Must-do -- Closest You'll Ever Get to an Indiana Jones Expedition- But Be In Shape or Prepared for Exhaustion! - This was one of the most incredible places I have been to, and I am SO glad we did it- but be warned, if you are older and not in the best physical condition, this is EXHAUSTING! But also one of the most unique places on earth, the closest you're going to get to an Indiana Jones expedition. :) That said, I would not do it a second time unless I was ready to die. If you are in your 20's, 30's, 40's, maybe 50's and in good shape, you may find it a breeze. But this warning is for people like me in their 60s (or above). There is a reason this cave is listed under "Extreme Adventure." First, let me tell you what I expected. I had read you had to walk a ways to get to the cave, but it was flat and peaceful and not too jungly, that you would get fully soaked pretty close to the beginning of the walk because you had to cross a little river up to your midsection, that you had to swim a little ways when you got to the cave, and climb over a ("A" ?!!) boulder in the cave, that there was one part where it was narrow, especially around your head and especially for tall people, so you had to turn sideways and tall people might need to duck down, and after all this, you would be rewarded with the sight of ancient pottery, bones and even skulls, just lying on the ground, and one complete skeleton that had gotten calcified with a substance that sort of shimmered. OK, I can do all that, easy. Oh and I knew that you could not take your phone or any type of camera in, to protect the bones and artifacts, and I get that, but what I did NOT know was why. I assumed it was like in pyramids and such where flash from a camera can damage ancient painted images and the like, and some people ignore the rules and use flash anyway. Nope. It is because some IDIOT a few years back was leaning over with his camera and DROPPED IT ON A SKULL, breaking it (the skull, not the camera). Thanks a lot, popsiclehead, for ruining it for the rest of us. Well, you don't just cross the river once, you cross it three times, over a rocky bed, at least one of those times while you're immersed up to your chest (especially if you are NOT one of those tall people) in water flowing so fast they have strung a rope across, but the water and the rocks underfoot sometimes made it difficult to stay upright while crossing, even with the rope. The hike was longer than I expected, about an hour to get to the cave, but going in it wasn't bad. COMING OUT after exhausting yourself in the cave was a different story. Swimming into the cave was fine. It is a short distance with thank goodness no current. You WILL have to swim; it is too deep to touch. So you come to a boulder fairly quickly, and it was not a bad climb to get over it. I was congratulating myself for doing what I anticipated to be the hardest part without too much difficulty. I'm sure the guide was laughing inside when I asked him if that was the worst of it, and he answered well, there was a little more climbing ahead. Little my sweet patootie! There were like a GAZILLION (ok, I exaggerate, but there were tons- literally) more boulders, and the first one is pretty minor. There were ones where you had to tiptoe and stretch and pull yourself up without losing your footing. There was a stretch that was all columns of rock 10 to dozens of feet high, circular and maybe the width of your foot (so that yes, front and back of your foot were hanging off), and some of them were a fair bit higher than the one before, and there was not always something to hold on to. This was pretty close to where the ruins were, but there was one lady (a little younger than me) there who, after going through all that, over all those boulders, was too scared and fed up to continue on and see the main sights! I got it. But there was no way I was going to go THAT far and be that close and not finish. There were sharp edges and rocks everywhere. A lot of the walking in the cave was through water and a fair bit of the rocks you had to walk and climb on were pretty slippery. Many people fall while walking through the water, some more spectacularly than others. (I wound up with a major bruise or 2.) Look online to find a pic, where the girl is about 2/3 of the way up the face of a rock about 3 times as tall as her? Yes, you really have to do that, and that rope you see there is NOT to be used for climbing UP- it is only for assistance when you get to the end, then have to turn around and go all the way back. I was hoping there would be some sort of easy exit at the end. NOPE. But anyway, climbing up that wall, you are clinging with your feet and hands and fingernails. They have not put pins or pitons in the rock to make it easier. I feel like I have not adequately described just how many boulders there were and how hard some of them were to scramble up or over, but there were MANY and some of them were HARD. But when you finally get through all that, it is pretty amazing. There is pottery and bones and skulls just lying on the ground, and the only thing keeping you from stepping on them is some black tape sort of like crime scene tape just laying on the ground! You are having to walk on top of rocks that are filled with what look like dozens of ponds of sand, but you aren't supposed to walk through those because they haven't finished excavating and you may step on an ancient pot. I swear I saw a pot whose lip was barely sticking out from one of them. Then the Crystal Maiden (who they've recently discovered was really a man) is at the end. Did I mention this was a place of human sacrifice? Yeah, those bones are not of people who just died peacefully in their sleep. It was thought to be the gateway to the underworld and is also called "Xibalba", which means place of fear. So like I said, once you see all that, you have to turn around and do it all in reverse. The cave part was not as hard going out, because there were several places where you could slide down rather than climb up. (Make sure you wear shorts that you don't care if you ever wear them again.) But then you get out and your muscles are aching and your breathing is heavy from all that climbing, and you have to walk an hour BACK and cross those 3 points in the river again. I was really dragging. A lot. But the guide at the cave was AWESOME, giving tons of great info, making sure you position your foot just right for every boulder and wall you have to scramble up and over, and kindly hung back with us walking back, when all the sane people in their 20's-50's walked on ahead. They have very stringent requirements for who can be a guide for ATM cave, and only a very limited number of spots for those guides, so they have the best of the best doing these tours. Knowing what I know, would I still have done it? You bet. Would I do it a second time? Not on your life. But everyone should experience it once, if they can.

