Swim into Actun Tunichil Muknal, the sacred Maya cave of the Belize jungle, and climb
to the Crystal Maiden. Which guided tour to book, how hard the day really is, and what to bring.
Licensed ATM guides onlyEvery tour here is run by an approved operator
Real guest ratingsLive Viator & Tripadvisor figures
Free cancellationUp to 24 hours before, on every tour here
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Tours
Choose your ATM cave tour
MayaWalk's day from San Ignacio, the most reviewed ATM tour in Belize, sits in the centre.
Beside it: the same price with hotel pickup, and a full day that adds the Xunantunich temples.
The same price with pickup from San Ignacio hotels, the entrance fee and a Belizean stew chicken lunch. Guides here get praised for patience with kids.
What's included
Hotel pickup and drop-off within San Ignacio town
Licensed local guide and all caving equipment
Park entrance fee
Local lunch (stew chicken, rice and beans, or vegetarian), water and juice
Not included: gratuities; pickup outside San Ignacio costs extra
Inside the cave, every tour is the same route with a licensed guide. What changes is where you
start, how long you spend in a van, and whether pickup and lunch are part of the price.
Children must be at least 40 inches tall; adult rates start at 12 on some listings and at 16 or 18 on
others. Coast and island tours spend four to six hours on the road, which is why they cost more. Every tour listed
cancels free up to 24 hours ahead.
The cave, honestly
You will swim, you will climb, and you will not take a photo.
Actun Tunichil Muknal, the "Cave of the Stone Sepulchre", runs for about 5 km under the Tapir Mountain
Nature Reserve in western Belize. For the ancient Maya it was a door to Xibalba, the underworld, and they
climbed deep inside to make offerings: pots, stone tools and, in the end, people. Everything is still where
they left it. Archaeologists have recorded 14 sets of human remains in the upper cave, and the most famous,
the Crystal Maiden, has been coated in sparkling calcite.
Getting there is the adventure. You hike 45 minutes through the jungle, cross the river three times,
swim into the cave mouth, then wade, climb and squeeze for about three hours, finishing in socks in a
dry chamber full of ceramics. Only licensed guides can take you in, groups are small, and cameras and
phones stay behind.
2012
The year cameras were banned, after a visitor dropped one
and cracked an ancient skull.
Tapir Mountain ReserveMain chamberThe CathedralCrystal Maiden
The river leaves the cave through the rainforest of Tapir Mountain Nature Reserve.
01
Do I need to swim?
Yes, a short swim into the entrance, with a life jacket. Much of the rest is wading, often chest-deep.
02
How fit do I need to be?
Moderately. Expect boulder scrambles, a ladder and tight gaps; guests call it harder than they expected.
03
Can I take pictures?
No. Cameras and phones have been banned inside since 2012. Operators carry nothing in for you either.
04
Who should skip it?
Non-swimmers, strong claustrophobes, and anyone with back or heart problems or who is pregnant.
The day
How an ATM cave day unfolds
About eight hours from San Ignacio. Every licensed operator follows the same rhythm.
01
Drive to the reserve
Your group leaves San Ignacio for the Tapir Mountain Nature Reserve, about 45 minutes away, and gears up at the car park.
From about 7 AM
02
Jungle hike
A 45-minute walk on a forest trail with three river crossings, knee- to waist-deep, while the guide talks plants and Maya beliefs.
45 minutes
03
Into the cave
Swim across the entrance pool, then wade, climb and squeeze upstream by headlamp past formations and the first pottery.
About 3 hours inside
04
The Cathedral
Shoes off, socks on: a dry chamber of ceramics and remains, ending at the Crystal Maiden. Then back out and lunch.
The cave lies in the forested hills south of the George Price Highway, between Belmopan and San Ignacio.
Tours do the driving: most leave from San Ignacio, where MayaWalk (19 Burns Avenue) and Belize Caving
Expeditions (46 Burns Avenue) have their offices, or collect you from your hotel. From the car park it is a
45-minute hike to the cave mouth.
