We may earn money or products from the companies mentioned in this post.
Belize is one of our favorite destinations — there is so much to do in Belize! Planning our last trip to Belize, I knew that I had to tour the ATM Cave. My goal was to have a trip with some adventure and relaxation, and the ATM cave in Belize was a huge part of that adventure! Those who would like more underground adventures might also consider jumping the underground waterfalls of Belize.
But after reading articles and blogs, I became concerned that the tour would be too physically demanding for me given recent health issues. I didn’t know the truth about visiting the ATM Cave in Belize. Here is an honest rundown of what to expect when visiting the ATM Cave in Belize. By the way, you MUST go if you can!
What is the ATM Cave in Belize
Actun Tunichil Muknal (or “ATM”) is a cave near San Ignacio, Belize. The cave’s name in ancient Mayan translates to Cave of the Stone Sepulcher. The Mayans used this cave as a sacrificial chamber to ask the gods for favors. In ancient Maya, this was a sacred site. You’ll walk right up to and next to thousands of years old pottery. You’ll see skeletal remains of human sacrifices, including the Crystal Maiden. Inside, you’ll see some interesting geology.
You can get so close to ancient artifacts in a few places. Unfortunately, the ability to get so close has also led to careless visitors accidentally destroying some pottery. A visitor dropped his camera a few years ago, breaking one of the skulls. As a result, cameras are no longer permitted. Because of this, the ATM cave has become a mysterious destination.
The photos in this article have been graciously shared by our tour company and Benedict Kim of Esoteric Vision Photography (check out Ben’s entire photo collection!).
What to Expect when Visiting the ATM Cave in Belize
Plenty of websites tell you that to participate in the ATM cave tour, you’ll have to go through a difficult hike, crossing three rivers, and that you need the fitness level of an ultra-athlete. One blogger even referred to this as her Indiana Jones adventure. Tour companies offering a Belize ATM cave tour say almost the opposite, taking people of all ages and fitness levels.
So which is it? The truth lies somewhere between the two extremes.
Visitors can only enter the pitch-black cave if accompanied by a licensed guide. All groups are limited to eight visitors, which allows for individualized attention from the tour leader. At one point, I tripped and fell inside the cave, and our guide made me move closer to the front of the line to help me. In other words, the tour is physical but not excessively demanding.
The Hike
It’s a 45-minute hike each way from the parking area to the entrance of the cave. The path is not hilly, but it isn’t completely flat either. This jungle path can be muddy (we went during the rainy season). There are loose rocks at times, roots grow on them, branches may have fallen, and insects (primarily ants) are along.
You should be able to easily walk for an hour at a time at a decent pace (approximately 4 miles per hour). Tour guides are knowledgeable about the flora and fauna in the area, and you’ll learn a lot about what the Mayans knew about nature.
Swimming
On your way to and from the cave, you’ll experience three river crossings, and the cave entrance features deep water. The flow and water level of each river crossing greatly depend on the time of year and how much rain has occurred in the preceding days. We swam the first crossing while holding onto a rope. I held on to the rope for the other two crossings mostly because I feared tripping on rocks and falling.
The only way into the cave is to swim while wearing your helmet and carrying any wet bag you bring. There was one other time inside the cave where you’d swim, especially if you were short. Life jackets are available for those uncomfortable in their swimming skills.
Climbing inside the ATM Cave in Belize
There are multiple times when you have to climb up and over rocks—guests need to be able to climb up, at times raising their feet to hip height (I’m short!). You’ll need to be able to pull yourself up while using foot and handholds. At one point, you’ll climb a metal ladder while wearing only socks. Yes, this is uncomfortable, but not painful.
Inside the ATM Cave
I’m not going to kid you – there are tight fits. At only 5’4″ tall, there were several times when I had to swim inside the cave, whereas taller guests could walk. Visitors should be strong swimmers or not afraid to swim, wearing a life vest. If you’re scared of enclosed places, the dark, the underground, or heights, this is not the tour for you. But if you’re not a fan of those things but not scared, step outside your comfort zone and try it!
What to Wear when Visiting the ATM Cave in Belize:
You’ll get wet and hike for a while. So what should you wear? Beware of chafing from walking for hours wearing wet clothes!
Shoes
A water shoe with a good grip is ideal. Keen makes a great shoe for this purpose. Don’t wear sandals or flip-flops—there isn’t enough grip on the bottom, and they won’t protect your toes. The paths inside the cave have rocks, and it is easy to stub your toe—you will want a closed-toe shoe. Two of our fellow guests wore Sketchers sneakers, which didn’t have enough grip and made them slide a few times. Wear appropriate footwear!
