Where We Be
You'll definitely get wet on the ATM cave tour, but that's sorta the point,
isn't it? This is a fun and fairly safe full-day adventure so don't miss it!
San Ignacio, Belize
These are stock images since cameras aren't allowed in the cave. This photo is a bit
misleading since there's no light inside the cave except what your headlamps provide.
What makes this cave experience unique is the archaeological aspect: there are Mayan artifacts
left exactly in place – pots, tripod stands, etc. – as well as human remains, the result of ritual
sacrifice. We saw where Mayans had cut off their own fingers as a form of self-sacrifice (yuck).
Deep within the cave we climbed a ladder and saw the in-situ bones of a prisoner who had been sacrificed there. Several of
his bones were broken or dislocated before he was killed. Pretty grim. All told there were 14 complete skeletons in the cave, 7
adults and 7 children. Apparently the Mayans were trying to appease the gods so the rains would fall again. But according to
our guide, the Mayans' intensive farming and tree-cutting were the very reason why the cycle of rains had abated in the first
place. They were the victims of their own success if the theory is correct as to why the Mayan civilization abruptly disappeared.
The taxi from San Ignacio dropped us off here. We took a free hand-cranked ferry across the river -- an extremely
short trip of about a minute. Then we walked about a mile uphill to the Mayan ruins. We paid 10 BZD each ($5 US)
for entry. We arrived around 9 am so it was still relatively cool out and there were only a few other tourists there.
We’re glad we didn’t skip Xunantunich. These Mayan ruins were definitely worth a visit and it only took 15 minutes
to get here by taxi. We immediately keyed into the largest ruin, El Castillo -- a large pyramid that dominates the site.
The best view of El Castillo is actually partway up on the eastern side, where
a frieze of Mayan images appears about three-quarters of the way up.
The frieze is a replica, with the original hidden a meter behind
to protect it. The central image is of Chac, Mayan god of rain.
This is a fun and easy activity since it's right in town ($9 US pp). It's hosted by the
San Ignacio Resort Hotel -- an 8-minute uphill walk from our Rainforest Haven Inn.
We went at 11 am when it was hot, but on the plus side,
iguanas are at their most active when it's hottest
Some fun iguana facts: Iguanas have a third "eye" on top of their head that lets them see light or dark
so if a bird is swooping down on them they have some warning. They really can lose their tail and
regrow it. Males have two penises (!) Oh, and they really like having the tops of their heads rubbed.
They seemed ravenous even though they'd just eaten on a previous tour. They really
like their leafy greens! They'd rip and tear at them, shaking their heads to pull off chunks.
And these ones are spoiled – they aren't interested in the stems, only the good leafy parts.
We stayed at Rainforest Haven Inn and loved it for its location, cool AC, fast wifi, private bath, and shared
kitchen. Downstairs is the home of Marie Sharp’s Hot Sauce as well as a rum tasting and culinary area.
Marie Sharp is quite the character, and her story is told on placards on the walls. Everywhere you go in Guatemala
and Belize you'll find Marie Sharp's Hot Sauce on almost every table. It's one of Belize's most successful exports.
You can do a rum tasting here too. Wine is imported and expensive in
Belize but you can get a whole bottle of good rum for 20 BZD ($10 US).
Looking down at a small ruin just to the west. From here you can
easily see into Guatemala -- the border is only about a mile away.
You can climb all the way to the top of El Castillo and the view is spectacular. This was a major ceremonial
center with ~25 temples and palaces. There's no guardrail at the top, just a precipitous edge, so be aware.
The site includes two Mayan ball courts. The game was played with a heavy ball of solid rubber weighing
about 9 pounds. Players had to get the ball through a stone hoop without using their hands -- only
elbows, knees, and hips. It's believed the winners were lauded as heroes and the losers sacrificed.
We saw this black spiny-tailed iguana on the way back down. After recrossing the Mopan River, we simply walked over to one
of the waiting taxis. Note: In San Ignacio look for taxis with license plates starting with BVO (short for Benque Viejo). They
only charge 5 BZD ($2.50 US) pp for the 15-minute ride to Xunantunich. You can take any taxi back for the same price.
