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| Actun Tunichil Muknal |
Better known as ATM, it is considered one of the top attractions in Belize. It is a cave located about 45 minutes from San Ignacio and is in the tropical jungle. It is not just any cave. It is a mysterious cave of the Mayan underworld, a hiking, archaeological and educational adventure. It was used for sacrifices and other ceremonies by the Mayans AD 300-600. The highlight is the "Crystal Maiden," who was thought to be a sacrifice victim. The skeleton has a crystalline magical fairy dust appearance as a result of years of weathering.
The excursion encompassed the better part of a day and is not for the weak of heart. It is a half hour hike to the hike, crossing streams 3 times. Much of the cave is immersed in water and one needs to swim at times. Good hiking clothes are needed, particularly shoes, which are going to get immersed in water.
It is really mind-blowing with all the formations including stalactites, ancient pottery, bones, bats, absolute darkness and altars. There is an extensive altar that one needs to remove his/her shoes and walk in socks so as not to due any harm. That was about 45 minutes. It is quite freaky and I cannot possibly imagine hiking the cave alone. Besides getting freaked out, I would probably get lost forever.
There are no cameras allowed, hence no photos. Except for the welcome sign, the two other photos are from the Internet from http://www.belize.com/actun-tunichil-muknal. The reason for no cameras is that several years ago, a hiker dropped their camera and broke an artifact.
Having said all this, I didn't entirely enjoy it. We were in the cave for about 3 hours. The hike in the cave is dangerous and I'm told there's at least one injury a day. The hike necessitates climbing up and down at times slippery rocks. At times you have to take a deep breath to fit through small openings. The portion of the hike in socks is torture. At times, it was hard to appreciate the surroundings and think, "okay, where's the exit?"
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