Clothing
You will get wet, so wear clothing that you don’t mind getting wet. While we didn’t get dirty, conceivably, you could brush up against a muddy wall or slip in the mud on your way so you could get dirty (in other words, don’t wear something you don’t mind throwing out). Because you’ll be climbing up, wear shorts that are either loose or very flexible. Jean shorts are a bad choice!
As far as a top, most women were wearing tank tops, and the men wore T-shirts. Knowing we would be wet, we wore quick-dry tops. Also, I chose to wear long sleeves because I was scared of bugs (i.e., spiders) crawling on me. (I saw one cricket inside the cave, but no spiders.)
You’ll need to bring a pair of socks – they are required when you walk around the pottery and skeletons.
Tour companies provide helmets with lights so you can see where you’re going.
Sunscreen & Bug Spray
You’ll be walking for a while and while there is some coverage, the pathway is not in the shade. Wear waterproof sunscreen (remember those rivers!), especially if you’re visiting on a sunny day. Don’t forget the bug spray. The mosquitoes will feast on you. Some guides will allow you the opportunity to leave your bug spray and water bottle at the base of a tree before you enter the cave (or you can carry it in your wet bag).
How Strenuous is the ATM Cave Tour?
Can you swim? If so, you won’t have a problem. I’m not in my 20s (or 30s or 40s) and NOT in the gym, and, other than at one point where I took a bit of a large step up, I did fine. The hike is almost 100% flat. The first river crossing is a swim or pull yourself along a rope. The second two were wade-across, below the knee. Allan didn’t even bother with the rope on the middle one.
There are some slippery steps at the entrance, and you have to swim maybe 10 m to the first landing. Depending on your height, you may need to do another quick swim or two, but it will mostly be wading or dry ground.
There are a couple of tight spaces, but nothing claustrophobic. The tour guides explain exactly how to get through the tight spots.
Take clothes you know will get soaked and dirty if you have to scoot down in spots—water shoes like Keens or the like. Bring a change of clothes that will stay, along with your cell phones and valuables, in the van with your driver. They have showers and changing facilities in the parking lot. You’ll be thankful for those dry clothes!
The men wore swim trunks and long-sleeved PFG-style shirts to keep the mosquitoes away. I wore quick-dry shorts and a long-sleeve shirt. (Note that I got awful chafing, though!)
The entire ATM cave tour takes about 3 1/2 to 4 hours. Plan an hour and a half of walking and about two hours inside the cave.
Getting to the ATM Cave in Belize
You must make reservations since you can only access the ATM cave in Belize with a licensed tour guide. There are multiple ATM Cave tour groups to choose from. We booked our tour with Cayo Adventure Tours, who agreed to pick us up at the Belize City International Airport, drive us to our hotel in San Ignacio, pick us up the following morning from our hotel to take us to the ATM Cave, provided an ATM guide, and drove us back to Belize City to the ferry terminal for the remainder of our trip. They provided us with a packed lunch that we ate in the car to make sure we could make our ferry to San Pedro!
Other options for getting to the area:
- Fly with Tropic Air into Belmopan
- Rent a car and drive yourself to the area
- Take a bus to San Ignacio
Once you’re in the area, you’ll still need to hire a tour company to take you on an ATM tour, so don’t try to access it alone!
I’m so glad I didn’t let the stories scare me away! ATM Cave in Belize truly was the highlight of our trip and one of the coolest things I’ve done. I did feel like a badass, but it would be an exaggeration to say this was an Indiana Jones adventure (other than an archaeology expedition). Feel free to contact me if you have specific questions and I’m happy to give you my input!
Happy travels!
Annick, The Common Traveler
I need hearing aids to hear the guide, but can’t get them wet. Would you recommend putting them in the water tight bag?
Unless it’s been raining a lot, you’ll only need to swim in and out but should stay dry the rest of the time. I would probably put them in a dry bag to be safe. If you let the guide know in advance that you can’t hear them without them, I think most of them will move you to the front of the group. Have fun!
Absolutely untrue. You get wet within 5 minutes in the first river crossing and you’ll be wet until you undress over 4 hours later.
I mentioned in the article that you get wet right away but he wouldn’t get his head wet so I wouldn’t be concerned about his hearing aids getting wet.
I just LOVE exploring caves! Especially those in Central America. They are so eerily beautiful with so much history!
This is so wonderfully detailed and helpful. I would love to visit Belize one day and definitely saving this for future reference. Thanks so much. Lots of love, Cassie
You’re welcome! There was a lot of conflicting information out there.
Thank you so much! This was very helpful for us 60 yr old intrepid travelers.
You’re welcome! There’s just so much information out there it’s hard to judge whether you need to be an Olympic athlete or not!
So glad!
