Located in the Mountain Pine Ridge Forest Reserve, Rio Frio cave is about a hour drive from San Ignacio. I believe it’s 30 miles out of town. Our trip to this stunning cave was made all the more entertaining by an impassable muddy road. Unable to drive to the official lot we parked along the roadside and instead slipped and slid our way through the thick muck in order to get there.

Rio Frio Cave is more akin to a long tunnel where the river passes through. There’s a path above the river leading into the depths where it’s an “at your own discretion” type of adventure. We chose not to cross to the opposite side of the cave as we did not care to get soaked. Go figure. Muddy sure. Add soggy and no thanks.

Photo opportunities abound, Doug is the photographer out of the two of us and he took some lovely photos showcasing the walls of the cavern. I much prefer to snap a few (or a lot) of pictures with a phone and call it good enough.

The beauty of this cave is made all the more attractive in the freedom one has to wander through it. There are no handrail lined pathways here. I explored to my heart’s content. Having a headlamp is highly advised if you choose to explore the interior of the cave. On the higher ledges there are open cavities you can fall through which would certainly dampen the experience.

This fabulous cave made my otherwise soggy day. I do love a cave and this one was stunning! We combined this outing with a few short “hikes” in the general area; Rio on Pools and Big Rock Falls.