Belize’s caves owe their existence to the region’s limestone bedrock, laid down over millions of years as ancient seabeds compressed into soft, porous karst. Over time, slightly acidic rainwater seeped through cracks in this stone, slowly dissolving it into the vast networks of caverns, sinkholes, and underground rivers found throughout the country. This process — karstification — is still at work today, slowly widening and reshaping passages through the flow of water beneath the jungle floor. Many of Belize’s caves are home to an elaborate collection of stalactites and stalagmites. These delicate formations slowly grow from the constant dripping of mineral rich water and depending on the type, can take 100-1000 years to grow just one inch. Belize sits atop one of the most extensive limestone systems in Central America, which is why its caves are not only numerous but often massive in scale, with chambers large enough to hold entire rainforest ecosystems underground.