This place was incredible!!! About two miles of walking to the cave, 1/3 mile in the cave to the dry zone, 1/3 mile to the crystal maiden. Be ready for the water, you will get wet several times, up to your neck. There's only 1 short stint that you actually have to swim, like ten feet. It never felt too closed on and claustrophobic, but there were like three short places that were a bit of a squeeze. The climb up into the dry zone was easy an the guide was very helpful getting up and down it. We took our mid 60's parents an they did great. Wear two pair of socks, it's a bit of a distance going shoeless, and very rocky still. With all that, did not pass this trip up. Fantastic!!!

By far the best tour you'll do in Belize. All the companies are the same tour - there are less than 30 certified guides in the country. You have to walk about 0.75 mi (totally flat) and cross the river 3 times just to get to the cave entrance. The scenery is beautiful and the mosquitos are plentiful. The cave itself was absolutely amazing! I'd have gone again if we'd had time to do so. You'll spend the majority of the time in the water, with about 30-60 min in the dry chamber. Wear a life jacket for the warmth, to protect from bumps and scrapes, and to assist in some of the crossings.

The cave is fantastic. It does require some physical prowess, Short swim and climbs. sharp rocks but not slippery. The trip to the majestic main chamber is equally interesting. They will not let you take any sort of camera with you. you can have only swimsuits and shoes with you. and at that not a bikini. I only whish that the companies that provide guide would not be overcharging. in a low season, $400 for fam of 4 for a guide only is a lot :-(

Incredible site. A very moving experience. It is an incredible adventure just getting inside to the chamber. Well worth the it! You will be wet the entire time, so be prepared for that. This may be the only place in existence where over 90% of the artifacts are exactly where they where when the cave was rediscovered in 1989. You are literally going into a museum. Most of the site has yet to be excavated. You have to be extremely careful to not walk on freshly uncovered artifacts. Just an incredible experience that is well worth the time and discomfort of being wet for hours!

This is where you get dropped off and can take pics. They won't allow cameras into the the rest of the trail or site. Really bummed about that. Makes it worth less than the cost. But cool experience regardless!

Fantastic experience! One not to be missed if in San Ignacio. The walk to the cave system is approximately 2.5km of trails, but there are 3 river crossing up to waist deep. But to be honest you're gonna be swimming in the cave system anyway, and the weather is warm so clothes dry out. There are also showers at the drop off point so take a fresh change of clothes for after the trip! This is one of the best/most unique places to go and experience!

Nothing special at the entry station visually, but there are showers for you to clean off in when you return! Soooo many of those bee looking flies around, be prepared for them to fly into any sugary drinks or food you have around

Pretty awesome experience if you have the time and money for it. It costs around $85-95USD. I booked the tour through D's Hostel in San Ignacio. It cost $85SD, a little cheaper than some of the competition. First of all if you're coming from Semuc Champey you may be slightly overwhelmed with the level of adventure that you experience in the caves. Personally I was the only young person in a group of older, slightly overweight, retired white people. And they didn't really have much trouble which left me feeling like it wasn't quite the adventure I was hoping it would be! Haha, but seriously. That said, the caves were beautiful, and it was fun to hear about the history of the Mayan rituals and eventually find the amazing crystalized skeleton at the end of the tour. Our guide Patrick was hilarious, and would have been totally inappropriate if he was a white guy, constantly flirting with the older white women and making jokes about how he was 210 lb of chocolate love. He was cocky as hell and kept telling us about how awesome he was and how great is culture is, but he was so charmingly funny and informative about it all that he got away with it! "Jenny Craig has no business down here in Belize, it's just more for me to love! Talk to me mama!" **I didn't take these photos. You're not allowed cameras in the caves anymore ever since a tourist dropped their camera on one of the old skulls and cracked it open. So I downloaded these to keep some memories alive :-) **

Quite a long drive but totally worth it. Nice and open area with clean facilities. Loved the ethereal atmosphere of the jungle and cave. Literally a magical adventure. Interesting to see the detours to avoid eroded areas near the riverbank. Overall a fun and wonderful experience for anyone of any age.

This is a caving experience and it is a must do while in San Ignacio,Belize. You will need clothes to get wet in such as active wear and reef shoes. No photos are allowed but it is an amazing experience to relive how the Mayans may have used this sacred place for offerings and possible evidence of human sacrifice. Expect to go through some tight crevices, swim, crawl, slide through rocks and cross rivers.

Use River Rat Tours for this amazing cave tour! ATM is awesome and you want an awesome and experienced guide to explore out! Request Gonzo and have David drive you!

What an adventure! Full day excursion including crossing rivers, swimming and climbing in a beautiful cave to end up in the middle of a Mayan religious site! My 8 years old loved it and earned some cool bragging rights back home. Anyone else for 2000 years old skeletons?

The road out here is extremely bumpy and if you are taking a tour you will surely be sore the next day, but the reserve itself is incredible. It really felt like a privilege to be in these caves and was a once in a lifetime experience.

Great adventures experience! Very natural and lots of information given by our guide!

Mixed review here. The good: It is spectacular, awe inspiring once in a lifetime experience. This place will change your brain chemistry. The guides are awesome and we’ll trained, cooperating to keep the visitors safe. The bad: this should have never been made into a tourist attraction and should be closed to public immediately. The artifacts are too fragile for the volume and type of visitors. Too many hungover idiots who belong back at the resort or cruise ship. The fee is only $120 and the daily entry limit is 150 people, an unsustainable number and type of tourists. I feel it should be $1,000 per person and a 20 person daily limit with an pre visit education requirement. That, or just close it and only allow academics by special permit.

Great cave excursion to see Mayan bones and artifacts. There are no phones, no cameras, no bikinis allowed in the park. You must take off your water shoes when you climb into the higher part of the cave. They prefer if you wear socks instead of bare feet. The cave is protected st the opening by a 10 foot deep river, which you must swim through to enter. The adventure is not ideal if you have any of the following phobias, such as. Acrophobia, arachnophobia, claustrophobia, or nyctophobia. There are 2 spots where you can barely squeeze through with your neck. The cave is about 30 minutes walk from the park entrance, and you must wade through the river 3 times on this journey. The portion in the cave takes 2.5 to 3 hours depending on your guide and your physical abilities. Highly recommended!

Shout out to our guide Patrick Bradley! Go early, avoid the crowd. We had the entire ATM Cave to ourselves and it was really powerful. The cave is not a smooth gravel path large-tourist tour. Tour includes rock scrambles and chest-depth water passages. Note that human remains are on display. Culturally significant, respectfully presented but be prepared to be touring a burial site.

So so cool. Be prepared there's a fair amount of swimming and no photography. A must go when in Belize. It's the experience of a lifetime. Seriously words can't describe how cool it is.

Very nice! We had a great time exploring and experiencing our excursion. The area is beautiful and is home to many different plants and animals. It’s a must place to go to while in Belize. If you have an excursion that is in this area, you should have a great time. Local guides know this area well and should explain the area in great detail.

This was one of our most memorable tours ever! Our guide Basilio took us on an exciting adventure crossing rivers before coming to the opening of an unimaginable cave. This cave has you in and out of water until you reach the interior where you then enter multiple chambers filled with artifacts from thousands of years ago. We booked our trip through Cahal Pech resort and were very glad we did.

Amazing tour! There is a 45 minute hike to get to the caves, and then a bit of basic spelunking and cave swimming. Very fun and easy to do, great for a novice like myself. Really recommend doing this if you are in Belize.