Actun Tunichil Muknal (ATM) Cave

One of the major attractions in San Ignacio was a day trip to the fast becoming a must see for both caving and archeology fans. A vast cave known as Actun Tunichil Muknal, or ATM as it is known by travelers. I didn’t know too much going in, as I prefer to not expect too much. All I knew was that it was a wet cave and that there were a few tight squeezes.

I booked with local tour operators Mayawalk Tours and I must say the guide, ‘Aaron’ was really fantastic. Very informative and really created a visual for us to imagine the Mayan people in the caves. It was amazing to me to learn that all the archeological artifacts were original. The site has only been open to tourists for less than 20 years and the Belize have been able to stop looting and human erosion. I felt really quite privileged to be in a ‘Natural Museum’ as Aaron explained, it is like a record of 1000 years of Mayan history left behind for us to see.

The cave also had some really incredible natural limestone formations inside. Some pillars and of course, stalagmites and stalactites. As well as some especially evolved creatures like crabs, spiders and crickets, most of which were partly or completely blind.


See pictures of the cave here….
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See my other Flickr pictures here…
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