What‘s Included

Meeting and Pickup

What To Expect

Reviews

• Bucket List Experience

  Paul D,

  Sep 28, 2025

  - Review from Viator

  5.00

  What an amazing experience exploring the ATM cave. It was challenging and wet but unmissable. I am so glad I put up with a bit of discomfort to explore this extraordinary cave with Mayan artifacts preserved as found. Getting to the magnificent chamber is a feat in itself and I left with a feeling I could tackle any cave after this one!

• One of the best experiences in Belize

  Luiggiadiretta,

  Aug 3, 2025

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  5.00

  It was a unique experience! Our guide was very nice and informative, and we were provided a very good lunch at the end of our trip. Recommended!

• Footprints312508,

  Jul 24, 2025

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  5.00

  Amazing adventure!! One of the most unique travel experiences I have had. The tour guides were so skilled and knowledgeable. The caves and ruins are unlike anything I have seen. Belize Caving expeditions makes sure to preserve the history while also providing an unforgettable customer experience.

• Amazing tour guide and incredible tour. Highly recommend!

  amykO364ZU,

  Jun 20, 2025

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  5.00

  Our tour guide Edward was absolutely amazing! He compared notes with me on the differences between when I did this tour 23 years ago and then again yesterday. He was attentive, informative and also answered the many questions from my 20 yr old son, including directing him toward Caye Caulker for his last two days alone (thank you!). Thank you Edward and thank you Sweet Songs for organizing the trip! Your review is coming next. Such an amazing place!

• Must-do -- Closest You'll Ever Get to an Indiana Jones Expedition- But Be In Shape or Prepared for Exhaustion!

  amypmom23,

  May 21, 2025

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  5.00

  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

  NorthStar10172360436,

  May 10, 2025

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  5.00

  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

  TBird545,

  May 3, 2025

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  5.00

  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

  Gabrielle D,

  Apr 26, 2025

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  5.00

  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...

  Nomad541618,

  Mar 11, 2025

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  5.00

  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!

  Eliana R,

  Feb 23, 2025

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  5.00

  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!

  
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