Actun Tunichil Muknal Cave Tour and Picnic
Description
Actun Tunichil Muknal is a mysterious and beautiful portal to the ancient Maya and their traditions, ceremonies and spirituality. This cave system served as a ceremonial site where the Maya performed sacrifices and other ceremonies as they dealt with extreme and harsh conditions in times of drought. Explore this lush area surrounded by beautiful jungles, and the cave entrance is traversed by swimming across a crystal clear spring fed pool. Spend 3 hours in the cave after hiking in through the rain forest. Here you will see stunning artifacts, altars and the crystallized skeletons of the sacrificed girl, The Crystal Maiden.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Taking a journey into the Maya underworld at Actun Tunichil Muknal (ATM) or the “Cave of the Stone Sepulchre” for one of the most enlightening, epic and unique experiences of your life. Leave the world of the living behind as you venture into the heart of the ATM Cave with your licensed guide. Recently deemed the #1 Sacred Cave destination in the world by National Geographic, the ATM cave is not only beautiful geologically with its crystalline stalactites and stalagmites, but also historically, as is a natural museum of ancient Maya artifacts, as well as a sacred burial place. This is the final resting place of “Crystal Maiden,” an ancient Maya ceremonial victim, as well as the remains of 13 other sacrificed men, women and children. Your professional guides have led government officials, National Geographic, Discovery Channel, The British High Commission and US Embassy officials into the ATM Cave. This sacrificial site is accessed by a 45 minute drive from our office in San Ignacio.
Here we enter the Tapir Mountain Nature Reserve and park our vehicles at the ranger post. From this point on we are on foot, hiking through the jungle for approximately 45 minutes to the entrance of the cave. To access the cave we swim across a small spring- fed pool and wade into the dark underworld of the cave that allows us access the extensive underground maze of tunnels, passageways and chambers, climaxing in the ceremonial chamber housing stoneware, ceramics, the famed crystallized skeleton of the “Crystal Maiden”. We spend approximately 3 hours in the cave at the guidance of our experienced guides. We enter back into the jungle world and hike to our vehicles where we relax and enjoy a homemade picnic lunch with water and soft drinks before driving back to San Ignacio. Difficulty level: Moderate (involved some easy swimming and life jackets are provided for non-swimmers, who will also be escorted by our highly trained guide).
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
Pick ups from all locations in Belize can be arranged. There may be an additional charge so please contact us if pick up is needed. . Departure Point for most tours: Downtown San Ignacio Address: MayaWalk Tours Main Office 19 Burns Avenue San Ignacio Town Cayo District Belize, Central America Directions: MayaWalk Tours Main Office located between Tandoor Restaurant and Belize Bank Return point: Returns to original departure point
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
- Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately
- Cancellations only due to severe rain or flooding
- Guests must wear appropriate (Closed toe) shoes for walking through jungle and water
- Guests must bring a pair of socks for the dry chamber in the cave
- Minimum height requirement is 40inches
- Vegetarian meal option available upon request
- Clothes to be worn for the tour needs to be modest to respect the cave. Clothing such as macaroni straps, bikini, shorts and sleeveless shirts for both male and females are not allowed.
- Eco friendly bug repellent is optional (Apply only if needed)
- No cameras/ electronics are allowed on the hike and/or on in the cave.
- Bring along a water bottle. We will have water available to refill your bottles.
- Have a good breakfast before the tour. Lunch will be late.
- Tours are limited to 6 guests per guide. Larger groups (7+) will travel together while being assigned different guides.
- Form of Identification (ID) is required at check-in
- Extra set of dry clothing and sandals/flip flops to change into after your tour. This is a wet tour.
Reviews(1,459)
Maya Walk Stuff was excellent in comunication and they were puntual and ready to take us to the tour without losing time, very informative guide and the Person on reservation was always there online to aswear any question i highly recommend this company
This tour is amazing! I would highly recommend it. Alex was our guide and he gave us such a great experience. The cave and the artifacts are incredible—I still can’t believe that we got to be in such close proximity to it all. Take the tour!
I will admit that I was a bit hesitant to book with Maya, since they seemed to dominate the online presence for tours, and I feared it would be a large, generic trip. I'm glad I did because all of my preconceived notions about the trip were inaccurate - yes, you need a helmet and closed-toe shoes, and the tour size is capped by the park service. The tour itself was unbelievable and should not be missed. It's a once-in-a-lifetime experience. The guide was exceptional and impressed us throughout the tour with his historical, biological, and cultural knowledge.
Richard of MayaWalk was our guide on this adventure in June 2026. After a 30-45 minute walk through the forest with no bugs, we entered the cave by swimming through a pool of turqoise clear water. We proceeded to be in the cave around three hours crawling over, under, and through boulders, and wading and swimming through pools. Eventually we reached the upper chamber where we removed our shoes and walked in socks to preserve the integrity of the cave while viewing Mayan artifacts and remains. My teens have historically not liked tours, preferring to explore at their own pace. Richard caught their attention with engaging storytelling about the cave’s geology, Mayan history, and wildlife. We were lucky to have one guide for our family of four. Our teens rated this experience as better than visiting the above ground Mayan ruins and snorkeling the barrier reef. MayaWalk had absolutely too notch engaging, outgoing, and knowledgeable guides who thought of everything from a briefing on the ride to the caves covering phobias, to the best Belizean chicken meal we had on the trip. This is the tour to pick!
Our guide for this tour was Junior. He is passionate and informative and funny. We absolutely loved this excursion! MayaWalk is an excellent company, we took 3 different tours with them and our expectations were exceeded on all. Locally owned, great guides, convenient location. The lunch was delicious and driver was safe and courteous. Easy check in process, left on time. Highly recommend using this company!
The tour was a thrilling and exciting experience. The guides were very knowledgeable and concerned with keeping us safe. Francis made sure my 7 year old and my older kids had fun and were comfortable. This tour is an absolute must do while in Belize! Ended with a delicious picnic.
This tour is a must if you're anywhere nearby. So awesome! Our guide, Magdalena, was top notch - fun, intelligent, and very engaging! 5+ stars! We'd go again in a heartbeat.
This was such an amazing experience! Amil was an extremely knowledgeable and personable tour guide. We felt safe with him and had so much fun. A one of a kind experience, highly recommend it.
The Actun Tunichil Muncal cave tour was absolutely incredible. Our guide was Christian and he ensured to keep us moving quickly while stopping to explain all the key points of the jungle on the hike in, the cave, and even some fun facts about the greater jungle in the way out. He kept us together and instructed us on how to navigate safely from beginning to end. I will say- I do wish the tight spaces were emphasized more in the description of the experience, as a semi-claustrophobic person it was a bit nerve wracking to have a group in front and behind while trying to angle your head through two rocks, but Christian and my group made me feel safe and secure enough to continue. Maya walk tours was incredible as a whole and managed to send a ride out to us at our hotel in Belize city for an additional fee round trip. Lunch was delicious and it was truly a once in a lifetime experience. Thank you MayaWalk
Don't miss! One of those experiences that is unique, and more fun than you can anticipate.
