Actun Tunichil Muknal Belize Atm cave tours from Belize City

Actun Tunichil Muknal (ATM Cave)From Belize City

Duration

8 Hours

Tour Type

Cave Tubing

Group Size

15 persons

Location

Belize City

Overview

Actun Tunichil Muknal Cave - Belize ATM Cave Tour

 

A visit to Actun Tunichil Muknal, (ATM) Cave (CAVE OF THE STONE SEPULCHER) dubbed by an Archaeologist from NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC as the top sacred cave to explore in Belize and Central America will surely be a life-changing experience. 

Your journey starts with an air-conditioned drive from Belize City to the TAPIR MOUNTAIN NATURE RESERVE ranger outpost in the Cayo District. Here, our LICENSED GUIDE will provide you with a helmet, headlamp, and life jacket if needed. After gearing up, you will hike, wade and swim through the beautiful trails and rivers of the Maya Underworld.

VISITING THE ATM CAVE TOUR

The trail includes 3 river crossings and a 30-minute hike, which will bring you to an hourglass entrance to start The Journey into the Mayan underworld at Actun Tunichil Muknal. From inside, the cave system spans approximately 3 miles with CRYSTALLINE STALACTITES AND STALAGMITES, jarring boulders, and freshwater streams from ankle to waist-deep. 

After an hour of spelunking, you’ll arrive at the ceremonial area, and take a barefoot walk through a large football field cavern. The cavern hosts untainted Mayan history and ANCIENT MAYAN ARTIFACTS dating back 1-1000 AD, such as pottery (intact to completely shattered) tools, ceremonial items, and even the skeletal remains of 14 bodies (ranging from finger bones to skulls and other remains of Human Sacrifices). 

The tour concludes at the main chamber where the calcified “Crystal Maiden” lies, believed to be the skeleton of a young woman who was sacrificed in a bloodletting ceremony to the gods. 

 

 This trail entails a lot of hiking, swimming, and climbing. Wear comfortable lightweight clothing and shoes, or bring a pair of closed-toe water shoes. Sneakers can get heavy during the hike after getting wet. It’s good to have a pair of socks with you for the portion of the tour that is done bare feet as alluded to above. 

All personal items must be left in the tour van at the parking (i.e. extra change of clothes, small towels, money, and cameras. Cameras and cell phones are prohibited.

Items you can have:

  • A small bottle of water or Gatorade
  • A light snack (such as a granola bar) to grub on before entering the cave. 

 You don't have to be extremely fit, but you should be able to easily hike, swim and climb. Wear comfortable lightweight clothing and shoes or bring a pair of closed-toe shoes.

 
 
 
 
 

Included/Excluded

All activities
Professional guide
Driver/guide
Gratuities

Travel Styles

Nature & Adventure
Activities

FAQs

Where is the ATM Tour in Belize?
The ATM Cave is located in Belize, near the town of San Ignacio. The cave is well known for its large chambers and passageways and many stalactites and stalagmites. The cave is also home to several Maya artifacts, including pottery and sculptures.
A FEW THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE YOU GO ON AN ATM CAVE TOUR
In addition to your bathing suit, you'll need to wear clothing. ATM cave was considered sacred by the Mayans. The same respect is still shown today, so you must wear clothing over your bathing suit out of respect and go shoeless when traversing the fragile burial sites. The same respect is given today, so you must wear clothes over your bathing suit to show respect and go without shoes when walking on the delicate burial sites. Inside the cave, cameras are strictly prohibited. Cameras are also no longer allowed. One of the skulls was damaged after a tourist dropped his camera on it. Because of this bone-headed (pardon the pun) move, cameras are now banned from all ATM cave tours. While I initially thought that I was bummed I wouldn't be able to photograph it for myself, I have to say, I'm happy about the camera ban.
When visiting the ATM Cave in Belize, you should wear the following:
Getting wet and hiking for a while is part of the experience. What should you wear? Wearing wet clothes for hours can cause chafing! Shoes A water shoe with a good grip is ideal. Keen makes a perfect shoe for this purpose. Don't wear sandals or flip-flops – they don't have enough grip and won't protect your toes. There are rocks inside the cave, and it is easy to stub your toe if you don't wear closed-toe shoes. One of our fellow guests wore Sketchers sneakers that did not provide enough traction, causing him to slide several times. Wear appropriate footwear! Clothing Since you will get wet, you should wear clothing that you don't mind getting wet. It is possible to get dirty if you brush up against a muddy wall or slip in the mud (in other words, don't wear clothes you don't mind throwing out). Wear loose or very flexible shorts since you'll be climbing up. Jean shorts are a wrong choice! A tank top was the most common top worn by most women, while men mostly wore a t-shirt. Knowing we would be wet, You can wear quick-dry tops. Also, I chose to wear long sleeves because I was scared of bugs (i.e., spiders) crawling on me. You'll need a pair of socks for walking around the pottery and skeletons. Tour companies provide helmets with lights to see where you're going. Sunscreen & Bug Spray Despite some coverage, you won't be walking in the shade for a long time. When you visit on a sunny day, wear waterproof sunscreen (remember those rivers!). Make sure you have bug spray on hand. The mosquitoes will feast on you. Before entering the cave, some guides will let you leave your bug spray and water bottle at the base of a tree (or you can carry them in your wet bag).

Tour Location

Actun Tunichil Muknal (ATM Cave)From Belize City
from $280

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$280