this company in general!

Just didn't happen.

Vadim_B, Oct 2024

Night before the tour we got message that they will not pick us up from our hotel. Got full refund from Viator, wasn't able to reach out to provider.

Good and bad = ok

Zaida_J, Jul 2024

The experience was extremely unique, and our tour guide (Diana) was absolutely wonderful. It was not permitted for us to take pictures with our phones throughout the tour as they have photographers who take photographs throughout the tour and charge $30 per picture at the end of the tour. In addition, the buffet was gross.

Cave Rio Secreto

Giovanni_P, Jul 2024

Omar our tour guide was amazing! Very professional with high knowledge of history. We highly recommend this tour experience!

Great excursion! long day be prepared

Peter_O, Jun 2024

Overall a very good tour, though it’s important to know a few things prior Pickup at our hotel was right on time. After picking up a few other groups, van drove to rio secreto where we got wristbands. Then a different driver drives to Tulum. Spent about an hour and a half in Tulum (our day was overcast so not too hot). Suggest bringing water containers. After Tulum headed to Rio Secreto, spent a couple hours getting prepared and going through the caves was amazing! Great to swim and see sights. Unfortunate they don’t allow any cameras in the cave so you have to rely on their photographer (120usd for the photo set) Lunch buffet around 3:30 pm so was definitely starving by the. Back to the hotel (in a 3rd van) made about an 10 hour day Memo was an amazing tour guide ! Such great info and a lot of fun ! Definitely recommend!

Amazing Rio Secreto

Ciara_S, Jun 2024

Isabel was a brilliant tour guide. Tulum was really interesting, but the cave tour was amazing. We did the purple trail. Rio Secreto is beautiful and really well organised. The lunch provided was great too.

Fantastic tour and experience

Melissa_J, Jun 2024

This was a fabulous experience! Our family of 8, ranging in kid age from 4-20, really enjoyed it. The guide was knowledgeable Anna shared very interesting information. The cavern was fascinating and the water felt amazing after the hot muggy weather. Lunch was delicious with homemade tortillas. The pictures taken throughout the tour were wonderful, although very pricey. We purchased 2. Tulum was amazing as well. It was VERY hot. I think my family would have enjoyed it more if we had brought a metal water bottle (you cannot bring a plastic water bottle into Tulum). However, I thought the overall experience was amazing and well worth the money spent on the outing.

Book this excursion!

Morgan_S, Jun 2024

Diego was a great, knowledgeable and friendly tour guide! He provided us with a lot of history of Tulum and the Rio Secreto cave, and also made sure we were comfortable and safe! This is a must do excursion! It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity to see this cave in this capacity!

Amazing, but disappointing

Michael_W, May 2024

The Rio Secreto experience was amazing! Highly recommend to adults and children alike. Karina, our guide, was exceptional. The rest of the tour was disappointing. We expected to visit Tulum at the start of the day and end the tour with the refreshing cave tour, but did just the opposite. We arrived in Tulum in the heat of the afternoon and heavy crowds, after a very mediocre ‘traditional’ cafeteria style lunch. Could not enjoy Tulum in the oppressive heat.

Amazing Excursion!

James_N, Apr 2024

getting to experience this natural miracle in a sustainable way was awesome. To be honest, I did not think I would have enjoyed it nearly as much as I did. Our guide was very knowledgeable, very kind, and she seemed to really enjoy her job. The view from Tulum was so incredible, but Rio Secreto was really special.

Incredible sights but much longer than advertised

Sumyee_L, Apr 2024

I very much enjoyed the day. The Tulúm sites were incredible and so was rio secreto. The only issue was that the viator website said that the tour was 5.5 hours long and it ended up being 10 hours long. Also lunch wasn’t served until 3:45 pm so we were starving. If we had known we would have brought more snacks and gotten a lunch where we could!

A must do

Lise_P, Apr 2024

After confusion on departure time, Victor was very kind to book another time and transport, the expérience at Rio Secreto was fantastique, Melissa our guide was the best....

Worth it!

Minerva_M, Mar 2024

Rio Secreto was amazing! Totally recommend it! I panicked (don't know how to swim) once it was time to go through the water. However the staff was great and helpful. The whole experience was very organized... the lunch was delicious too!

Fabulous day.

Ellen_C, Feb 2024

Fabulous experience. Was a little scared of going underground but it was awesome. Only criticism is that Rio Secreto needs to update some of their equipment. Several headlamps stopped working during our tour.

Better options to see Tulum, but Secreto was nice

Adam_C, Jan 2024

Main reason for 3 stars is that it ended up being an 11 hour day when it was advertised for much shorter. The waiting for the bus and groups took out of our day.

Bad communication and coordination

Reena_M, Jan 2024

I booked this trip and got a confirmation email from Viator stating that my reservation was confirmed. I tried to call and message the company a few times but every time the call didn’t go through. Finally, the morning of the trip I got through to someone from the company who confirmed that my reservation was accurate. I showed up at the meeting place 30 minutes before pick up time. I tried to contact them again because the pick up spot looked deserted and when I spoke to the representative, she was unable to find my reservation at all. Finally when I sent her a picture of the confirmation from Viator, she said that I was actually booked for a trip the following day, even though my confirmation said it was confirmed for that day. She said I was supposed to get an email directly from their company, which I never received. Apparently, according to this rep, there was a mistake both from Viator who requested the wrong date (possibly?) and from the tour company itself who never sent me a confirmation email, not for the day I confirmed on Viator and not for the wrong day that they had me in their system for. They offered to put me on a tour for the following day, but that didn’t work for me so they did refund my trip, but it was a big disappointment, as I was looking forward to this trip. Long story short, contact the company a few days before your scheduled trip to make sure they have your reservation in correctly.

Rio Secreto and the Mayan ruins are sites to see

James_E, Jan 2024

This excursion was terrific. Viator delivered on everything they said they would in a timely and professional manner. The only reason I gave 4 starts instead of 5 was because of some transportation delays to start and for length of the excursion. The description said 5 hours, but we were gone for nearly 7.

Great tour but optional

ShyuePing_O, Dec 2023

Rio Secreto was great though the fact that they didn’t allow photography in the caves (so that they can charge you an exorbitant amount to buy the official photos) was not cool. There are other cave cenotes that are just as nice without these restrictions. Tulum is also nice but the queues were long. That said, you do not see anything at Tulum that you won’t see at Chichen Itza. All in all, a great tour though I would recommend just doing Chichen Itza with a cenote and skipping this tour.

Tulum was interesting but we really enjoyed the caves!

Michael_C, Dec 2023

The river caves are a must see! The nonstop picture that they want to sell you afterwards became a bit annoying. But all said and done we really enjoyed ourselves!

Rio Secreto and Tulum tour

RYAN_S, Nov 2023

The Rio Secreto part of the trip was well worth the time and money. It is really unique. The part that was a bit disappointing was the amount of time spent traveling to Tulum and then back to Rio Secreto and then another 20 minutes into the jungle. Its a lot of time in a van. Also was bummed that we had to wait an hour in the middle of a jungle after being finished with our excursion just to get a ride out of there. Guide was great though. I would advise asking for an all english speaking tour though if it is possible. The bi-lingual takes a lot more time...