Hello,
Thank you for your review! This is a random question, but I am arcanaphobic (seriously scared of spiders). Did you see any on this tour? Thank you!
I didn’t see any but was told that they are found in the cave. I don’t know whether we were lucky but I didn’t see any bugs when we visited in September.
This was a great post! I am going to Belize in August and plan to do this tour. I was concerned about the exertion level needed as I am 51 and not a fan of the gym. I am getting Keen shoes to take but wanted to know if wearing a rash guard shirt would help with bug bites? I want long sleeves but not the chaffing you mentioned. Suggestions for what to wear? Will
Mosquito towelettes help keep bugs away? I always get eaten alive. Thanks for your input!
You’ll have such fun! I didn’t get chaffing in my upper body and I wore long sleeves. The chafing was from walking in the very wet shorts. A rash guard short should be perfect. The towelettes and anything else topical washes away during the river crossing and once inside the cave. Or put the towelettes and spray in a bag that you’ll leave at the entrance.
Thank you so much for your review. My kids (18 and 10) and I will be out there in a couple weeks and I really wanted us to see ATM. Most of the other reviews are very over-the-top so I am grateful for your honest commentary. One person’s Indiana Jones adventure is another’s weekend camping trip. Thank you again for your factual review. We’re booked and looking forward to the experience.
You’ll have a great time!
Was it cold in the cave? I have a slight medical condition that makes me get cold easily, I am planning on wearing neoprene to combat that. No one talks about the temp inside the cave, or the water temp. Thank you for your info.
The water was cold (refreshing) since the water comes from underground. But I don’t remember feeling cold. Neoprene May be a good idea (ask the tour company) just make sure you can easily move in it since there’s climbing involved.
After reading your blog, I booked the ATM Cave Tour for our Belize trip next week! Were you able to bring a small dry bag into the cave with you, or does that have to stay in the van with the driver?
A very interesting place to visit for history buffs and even if history is not your thing. I’m not much for caves though.
Wow the cave looks really fascinating! Definitely worth the demanding hike!
xx
Our kind of adventure! We also have caves like these in the Philippines, and they’re as gorgeous as they’re dangerous. Is cave diving allowed there?
I did the ATM cave tour about a year ago. We saw some humungous tucans on the way to the cave. It was overall a great experience and would recommend d it to anyone visiting Belize.
ATM cave sounds like a real adventure. You gave given detailed description along with useful tips and information. When it comes to swimming, I think that I am not qualify for this kind of adventure because I am scared of water first, don’t know swimming and second I am claustrophobic. But I am quite excited to read the whole adventure and wish I could do this someday. I absolutely loved the Mayan Pottery Picture. Stunning indeed.
I am a bit hesitant to visit caves ever since I heard the incident of people trapped inside it after an earthquake. So, right now — I am pretty much contented to read posts about it especially posts like yours which are very detailed. Thank you for sharing about your wonderful adventure.
Yes – we were worried about flooding after the Thai cave incident!
Ooooh this seems like one of those unique, once in a lifetime experiences I love to have when I travel! I’m honestly not big on hiking or physically demanding activities, but based on your description it’s not overly demanding. I’m so glad to have an honest review and description of the experience, thanks!
I couldn’t find one of my own so decided it was time for an honest review with specifics!
This sounds like a great adventure! However, I would scared about swimming in the cave as I am don’t like to swim in a dark or water where I cannot see through. Otherwise, the case looks like a fantastic creation and indeed, worth visiting.
It isn’t for everyone – which is why I wish there were more posts about it.
Thank you for being honest and presenting an honest take on the fitness level required. I find dramatizations either way to be really frustrating when planning. This is the perfect adventure though and the history here is SO cool and the fact you have to work a little bit to get to the ATM cave in Belize makes it that much more rewarding. That is a bummer some people damaged the cave, but I think it is good they don’t allow photos anymore. What a great adventure and I would love to go!
It turned out to be great and I’m glad that I took a chance!
Aw well done for doing this Annick! I’m short and not so great in small dark spaces, but I think I’d give it a try. I love seeing these kind of places, and the satisfaction after makes it so worthwhile. I’d probably have to wear a lifevest too as I’m not the strongest swimmer!
A very unique and interesting place to go and must say without reading this post would not have know about it. A bit spooky that the Mayans used these as a sacrificial chamber to ask the gods for favours. The hike seeens to be interesting as well. A refreshing swim at the end to rejuvenate. Thanks for sharing
Oh this looks like just my thing. I would love to go and heard so many good things about Belize. It looks like a total adventure.
This seems totally up my ally. I would love to go and see it myself! I am glad you provided your realistic opinion on the hiking trail. Sounds like a great thing to check out when I go Belize <3