5.0★★★★★ 1,502 reviews · ATM Cave Tour and Picnic live Viator & Tripadvisor figure
★★★★★
Great combination of history and adventure, having no cameras makes it all much better. Allows you to be present for what is being done and learned and keep a respect for the culture of the trip.
★★★★★
I highly recommend it to anyone who likes history, water, or adventure. Definitely doable if you are moderately fit, does require some scrambling up and down rocks but you take it very slow and your guide tells you exactly where to put your feet.
★★★★★
Hugh was the best storyteller. He had us captivated and made sure we were safe. We had 3 teenage girls aged 18, 16, and 14 and it was also the highlight of their trip as well. Best Day Ever!
★★★★★
It was definitely more physically challenging than I anticipated, but every step was 100% worth it. One tip: bring a pair of thick socks, as you'll be walking without shoes for part of the cave.
★★★★★
Cave itself is a one of a kind place and most definitely worth visiting while in Belize. Alex, our guide, kept a close eye on those in the group that were not the best swimmers and made sure everyone was safe.
★★★★★
We only had 1 full day in San Ignacio and we're so glad we spent it exploring such a unique and sacred place. Would highly recommend!
★★★★★
From the geology, Maya history, and general science, our tour guide, Richard, was excellent. The team ensured everyone was prepared to truly enjoy the adventure by thinking about the little things too.
★★★★★
A great adventurous way to get into the history and culture of ancient Maya civilization. Our guide was sure to guide us exactly how, where and when to move. Lunch was great.
★★★★★
Great experience for my first solo trip! I made so many friends and got such a thrill while feeling completely safe with my group and guide Francis.
Staying in San Ignacio?
Add Tikal to your trip
The ATM cave shows how the Maya honoured their gods underground. Tikal shows the cities they
built above it, and San Ignacio is the easiest place in Belize to see both.
Tikal Day Trip from San Ignacio
★ 4.8 · 335 reviews · 9.5 hours
San Ignacio sits a short drive from the Guatemalan border, which makes it the easiest base in Belize for Tikal, the great Maya city in the Petén jungle. This day trip covers hotel pickup in San Ignacio, the border crossing with a guide, the Tikal entrance fee, lunch and drinks. Bring your passport.
The ATM cave is Belize's most famous day out and its most demanding: a jungle hike, a swim,
three hours underground and a chamber of Maya offerings left exactly where they were placed more than a
thousand years ago. Here is what the tour involves, what it costs, and how to pick the right one.
What the ATM cave is
Actun Tunichil Muknal is a river cave in the Tapir Mountain Nature Reserve, in the Cayo District of western
Belize. The river passage runs for about 3 km, with dry upper chambers above it, and it was a sacred place for
the Maya of the Classic period. Their priests carried offerings deep into the dark: pottery, many of the pots
deliberately broken, stone tools and, as droughts and crises grew, human sacrifices. Archaeologists have
counted 14 sets of remains, from infants to adults, and have left them in place. Over the centuries, calcite
dripping from the ceiling has cemented many of them to the floor and given some a crystalline shine. National
Geographic once put it first on its list of the world's sacred caves.
Three river crossings on the way to the cave; the water level depends on recent rain.
What the day is really like
The hike from the car park takes about 45 minutes, with three river crossings. At the cave mouth you swim a
short, deep pool, then move upstream in the river for an hour or more: wading, climbing over wet boulders,
turning sideways to pass narrow gaps. Your guide shows you exactly where to put your hands and feet. Then you
climb into the dry upper cave, take off your shoes and continue in socks through the chambers of ceramics, to
a ladder that leads to the Crystal Maiden. The way out is the same route, which feels easier the second time.
Expect to be wet all day and a little bruised, and to talk about it for weeks.
The honest small print: you will not come home with photos. Cameras have been banned
since 2012, and guests who went say the rule is strict. The other thing people underestimate is the effort:
several reviewers call it more physical than they expected, and one guest noted that older or unfit travelers
found the tight spots hard. If that worries you, cave tubing is the gentle alternative.
What it costs and what is included
Tours from San Ignacio cost from $145 per person on Viator in 2026. That covers the licensed guide, helmet,
headlamp and life jacket, transport to the reserve, water and lunch, and on most tours the site entrance fee.
