Several years ago, my husband and I vacationed in Belize. We spent some time in western Belize in the Cayo district exploring Mayan ruins. There are numerous ruins in this area which are all easily accessible. The most memorable tour we took was the ATM Cave Tour (Actun Tunichil Muknal tour).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

About the Cave<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Rated as the #1 Sacred Cave Destination in the World by National Geographic, the ATM Cave is a natural museum. It became a sacred site for the Mayas when they first discovered it between 300-600 A.D. The cave wasn’t re-discovered until 1989 and gave archeologists a closer look at who the Mayas were as a people. Full of archeological finds (dating back to 700-900 A.D.) such as weapons, tools, pottery, and human skeletons, it is believed that ATM is where the Mayas performed human sacrifice to the gods.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How Do I Get to the Cave?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

To enter the ATM cave, you must be accompanied by a licensed guide. You can book with Mayawalk<\/a>, an adventure tour company in Belize. After meeting up with our tour group, we took a van ride and hiked 45 minutes thru the jungle to the entrance of the cave. We were equipped with helmets and a headlamp as this would be our only source of light on the trip.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Inside the Cave<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

At the entrance, you must swim to get inside the cave. This tour is very physical with lots of climbing, walking, wading, some swimming. The cave consists of a series of chambers. There are times you are in wide open spaces full of stalagmites and stalactites. Other times you must shimmy thru small crevices (if you are claustrophobic, you may have issue with this). Photo credit: MayaWalk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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