Best experience of my vacation - This was the best experience of my "MAYA-vacation". Before doing it I hesitated because I was the only one from my group going and afraid I would not be able to manage. But with the support of this very supporting guide, Rafeal Guerra, everything was possible. Rafael also was very knowlegable explained and showed us so many things that being in the cave for about 3 hours was felt much shorter. The trip included pickup, water and food. The only thing I regret is that we were not allowed to bring a camera or mobile to the site.

Belize Family Adventure booking - We booked our trip through Belize Family Adventure and were impressed with our experience. Belize Caving Expeditions actually ran our trip. We toured the ATM cave with our guide, Glis, and one other couple. We were picked up in San Ignacio by Glis, who was more than happy to answer any questions we had and to just talk in general about Belize and how certain aspects of the country worked. He was super friendly and incredibly knowledgeable. Once we got to the cave site, he led us on a short-ish hike to the cave itself, where we swam across a small river to enter. The tour was a fantastic experience, full of history, wading through the wet cave and climbing up and through areas that one wouldn’t normally go. Glis was absolutely great at filling the day with history and interpretation of the site and we felt safe at all times with him. It truly is an amazing experience you don’t want to miss on your trip to Belize! Unfortunately, you can’t take anything with you into the cave and the only thing you can take home are the memories and experiences you earned that day. 10/10 would recommend Glis as your guide!

ATM tour - Patrick did an amazing job guiding our group on the ATM tour. Probably the best tour I’ve ever been on. What an amazing experience. Patrick’s knowledge of the natural environment and history of Mayan culture was unparalleled.

A MUST DO...amazing... - Incredible...one of the best adventures of a lifetime....and im an adventerous 70 yr.old. fascinating and unique the knowledge and obvious passion of our guide MIGUEL made it a master class for us amateurs. I cannot recommend this enough...so enjoyable. Delicious and fresh lunch awaited us and we were treated like royalty. You MUST be fairly fit and flexible....can climb a bit and still be bold...lol. it was so worth it..

Amazing Experience Exploring the ATM Caves! - My partner and I had a wonderful experience exploring the Actun Tunichil Muknal caving site with Belize Caving Expeditions! The caves are located about an hour drive from San Ignacio, and our tour guide Cisco picked us up right up the street from our hotel. Upon arrival, we were divided into groups and taken on a guided hike through the jungle to reach the caves. My partner and I were lucky enough to stay with Cisco for our caving experience in a small group with two other couples. Cisco did a wonderful job explaining the history of the Mayan civilization and educating our group on various cultural practices and beliefs of the Mayan people. He pointed out interesting flora and fauna on the hike, and interesting geological formations in the caves. He also did a great job of ensuring our safety inside the caves whether we were swimming through tunnels or climbing over rock formations. Although it is unfortunate no cameras are allowed inside the caves, the caves are beautiful and it was very interesting seeing and learning about Mayan artifacts and remains firsthand. This is a must-see while visiting San Ignacio and 100% worth the money. I would highly recommend booking with Belize Caving Expeditions for your experience!

