MAYAN EXTREME ADVENTURE - 04/06/2010
My teenaged kids, all four of them, lobbied me during our family spring break vacation at the Mayan Riviera to go on an extreme adventure. We have been looking forward to this awesome all-inclusive vacation for two years, and since I have never been at an all-inclusive before, I felt really priviledged to be able to spend a vacation thjis way.
Well, of course I signed up for the adventure. The adventure operator is called "Extreme Adventures" and our guides were Carl and Angie. These guides were awesome and showed us a great adventure.
First, we were shuttled about 30 minutes away to a tucked away section of Mayan jungle and were introduced to our guides. After a safety briefing we rode our ATV's 7 kilometers into the jungle over very rough terrain. Shannon, my oldest, hit a hole and tried to make a new path through a tree. A slightly bruised knee and back on the path. We arrived at a sink-hole which featured a 10 meter (32 feet) jump into the water, which has a depth of 180 feet into underground rivers and cave systems. After taking our numerous jumps, which reminded me of my younger days camping in northern Wisconsin and jumping into the quarries, we rode another 5 minutes to another hole in the ground.
The new hole was smaller and featured a 5 meter (15 feet) jump into a cave with water that ran just as deep as the sink hole. They have a zip line, swing and hammock all over the water and we enjoyed numerous jumps and various exploratory activities. The cave stalactites and stalagmites were awesome and the photos turned out great. Carl is a pro photographer as well and they personally delivered to our resort a complete CD-R disk of photos for one reasonable price. After chilling for a while and stopping in a local hut for some water, we were treated to the antics of a 5 month old Coati Mundi, which is from the raccoon family. He was very playful and Carl was great with the kids. The best part ended up being a Boa Constrictor which had recently shed its skin so it was very passive. The kids held it around their necks and the photos (below) turned out awesome. I passed.
Our last stop was another cave, but this time we didn't jump in. We took steps down to a platform and were able to observe vampire bats in their bat cave. We were awed by their flight patterns and ability to fly right by us and turn on a dime in the air. This was really a treat to remember. About 20 kilometers into the jungle beyond this point is a Mayan village that has not automobiles. They travel out of the jungle on scooters and bikes in order to get to their places of work. They are currently working on a better road for them.
Conclusion: I highly recommend this adventure tour. Carl and Angie both stated that they wanted to come to Michigan next year on a vacation. I have exchanged facebook information with Carl and we will soon be facebook friends. My partner Mark Poe and I have a friend from our travel and airline days who owns and operates a bed and breakfast in Tulum, Mexico. We will be getting an adventure package together to offer. Our objective is to produce an adventure package in Michigan which client's must book in order to qualify for our Mayan Extreme Adventure. We need to establish Michigan as an adventure travel destination first, then we can book excursions out of state.
My kids, ages 18, 16, 13 and 12 had a great time and these types of "extreme adventures" will never be forgotten.
I can't wait to go back and that is the best endorsement I can give to you.
Kevin Karpinski
Owner and Operations Dude
Green Planet Extreme Adventure Tours
Well, of course I signed up for the adventure. The adventure operator is called "Extreme Adventures" and our guides were Carl and Angie. These guides were awesome and showed us a great adventure.
First, we were shuttled about 30 minutes away to a tucked away section of Mayan jungle and were introduced to our guides. After a safety briefing we rode our ATV's 7 kilometers into the jungle over very rough terrain. Shannon, my oldest, hit a hole and tried to make a new path through a tree. A slightly bruised knee and back on the path. We arrived at a sink-hole which featured a 10 meter (32 feet) jump into the water, which has a depth of 180 feet into underground rivers and cave systems. After taking our numerous jumps, which reminded me of my younger days camping in northern Wisconsin and jumping into the quarries, we rode another 5 minutes to another hole in the ground.
The new hole was smaller and featured a 5 meter (15 feet) jump into a cave with water that ran just as deep as the sink hole. They have a zip line, swing and hammock all over the water and we enjoyed numerous jumps and various exploratory activities. The cave stalactites and stalagmites were awesome and the photos turned out great. Carl is a pro photographer as well and they personally delivered to our resort a complete CD-R disk of photos for one reasonable price. After chilling for a while and stopping in a local hut for some water, we were treated to the antics of a 5 month old Coati Mundi, which is from the raccoon family. He was very playful and Carl was great with the kids. The best part ended up being a Boa Constrictor which had recently shed its skin so it was very passive. The kids held it around their necks and the photos (below) turned out awesome. I passed.
Our last stop was another cave, but this time we didn't jump in. We took steps down to a platform and were able to observe vampire bats in their bat cave. We were awed by their flight patterns and ability to fly right by us and turn on a dime in the air. This was really a treat to remember. About 20 kilometers into the jungle beyond this point is a Mayan village that has not automobiles. They travel out of the jungle on scooters and bikes in order to get to their places of work. They are currently working on a better road for them.
Conclusion: I highly recommend this adventure tour. Carl and Angie both stated that they wanted to come to Michigan next year on a vacation. I have exchanged facebook information with Carl and we will soon be facebook friends. My partner Mark Poe and I have a friend from our travel and airline days who owns and operates a bed and breakfast in Tulum, Mexico. We will be getting an adventure package together to offer. Our objective is to produce an adventure package in Michigan which client's must book in order to qualify for our Mayan Extreme Adventure. We need to establish Michigan as an adventure travel destination first, then we can book excursions out of state.
My kids, ages 18, 16, 13 and 12 had a great time and these types of "extreme adventures" will never be forgotten.
I can't wait to go back and that is the best endorsement I can give to you.
Kevin Karpinski
Owner and Operations Dude
Green Planet Extreme Adventure Tours