The difference between the $145 tours is mostly logistics: MayaWalk departs from its office on Burns Avenue,
Belize Family Adventure and Belize Caving Expeditions collect you from San Ignacio hotels. Tours from the coast
and the cayes cost $245 to $400 because they add four to six hours on the road.
Pots in the upper cave are still where the Maya left them, many of them ritually broken.
Choosing a tour
Stay in San Ignacio if you can: it turns the ATM cave into a relaxed eight-hour day and puts Xunantunich,
Cahal Pech and Tikal on your doorstep. Book the most reviewed tour for a well-oiled operation, the hotel
pickup tour for convenience, or the Xunantunich combo if you only have one day in Cayo. From Belize City,
Placencia, Hopkins or the cayes, the coast tours work, but you pay for the distance with a very early start.
Whichever you pick, go early in your trip, because the cave closes after heavy rain.
The ATM kit: water shoes, socks for the upper chamber, quick-dry clothes and bug spray.
Straight answers to what visitors ask most about the ATM cave.
How much does an ATM cave tour cost?
Guided tours from San Ignacio start at $145 per person on Viator in 2026, with a licensed guide, gear, lunch and transport. From Belize City, Placencia or Hopkins expect $245 to $280, and about $400 from San Pedro, because of the long drive. The site entrance fee is included in most tours. See the price guide.
Can you visit the ATM cave without a guide?
No. Actun Tunichil Muknal is a protected archaeological site, and the Institute of Archaeology only allows visitors in with a certified ATM guide, in small groups (it sets a maximum of six visitors per guide). Every visit is a guided tour.
Can you take photos in the ATM cave?
No. Cameras and phones have been banned inside since 2012, after a visitor dropped a camera and cracked an ancient skull. You leave everything in the vehicle, so you will have no pictures of your own from inside. Several guests say that made the visit better.
How hard is the ATM cave tour?
It is a real adventure day: a 45-minute jungle hike with three river crossings, a swim into the cave, then about three hours of wading, climbing over boulders and squeezing through narrow gaps. Moderate fitness is enough, but it is not for anyone with back or heart problems, pregnant travelers or strong claustrophobia. Read how hard it really is.
Do you have to swim in the ATM cave?
Yes, briefly. The cave entrance is a deep pool you swim across, and inside you wade through water that is often chest-deep. You wear a life jacket and helmet, and the guide stays close, but the Institute of Archaeology says visitors must be able to swim.
What is the Crystal Maiden?
The skeleton in the deepest chamber, known as the Cathedral, whose bones have been coated by calcite and now sparkle under a headlamp. It was named as a young woman, but research suggests it is more likely a teenage boy. It is one of 14 sets of human remains found in the upper cave. See the Crystal Maiden guide.
What should I wear to the ATM cave?
Quick-dry clothes you can swim in, closed-toe shoes with grip that can get wet, and a pair of socks: you walk the upper chamber in socks only. Long sleeves help against mosquitoes, and a full change of clothes stays in the van. See what to wear.
Can kids do the ATM cave tour?
Children must be at least 40 inches tall, and several operators suggest ages 8 to 10 and up. Guests have done it with 8 and 9 year olds who swim well. Adult pricing starts at 12 on some listings and 16 or 18 on others, so check the age bands when you book.
Is the ATM cave closed when it rains?
It can be. After heavy rain the river rises and the site closes for safety. Operators then offer another date or a different tour; refund terms vary, so read the listing. Build a spare day into your stay if you can.
How long is the ATM cave tour?
Most tours from San Ignacio take 7.5 to 9 hours, including about 45 minutes of driving each way, the hike, about three hours inside and lunch. From the coast or the cayes it is a 9 to 11 hour day.
Is the ATM cave worth it?
For most active travelers, yes: the flagship tour here holds 5.0 from 1,502 reviews and many call it the highlight of Belize. Skip it if you cannot swim, dislike tight dark spaces, or want photos to take home; cave tubing is the gentler alternative. Compare them in ATM cave or cave tubing.
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