ATM Cave Adventure "Actun Tunichil Muknal" from Belize City
Description
Taking a journey into the Mayan underworld at Actun Tunichil Muknal, or the “Cave of the Stone Sepulchre”, will be one of the most enlightening, epic, and unique experiences of your life! 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 Mayan artifacts, as well as a sacred burial place. This is the final resting place of the “Crystal Maiden”, an ancient Mayan ceremonial victim.
Tour Options
Itinerary
A must do "bucket list" tour of Belize!! An amazing cave exploration tour featuring skeletal remains, pottery and fascinating Maya history. Includes a jungle hike, and river crossings!
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
"Don't see your Belize City location listed? No problem! Just include your location in the comments and we’ll be there to pick you up."
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
- Not recommended for children under 6 years of age
Reviews(28)
Great experience throughout - easy booking directly with UpClose who also arranged transportation from San Pedro, personable driver full of info and ready to answer any questions about Belize, and Rose (one of only three female guides licensed for the ATM cave tour!) was helpful navigating the cave and enthusiastic about sharing its history and features. We were lucky with a slower day so the number of people inside the cave was much lower than the height of tourist season. A bit of a trek from San Pedro and makes for a long day, but everything ran smoothly and definitely one of the most unique tours I’ve ever been on. Highly recommended!
Was fantastic. Rosa was an excellent guide, our driver went out of his way to help us, get lunch, and explain Belizian history as we drove through Belize towards the ATM Caves. Fantastic overall experience would absolutely recommend.
It was such a cool thing to see and experience. The guide was incredibly insightful as well as kind. It was truly amazing.
Up Close Belize Tours gave us an outstanding experience from start to finish. We began as a group of 37 travelers and later grew to 43, and everything was handled smoothly and professionally. Kim made the planning effortless and stress free, ensuring every detail was well organized and seamless for a large group. A heartfelt thank you to our incredible guide, Elvin. You truly cared for each and every person in our group, from kids to adults to seniors, with so much patience, warmth, and genuine kindness. Being your very first big group made this experience even more special for us. Your bubbly and cheerful personality, hilarious storytelling, and constant humor kept us smiling and laughing throughout the journey 😄. Thank you for sharing your beautiful country and making us feel so welcomed and cared for, just like family 💕. We truly came as guests and left feeling like family 🤍. We are so proud of Elvin and deeply grateful to the entire Up Close Belize Tours team. Wishing you continued success, happiness, and fulfillment 🌟.
from the bottom of our hearts - thank you RT & family!!
You get beat up, scratches, bruises, soreness everywhere. Worth it=To me, yes! I overcame some major fears, and the history was simply there for a bonus! If you're in decent condition, do it!
Fantastic experience with Elvin and Pedro. We spent all day with UpClose Belize (7am hotel pickup; 5pm airport dropoff). This tour is not for the faint of heart. 90 minutes of hiking in the heat then 2 hours in the cave. The cave is physically demanding as well. Pedro got our group through it with skill. Elvin was great in making sure we got to our flight in time and even confirmed the time with Maya Air for us. Probably the best tour I've taken in 10 years.
AWESOME!!!! Everything from our driver, tour guide, cave experience and lunch was outstanding! Our guide, Pedro, was very thorough, he took his time sharing his knowledge of the flora and fauna of the area and so much information about the Mayan world. Highly recommend this tour, I've never done anything like it and it is by the BEST tour I've ever experienced!
The tour itself was amazing and definitely would recommend people do it. Viator’s organization was really poor, so I would suggest using a different company. We had booked months in advance. Several days before the tour I was informed by email and over the app of the pic up time and location. The app and email noted different times and locations for pick up. The day before the tour I was asked to change the date or pay an extra $50 USD cash. Because we had no other option to switch days, we paid the tourist tax on our trip. I don’t mind paying money for an experience, I do mind feeling like I am being extorted.
Hmm you hop online and throw around "extortion" so very casually. Is it illegal to falsely accuse a company of extortion? It should be! Why would anyone think it is ok to do that? The act of extortion is illegal. Our tour description CLEARLY outlines that a supplement fee is charged for groups less than 4 - you were a party of 2. You accepted, in writing, and absolutely agreed to pay the supplement and go on tour. We clearly stated that you had the option to cancel with a full refund and book elsewhere. You never once expressed any dissatisfaction with the booking process. There is decidedly less flexibility when booking via any online platform. The cancelation policy you enjoy applies to all bookings, so when other parties cancel, it surely puts us in a tough spot. Based on the ongoing open conversation between us - why not just ask for a refund / discount? We would have been very open to discussing that. We are 20+years in business - we're here to deliver an outstanding experience to all our customers.
Bring swimwear and socks, (and ideally water shoes). The experience involves working through a cave system used by the mayans for human sacrifices.
What a trip! Never done, or seen anything like it. Cameras aren't allowed, so no pics. Well organised, extremely informative, but physically quite demanding (OK for a couple of fit 60 somethings). Our guide Alex and driver Karim were so knowledgeable.
