ATM — Actun Tunichil Muknal cave on the Belize Guatemala border
We had been on the road for around 6 weeks I think when we got to this area of Central America. We’d been doing the Mayan trail through Mexico, up to Cancun and Playa Del Carmen, down through Tulum and the Yukutan Peninsular. It was an amazing trip with unbelievable access to Mayan ruins and historic sites not to mention some spectacular cenotes, and a few stunning beaches, especially in Belize. But you know how it is, being on the road most days with only maybe one or two multi night stays in 6 weeks was starting to wear a little thin.
We’ve been on the bus for around 8 hours and I seem to remember some kind of mechanical break down but now I’m not completely sure that was this trip. Anyway, I digress…
We got to San Ignacio which is a really cool little town late in the afternoon, piled off the bus and headed to our accommodation for the night. Our guide JC (Juan Carlos) suggested we have a shower and meet him in the little bar across the street from the dorms. A Mexican bar incidentally. Shocker!
We met JC and our other trip mates at the bar and I have to say it was unusually subdued. We were all pretty shattered. JC explained what was in the area and everyone was making decisions as to what to do the next day. All throughout the trip JC’s one comment was that if we did nothing else, we couldn’t miss ATM. I remember that clear as a bell, however I’m ashamed to say that when he wanted to know who was going to do it the next day, none of us put our hand up. It meant a 7am start (not super early in the over scheme of things but somehow horrific at the time), $250 USD each (another meaning for the ATM reference I’m sure) and a full day trip. Everyone was talking about the cost and how we had seen so many Mayan ruins already and I admit, I was skeptical too. It was a lot of money and I’m claustrophobic. Not — screaming panicking I turn into Darryl from the Walking Dead claustrophobic — but I am. Heading into a cave that you have to crawl, swim and spelunk through didn’t ring real true on the safety scale either. It was a concern to me the level of safety we would be exposed to. So we decided not to go.
All night I kept waking up which isn’t unusual for me, but I would wake thinking about it. I couldn’t stop. I just kept remembering JC being so adamant that this was one thing we shouldn’t miss. So come dawn I get up, get dressed and head over the road to the tour office to see if they have space for me. I figured that if they are going at 7am they would probably be there at 6 to get the van ready etc etc…
Luck was most definitely on my side that day. They were in and had room. I went to the ATM and got the money for ATM (that’s a strange sentence) and rushed back to the room to tell Brad I was going. No show without punch so Brad was up and dressed in the shortest time I’ve ever seen and off we went.
To this day I can’t believe that I almost discounted the advice from what will always remain to be one of the best tour guides we have ever had anywhere in the world. Money can be the route of all evil and it almost stopped me seeing something I may never be able to see in the future.
I vowed that day that I will never do that again.
The Story Behind ATM
I’m not going to tell you the full story as you will learn as you go through the cave and it should be told inside the chamber for the best effect but here’s the cliff notes.
The Mayans used the massive amphitheater at the end of the cave as a sacrificial chamber.
Human sacrifice.
Young girls actually.
It was a huge honor for these preteen girls to be chosen and their families were held in very high esteem for their ultimate offering. These girls however, knew what was going on. They swam through ice cold water, climbed over slippery rocks and slithered through barely there gaps knowing this would be the last walk they ever did. It must have been terrifying no matter what level of faith you have. Along with the walk by fire light, the Mayans have carved the stalactites to resemble the jungle cats so in the flickering lamp light it would have felt like they were watching your every move.
How Controlled Is It?
Very! There are 15 guides licenced to do ATM and only 7 of them can operate on any one day. They can only take 8 people each so that’s a max of 45 people per day that can have this amazing experience. We were so fortunate, there was just two American guys with us and we only saw one other tour group in the cave. The area’s aren’t roped off and you have to follow your guide by his footsteps literally. He was so strict but when you hear what some people have done, its no wonder.
Be respectful and you will be fine.