A great lifetime experience - Actun Tunichil Muknal (ATM) Cave I had my doubts about going for a tour of this cave, but our guide, Francisco (Cisco) Itza, prepared us very well. At the parking/staging area we were issued life jackets and helmets with lights, which were essential. We had packed our scuba flashlights, but forgot to bring them on the excursion. I think they would have been brighter than the headlamps, but we may not have been allowed to bring them. We hiked for about 40-minutes on an often muddy path and crossed ‘refreshing’ Roaring River three times, which involved holding onto a rope and walking in chest-high water. At the second staging site, a short walk before the mouth of the cave, Cisco went over safety information and the history of the Mayas’ association with the cave. We swam into the cave single file behind Cisco. He instructed us where to touch for balance (three points of contact). We waded in knee-high to chest-high moving water, occasionally swimming, sometimes bending over, and even crawling. We stopped to see geologic formations in process, ones that are dormant due to no recent water contact, and inactive ones that are no longer touched by water. As we progressed further into the cave, Cisco explained that the Mayans had traveled deeper and deeper into the underworld to appeal to their deities when their offerings closer to the cave mouth had not brought rain. The further in, the more gruesome the sacrifices. At the farthest point were human remains, the result of ‘sacrifices’. The way back was fast because we were going with the river’s current and didn’t make any stops. I have all confidence in Cisco, a real pro and a fountain of information that he received first hand. He lives in a Mayan community at the base of the Xunantunich ruin. He is a Mestizo (mix)—his father is a Yucatec Mayan and his mother is a Guatemalan of Spanish decent. His grandfather was a spelunker who mapped the caves in Belize and took young Cisco as his assistant. This is a remarkable experience —exhilarating and educational. This is not Disneyland. It’s one of my top five. Thank you Cisco and Belize Caving Expeditions!

Amazing journey into ATM - Amazing journey into ATM. Definitely a highlight of our visit to Belize. The trip through the caves requires certain degree of agility and strength to be able to navigate through some of the tight spaces. Make sure to bring a set of dry clothes for after your visit as you will get wet in the caves.

Read & Be Amazed - Being Fit REALLY matters! Our guide Patrick Warrior is a champion! - This was truly amazing, and the most difficult experience ever - your fitness level matters and being informed of what to expect is important. You will be challenged I think no matter your lifestyle/age...I would dress differently for the adventure now that I have lived it. I'd wear long sleeves, and long leggings as part of the bathing suit because you will be climbing, stretching, scrunching, slipping, and sliding like you've probably never done before except when you were a little kid. So being flexible is important and wearing footwear/like swimwear is really helpful/like even sneakers would have been my choice if I knew before, also, you will be in sock feet (I thought for 20 ft in the sacred area) NOPE, a long trek/climbing with wet/socks/rocks, etc. so I'd recommend thick good socks/or 2 pairs as the wet/rocks and climbing is a trip you'll remember forever. Our Guide was remarkable, and so instrumental in the entire experience, Patrick Warrior, made this the most amazing adventure the entire day....he was surefooted, really brilliant, filled with fabulous people skills, yet so chill, AND gave us all an experience to remember all our lives. I'm forever grateful to Patrick for making sure that I could complete the trip, I had doubts and his skill, knowledge and manner of handling a group was so impressive, he was in the know the entire time....I am so proud that we did the trip! It is difficult to describe what you will do -- 3/4 mile into the dark/cold water/very wet sometimes, super small/areas - finding ways to get up/over/through will challenge most everyone. So, make sure you are comfortable going beyond, don't mind getting wet/and like working and trusting other people you just met. If you have any health issues, physical challenges esp. legs/arms and strength...this is not for you - I'd say having a really strong fitness level will make this a mind blowing day. Be prepared!

Wonderful hike but could be less crowded - Lovely hike. The final cave was a let down but the experience made up for it . Tour operator took us there and assigned us to a different guide. Each guide can have max 8 people . Guide Manuel was excellent but the helmets and life vests could be better . Cave was crowded and they should limit visitors . Added extra one hour due to crowding in the cave . Food served for lunch was good. They rushed us a bit when we got to the start of the tour I felt. They should have a photograph taken for each group at the beginning of the tour so we all have a keepsake . Does not matter which company you go with . Experience is the same ,. All the guides seemed to be doing a good job