Actun Tunichil Muknal Tour (ATM Cave)

Actun Tunichil Muknal (ATM) Cave was rated by the Discovery Channel as the number one Sacred Cave in the world. Only accessible by swimming across a spring-fed pool, ATM contains hundreds of relics which have lain undisturbed for more than a millennia. At the far end of the cave lie the bones of more than a dozen men, women, and children who were ritually slaughtered by the ancient Maya.

Cost:

US $195 per person + 12.5% tax

 Includes:

Transportation, tour guide and gear, park fees, lunch, bottled water and towels.

Time:

Departs: 6:00 AM

Returns: 5:30 PM

RT travel time: 5 hours

Minimum Requirement:

 2 persons

 Offered:

Daily

Intensity Level:
Intense–

Officially called Actun Tunichil Muknal, the ATM Cave is a series of underground spaces measuring several kilometers long that were once used by the ancient Maya for a variety of ceremonial and religious purposes. Today, the ATM cave system is reached by hiking across a series of streams and then climbing, swimming and making your way deep into the caverns to clamber up to a raised area that contains ceramics, stoneware and ritual objects left behind by Maya priests. The most popular attraction at the ATM Cave is the complete remains of a young woman who was sacrificed in the cave. Over the centuries, her bones started to crystallize, giving her body a shimmering appearance that earned her the nickname of the Crystal Maiden.

Exploring the ATM Cave is restricted to individuals who are in good health as visitors will have to both climb rocky surfaces as well as swim across deep water to reach the where Maya artifacts can be viewed.