How hard is it?
The guide we had was crazy about safety so we were considerably slower than the other tour we saw but we also saw heaps more. The trek is only 30–40 minutes and its just walking really. You cross the river 4 or 5 times and its mostly knee or thigh deep but one we had to swim. We set up a rope across for that one which besides being really fun, gets you into the real adventurer mindset.
Once you are inside its not aerobic but it you really have to have your whits about you. Wear shoes! You are walking on rocks and pebbles and swimming and crawling, but it would be heaps harder with only sandals on. I tied my shoes on super tight and was really glad I had.
Considerations:
- Access: You trek around 30 minutes through the forest and then swim across a river into the mouth of the cave. You don’t swim — you don’t get in. The cave entrance (pictured at the top of this post) would give you no indication that there was a HUGE cave behind it.
- The First Steps: Once you are on the rocks they rig you up with your helmet and light and the very first thing you have to do is feet first slide into an opening that is like a rock shute, going who knows where and for who knows how long. I was frigging shitting myself. The guide told us later he has had grown men sobbing like little girls at that point but Brad just kept reassuring me so going first (so I wouldn’t get left there mostly) on my arse, down I went. What followed from that point was emotionally both exhausting and exhilarating.
- Continuing In: It takes around 30–40 minutes to get to the actual burial chamber which is time spent climbing over rocks, wading through crystal clear streams and hauling your arse through what seems like impossible cracks in the rocks. Once you are there you have to climb these huge boulders to get into the actual cave. There are remnants of cooking and storage pots on the outer edges of the chamber, and then as you get in further you start to see the human remains.
3000 year old human remains.
Its truly amazing that we were even allowed to do this. Once you get right back in to the further most reaches you can climb up a rickety old timber ladder and see the full skeleton of what would have been a young teenage girl. I know it sounds really macabre but its not. It is weirdly inspiring. Its definitely incredibly engaging and most of all its exhilarating that you are standing right next to someone who willingly gave up their life for their beliefs. 3000 years ago. OMG Stunning! - R.E.S.P.E.C.T: If you take a camera — TIE THE DAMN THING ON! A tourist only a few weeks before we got there had dropped her camera on a skull and knocked out 3 teeth. Oh My God! The grilling you get about respecting these remains is indisputable and some idiot drops her camera?? The worst part is she would have to have been leaning over so far to do that she would have probably been off the path anyway.
- Listen: While the cave is a 3000 year old Mayan burial chamber, it should not be the only reason you go. The actual process of walking through to the chamber is an amazing story. I’m not going to tell you any secrets but the guides tell it so well and it is quite an experience when you know what it must have been like for the people at the time.
My Notes:
While it is incredibly controlled, I can’t believe we were able to do that. It is very very sad that some will undoubtedly ruin it for all and I wouldn’t be surprised if it gets added to some heritage list and is closed before long.
The guides are super careful but unfortunately the same can’t be said for the visitors. There was a really old skull we saw with a few teeth and our guide said it used to have a full set of teeth but some tourist dropped with camera on it. WTF? JC — so glad you nagged us all about going. I would have been gutted to miss it and you have given us bragging rights we could never replace.
Follow Up: I met a couple of young New Zealanders last year who had done the cave recently (2017) and they said you can no longer carry anything into the cave. Sad now some spoil it for everyone but I must say I was relieved to know it will remain intact for future generations.
I’d love you to visit my website “Charge The Globe” and hear all about more fun and adventures.
NB: This story may contain affiliate links from which I will earn a minuscule commission. There is no extra charge to you and lets face it, when I say minuscule that’s exactly what I mean. It’s not going to pay for my upcoming trip to Samoa but collectively it does help me to buy coffee (from the cafe even!) while I sit and write these stories about my travels. Stories similar to the one about that time I patted a wild whale, or got my breasts fondled by a woman from the Mursi tribe in Ethiopia. You know what I mean!
