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.

This tour consists of guided visits to a Cave and a Maya Temple. All in one full day of adventure. We visit Actunich Tunich Muknal Cave followed by the Maya Temple of Xunantunich. This combo tour begins at 8:00am and concludes around 5:00pm.

Let our guides take you back in time, explore the impressive underworld of the ATM Cave and enjoy one of the most enlightening experiences of your life. When you venture into the hour glass shaped entrance you will be welcomed by clear blue waters from the perennial stream that flows throughout the cave. Along the way you will see ancient tools, pots and pieces and learn the history of the Mayan Civilization. As you travel deeper into the cave you will meet sacred burials and the Crystal Maiden complete and intact female remains covered in sparkling mineral deposits. Her death is sacrificial ritual for agricultural fertility.

No need to spend hours reserching the top activities to do during your visit to San Ignacio Belize. We offer them all hear in one package. Travel from Belize City to San Ignacio, a renowned adventure travel destination. There, you'll spend four days visiting archeological sites like the Tikal Mayan Ruins, Actun Tunichil Muknal ( ATM) and go cave tubing and zip lining. If you have any other activity to add to this package we will be happy to accommodate your demands.

Archaeotours are envisioned by Dr. Rafael Guerra as a way to enhance the visitor’s experience beyond the mainstream tour information. Dr. Guerra is the only tour guide who is also a professional archaeologist. This tour offers a chance to engage with a local archaeologist who has extensive research and exploration experience at Belizean archaeological sites, and learn more about the archaeological processes of archaeological knowledge building. Dr. Guerra started his archaeological career at Actun Tunichil Muknal in 1998 with the Belize Valley Archaeological Reconnaissance Project directed by Jaime Awe. In 2001, he joined the Belize Tourism Development Project (TDP) that was developing several major sites in Belize. Late in 2005, he joined the Belize Institute of Archaeology, where he helped develop a multivariate database for Belize’s Archaeological sites. In 2021, he completed his Ph.D. in Anthropology, focusing on the Maya of Belize at the University of New Mexico

Actun Tunichil Muknal (Cave of the Stone Sepulchre) dubbed by National Geography as the top sacred cave to explore in the world; should be on your bucket list! Your journey starts from San Ignacio in air-conditioned comfort with a 45-minute drive until your arrival at the ranger outpost. Here, our guides will provide you with a helmet, headlamp, and life jacket if needed. When geared up, it’s now time to hike, wade and swim the sacrificial Mayan underworld of the ATM. There’s 3 river crossing and a 30-minute hike, which will bring you to an hourglass entrance. From here, the cave system spans approximately 3 miles with stalactites, stalagmites, jarring boulders and fresh water streams from ankle to waist deep.The cavern ends with the main chamber where the calcified to sparkling crystalized remains of the “Crystal Maiden” lays, believed to be the skeleton frame of a young woman who was sacrificed in a bloodletting ceremony to the “gods”.