Cahal Pech Mayan ruins are located just a mile or so from town. We took a taxi
one way to the top since it saved us a steep uphill climb ($5 US total). We paid
$5 US each for entry and soon found ourselves all alone at this cool Mayan site.
This is a much smaller group of Mayan ruins than Tikal, of course, but in its own way that makes it quite pleasant.
We were the only ones here at 9 am. You can climb where you will -- here you can see me on top of the temple.
Like Xunantunich, Cahal Pech has its
own Mayan ball court. Ready for a game?
We liked how self-contained Cahal Pech felt, with the pyramids and buildings centered
around several open courtyards. You could picture living here quite happily back in the day.
Narrow stone walkways connect various parts of the site. The trapezoidal doorways often require ducking
(even for Robin). Birdsong was everywhere -- we heard and saw parrots, parakeets, toucans, and kiskadees.
That such interesting ruins are located within easy walking distance of
San Ignacio is pretty amazing. It makes them fun and easy to explore.
We spent about an hour at the site, exploring, relaxing on the pyramid steps, soaking
up the atmosphere, and checking out the small museum onsite before walking home.
Green Iguana Conservation Project
Marie Sharp's Hot Sauce
Xunantunich
Cahal Pech
Actun Tunichil Muknal (ATM)
San Ignacio is essentially the tourist hub for
jungle adventures in the western part of Belize
near the border with Guatemala. There's a lot to
do here and we kept plenty busy all five days.
Tops on nearly everyone's list is the awesome
Actun Tunichil Muknal (ATM) cave tour. It costs
$90 US each for the full day but this is THE thing
to do in the San Ignacio area -- in fact it's #1 in
all of Belize per Trip Advisor. It's an extensive
(and beautiful) water cave and an impressive
Mayan archaeological site all rolled into one.

We also enjoyed a much quieter activity right in
town -- the Green Iguana Conservation Project
at San Ignacio Resort Hotel ($9 US each). We
got to hold and feed the ravenous iguanas, and
if you rub their heads just so they close their
eyes and look like they're in heaven. Mayan
ruins are another big draw in the area and we
checked out two: Xunantunich and Cahal Pech.
You can walk to Cahal Pech -- although we took
a taxi one-way then walked home. Xunantunich
requires a cab both ways but it's cheap at $2.50
pp one way. We thought both ruins worthwhile
even after having just seen Tikal. If you've had
your fill of ruins, cave tubing and ziplining are
also very popular here.
You have to swim into the cave through deep water – a fun aspect of the adventure. From the beginning we were mostly in water,
sometimes up to our necks but more commonly up to our waists, knees, or ankles. There were also stretches of dry land.
The footing isn't bad most of the time
but there are a few tight squeezes!
The cave had some beautiful stalactites --
including spectacular fan (or curtain)
stalactites, the prettiest we’ve seen
Even getting to the cave was an adventure: we hiked 45
minutes and crossed three rivers. The first was the most
dramatic: we had to swim across or use a rope if desired,
so we got totally wet pretty much right from the get-go.
The cave was much bigger than the one we traveled through at Semuc Champey – some 3½
miles long although we only explored the first half-mile or so. Amazingly, we saw a slender green
plant growing in the midst of a totally black cave. It had found a pocket of bat guano and was
growing because of the light provided by our headlamps -- its sole source of photosynthesis!
Climbing down after seeing the skeleton. Another cool aspect of this cave is the Mayan art forms: it
seems they carved certain rocks to appear like human faces and figures. This is most noticeable when
you use a torch or flashlight to project a shadow of the carved rock onto the surrounding cave wall.
Getting to feed them was a definite highlight. They looked disappointed when I ran out! Each tour to the iguana
enclosure is 45 minutes long, starting on the hour. The enclosure is shaded and filled with about twenty iguanas.