Actun Tunichil Muknal Cave: Explore the Mysterious Mayan Underworld and Enjoy a Local Lunch

Embark on a thrilling adventure to Actun Tunichil Muknal Cave, the mysterious Mayan underworld. Swim through crystalline waters, explore hidden chambers, and enjoy a local lunch.

Duration: 7 hours, 30 minutes
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • ATM Cave Belize - Actun Tunichil Muknal - The journey begins with a one-hour drive to the parking area. An experienced guide will lead the group on a gentle 35-minute hike to the cave’s entrance. The path follows the Roaring River, which must be crossed three times before reaching the cave. Before entering, the guide will provide a historical…
What's Included
  • Local guide
  • Use of all necessary equipment
  • Entrance fees
  • Local Lunch (Stew Chicken Rice and beans or Vegetarian option)
  • Juice
  • In-vehicle air conditioning
  • Bottled water
What's Not Included
  • Gratuities
  • Hotel pick-up and drop-off outside of San Ignacio Town
Additional Information

Discover the secret chambers and sparkling waters of the Mayan underworld at Actun Tunichil Muknal (ATM), as highlighted in National Geographic! Dive into this enigmatic cave, which the ancient Mayas believed to be a gateway to the underworld, called Xibalba. This excursion from San Ignacio features a 1.5-hour round-trip hike in Tapir Nature Reserve and…

Location
46 Burns Avenue
Burns Avenue
Unit # 2 inside the Belize Caving Expeditions Office
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.9
(182 Ratings)
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Danleyd2024
Sep 14, 2025
Awesome! - I went on this tour a little apprehensive after reading some posts online. I'm not the most active of people and had just come back from knee injuries a few months prior. With that said, the tour was amazing! I packed a few things for this trip: A pair of socks, dry clothes, some water. Things I should have brought: Dry footwear for the ride back, a little snack for the hike back to keep my energy up, an electrolyte mix. We were picked up from our hotel by our guide Patrick and our driver. He was seemed friendly and funny from the moment we met. As we loaded up into the van his knowledge about his country as well as his work became evident. With all of his attributes I became more comfortable with the fact that the day was going to be uncomfortable. Once we arrived we were given our life jackets and helmets with head head lamps. Then set off on our journey. Shortly after, we arrived at our first river crossing. We had a rope strung across to help us with our stability. After crossing we began our hike/walk through the jungle to to cave. Patrick would stop and explain to us things about the Mayans or the jungle and was always open to our questions. After 2 more river crossings we arrived at the cave entrance. To make it into the cave we had to swim/float for about a minute with the water being refreshingly cool. Then you would get to a point where you had to scramble up a big rock and through a hole. I am not the smallest, most nimble person out there but this was still doable for me. Patrick was there always advising me on the best way to navigate through some of the obstacles. The cave itself was a mixture of moving through water, scrambling over rocks, and movement through some of the archeological sites. The way back was a bit quicker but still full of fun. It was nice to end the time in the cave with wading through the cool water at the entrance. The hike back was uneventful but if you need energy I would bring a quick snack. You will be without water or food in the cave so keep that in mind. Patrick did have an extra source of water with him in his backpack. Back at the parking lot we were greeted with an amazing meal of chicken, rice, plantains, coleslaw, and an ice cold drink. We were able to rinse off and change into dry clothes before the trip back to the hotel. After the getting back I was definitely sore and probably needed to drink more water. This tour was a great experience made greater by the knowledge and care taken by Patrick to show us something that he loves. This was definitely a highlight of my trip to Belize.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Noah_p
Aug 27, 2025
Must do! Will remember for life - Amazing one of a kind experience. Highly highly recommend, excellent tour guide and lunch was delicious. Very adventurous, the cave was massive. You’ll drive to the location, leave everything in the car besides water bottles, put on equipment then cave exploring for a few hours. After the hike you get to change into dry clothes for the ride back. Our tour guide Francisco was more than amazing. Couldn’t ask for a better day
Review provided by Viator
Samuel_m
Aug 1, 2025
Spectacular, virgin tourism - Excellent experience to do once in a lifetime. Fernando a very trained guide in all areas
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Rana_r
Jun 27, 2025
Pickup was on time and... - Pickup was on time and our guide Gliss was kind and very informative. He helped us along and explained so many things. The cave itself was really cool and learning about the Mayan culture was interesting. I wish we could take cameras or the guides could have taken pictures for us but cameras are banned. It did require a certain level of fitness so be Miguel of that since we were scrambling up and down rocks, swimming and crawling through tight crevices.
Review provided by Viator
Hayden
Jun 18, 2025
I cannot any more highly recommend this guide service. - The guide service was exceptional and the experience unforgettable. One must be of decent shape to navigate cave though
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Peter
Jun 8, 2025
Great tour. Fascinating. - Amazing tour. Says hike is intense, it’s not at all, easy hike to cave entrance and a little challenging when you get it but not hard . Abraham was a great guide. Communications on pickup was a little confusing.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Steve_s
May 20, 2025
This was a great... - This was a great experience! Our guide was so knowledgeable and fun. The cave was a challenge in the best way, a can't miss adventure! The lunch provided was great and transportation to and from our hotel was easy. Totally recommend!
Review provided by Viator
Ahmed_h
May 4, 2025
Underworld Adventure - we were off to a bad start due to our driver being late by nearly 40 mins. I had already dropped the maximum rating I was going to give to 4 stars. Fortunately, that’s where the bad ends and the amazing begins. Our tour guide Fernando was extremely knowledgeable and humorous. With his expertise, we swam, climbed and explored the cave with our small group. It was truly an adventure that intrigued the archaeological side in me. The journey itself was a bit challenging but it’s manageable. At the end of it, exhausted and hungry we got to enjoy a delicious and tender meal that was much needed. Our whole group was satisfied and recommends the trip to anyone seeking adventure
Review provided by Viator
Shunib2015
May 2, 2025
Fascinating adventure! - We really enjoyed this trip. It was a mix of hiking, canyoneering/scrambling and loads of interesting history. Our guide, Gliss was awesome! Full of information and very engaging. Sadly there’s no photography allowed but we will have fond memories.
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Fernando_f
Apr 27, 2025
Totally worth it - After pick up we drove for half an hour to starting point. We were given helmet and life vest and a bottle of water. Water shoes are ok for the tour, with mandatory socks. We had to walk for a mile and crossed 3 rivers (walking, no swim). Our guide Rafael is an archeologist and told us about the place. Reaching the start of the cave, we had to swim for a minute. The caves are amazing but the way is tough, but doable. When you reaching the dry chamber, the place is filled with ceramic and you can see mayas have lived there. You get to see skeletons with a very conserved one at the end of the chamber. Super recommend!
Review provided by Viator
From $145
up to 15 guests
1 - Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).