Actun Tunichil Muknal or as we call it, the ATM Cave. This archaeological site is within the Tapir Mountain Nature Reserve about an hour away by vehicle from San Ignacio, Belize. It is required to book a tour to visit the cave due to safety and preservation. We ended up booking our tour online through a local company in San Ignacio Called Mayawalk Tours. The tour was absolutely incredible and visiting the ATM is one of the most adventurous and memorable experiences I’ve done.
The Belizean Government made it illegal to take cameras within the cave due to the archaeological artifacts and because a tourist dropped their camera and smashed one of the skulls ruining it for all of us. But after exploring this cave, their is no way I would have even wanted to take anything but my water shoes and swim shorts. Because of the ban on cameras, I left mine behind, and all the photos on this post were taken from MayaWalk.
Our tour guide was in the process of receiving his PhD in Archaeology and his primary focus was the ATM Cave in Belize. Because of this, we learned so much about this cave, from its history to the local nature and wildlife surrounding it.
Mayan life was not always about sacrifices and ripping beating hearts out of a victims chest as portrayed in our media. They did practice a ritual called Blood Letting. Blood letting was a ritual performed by the Mayans where they would cut themselves as offerings to the gods. When times were tough mainly do to drought, blood letting was not quite “cutting” it and they offered sacrificial victims to the gods, these victims were mainly of high status.
To the Maya people, caves were an access to the underworld. So it is not unheard of to find archaeological evidence of Maya life within caves. The ATM Cave in Belize is a prime example of rituals taking place. Along the route to the main cavern there is evidence of human activity including alters and stains from smoke on the ceiling. The main cavern here holds 16 skeletons and thousands of fragments from pottery, not one of them fully in tact, these are known as kill holes. Archaeologists are not entirely sure why they performed this behavior but we do know they were ceremonial offerings for ritual purposes.
How to Get here and what to bring
Booking tours to the ATM Cave in Belize was fairly easy. We booked our tour with MayaWalk Tours online a few weeks in advance. There are several other tour companies, and you can even book through companies directly in San Ignacio a day prior. Simply walk up to one of the shops offering tours and sign up.
We met at 7 am, and took the hour bus ride to the archaeological site. There is a parking spot here with restrooms and a pavilion.
Now comes the good stuff! To access the cave, you need to get their via hiking and river crossings. Surprisingly, the water was kind of chilly. While hiking through the lush jungle pay attention as you might see animals. Our tour guide pointed out a fresh Jaguar paw print in the mud.
Before reaching the cave, the tour guide will have you leave all things in a safe location outside, including water bottles. Trust me, you don’t want to bring anything into the ATM cave. But, below is a checklist of things to bring since I was curious at first on how to prep for an excursion like this.
Bring
- Water Shoes
- Swim Suit
Leave in Car or Cave Entrance
- Camera
- Water Bottle (Bring for the Hike)
- Backpacks
- Anything of Value
- Change of Clothes
So it Begins! One of the most challenging yet rewarding experiences of my life!!!
Once dropping off your personal items at the entrance you will walk down a set of slippery stairs and see the entrance of the cave. The entrance of the cave alone was a beautiful site to see! Be prepared to get and stay wet for the next several hours.
In order to access the cave you have to swim through the entrance. At the very end of the cave is a natural spring feeding water through, but the tour does not go that far, it would add several additional hours. I mention this because the whole time you are exploring the cave you walk against the river and it can get deep in spots. One section you have to actually hold on to the rocks, tilt your head to the side and edge your way through. I’ve seen stuff like this on t.v. and always thought to myself ” Nope, not me, those people are crazy” Guess what? I did it and absolutely loved it! Along the trek, you will see typical cave features like stalactites, stalagmites, columns, cave bacon, etc..
As if hiking through a river in a dark cave is not challenging enough, your skills are tested once more. Before getting to the main event, one must rock climb (not as bad as it sounds), to get to the chamber.
At this point, the guides recommend wearing socks and leaving your shoes behind, which you will reunite with later. I felt you had better traction with socks, so go for it! Once in the cavern, watch your step there are ceramics and skeletons laying around. This is the site where blood letting and sacrifices occurred. Meander your way through this cavern and you will see yourself face to face with a ladder! Hopefully you are good at climbing because what lies up there is well worth seeing.
The main photo on this post is of the “Crystal Maiden.” She has been resting in this location for the last thousand years. So why is she so popular? Due to the natural crystallization in the cave, her skeleton remained in tact and she appears to be sparkling. She rests in a location alone and above the rest, she was most likely 18 at the time of her death. Like the other victims, blunt force trauma is most likely the cause of death.
The only way out of the ATM cave is back the same way! There have been tours stuck in the main cavern due to high water. Generally, going back is quicker, there are not as many stops.
If you are lucky though and have a cool tour guide, there are a few alternate paths they allow you to take that were pretty adventurous. Upon exiting the cave, take a final look back, because the entrance is just beautiful with the clear water and surrounding jungle. The hike back was the same, the water crossings seemed colder after having time to dry off. After 45 minutes of walking we arrived back at the parking lot just in time to put on dry clothes and enjoy lunch and Rum Punch!
Actun Tunichil Muknal in all honesty was one of the greatest experiences of my life and definitely the most adventurous. I highly recommend adding the ATM cave to your Belize itinerary.
