Two headline sites of the Cayo District in a single day: Actun Tunichil Muknal in the morning, then the Mopan River ferry and Xunantunich after lunch.
Updated 2 November 2026
In shortThis full-day trip pairs Actun Tunichil Muknal with the Xunantunich temple, 8-9 hours in total, beginning at 7:00 am and finishing at 5:00 pm, from $240 per person. The operator's listing allots 300 minutes to the cave and 180 minutes to the ruins, with a professional local guide working in English, equipment, park entrance fees and lunch included. The ATM cave and Xunantunich tour suits short Cayo stays and travellers fit enough to swim, wade and climb in the morning and still walk a hilltop site in the afternoon.
8–9 htour length
from $240per adult
★ 5.077 reviews
What the ATM cave and Xunantunich tour includes
The day runs 8-9 hours, from a 7:00 am start to a 5:00 pm finish, and costs from $240 per person. Rating on the listing is ★ 5.0 (77 reviews). Equipment, a professional guide, park entrance fees, lunch and refreshments, snacks, bottled water, soda, towels, transport and an air-conditioned vehicle are all covered; pickup is from selected hotels. Only gratuities are excluded.
Actun Tunichil Muknal takes the larger half: 300 minutes in the operator's own breakdown, including an hour's drive from San Ignacio into Tapir Mountain Nature Reserve, gearing up at the parking area and a 30-minute hike to the entrance. Entry is by water, so you swim, wade and climb before reaching the dry archaeological level. Footwear comes off in the artifact chambers and socks are compulsory. All cameras and electronic devices have been banned inside since May 2012 under a government conservation rule, after a dropped camera damaged a skeleton, and only the guide carries a dry bag. NICH policy admits visitors from 40 inches tall, and a maximum of six visitors go with each ATM-certified guide.
Xunantunich fills the afternoon, 180 minutes on the listing, with the village of San Jose Succotz and the hand-cranked ferry across the Mopan River on the way in. The reserve is open daily 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, including Sundays and public holidays, and sits on a hill about 8 miles west of San Ignacio, roughly 15 to 20 minutes by road. El Castillo rises 130 feet, about 40 metres, above the plaza, and carved friezes sit on the east and west sides of structure A-6, the east one preserved under a fibreglass replica of the central sun-god mask bordered by the moon and Venus. Guided groups there are capped at 15 visitors per guide, and photo ID is required at entry.
Put this day early in your Cayo stay and keep a spare day after it. Access to the cave is capped at 125 visitors per day across all licensed operators, so dates fill, and the Institute of Archaeology closes the cave when river levels rise after heavy rain, as it did on Sunday 18 October 2026 before reopening the next morning. NICH advises checking its social media for weather updates and closure advisories before any visit.
The Ultimate Belize Combo: ATM Cave & Xunantunich Maya Temple
Cave and temple on the same day, from the Cayo Welcome Center in San Ignacio: equipment, professional guide, park entrance fees, lunch and refreshments, towels and an air-conditioned vehicle, with pickup from selected hotels.
Actun Tunichil Muknal (ATM)300 min About an hour's drive from San Ignacio into Tapir Mountain Nature Reserve. You park at the trailhead, gear up with helmet, headlamp and life jacket, then hike 30 minutes to the cave mouth. The swim at the entrance is short, the wading inside goes no deeper than chest height, and a 12-foot ladder brings you up into the dry chamber with the skeletal remains and the Crystal Maiden.
Xunantunich180 min Jungle around the site holds howler and spider monkeys, birds and iguanas. The guide walks you through the plazas and the history of the Maya city, and El Castillo is open to climb for views over the Mopan valley and into Guatemala. Lunch is taken at a restaurant in the village.
San Jose Succotz10 min A Maya village of mainly Yucatec Maya descent, about 10 minutes west of San Ignacio town, where Xunantunich stands. The vehicle drives down to the river and crosses on the hand-cranked ferry; all passengers leave the vehicle for the crossing.
Photos: ours and the tour operator's
What is included
Included
Equipment
Soda
Bottled water
Professional guide
Snacks
Towels
Air-conditioned vehicle
Park entrance fees
Lunch and refreshments, with dietary restrictions or preferences taken if you tell the operator in advance
Transport
Hotel pickup and drop-off (selected hotels only)
Not included
Gratuities
Meeting point and pickup
Meeting point: the Cayo Welcome Center in San Ignacio. The driver-guide waits outside the Cayo Welcome Center's office with a sign showing your name.
Pickup: included from your accommodation within a 10 km radius, selected hotels only, with drop-off at the end of the day.
Start and finish: the tour begins at 7:00 am and ends at 5:00 pm.
Ages: child 6-15, adult 16+. Photo ID is required at both sites.
How this ATM cave and Xunantunich tour compares with other Cayo combos
This is the only combination on the table that puts Actun Tunichil Muknal together with Xunantunich, which is why the day is long and the price higher. The other options pair the temple with cave tubing instead, in 7 to 11 hours, and the short Xunantunich-only trip runs 3 to 4 hours for travellers who want the ruins and an afternoon free in San Ignacio.
Dates are limited by the 125-visitor daily cap at the cave, and wet-season departures can be called off after heavy rain, so check availability for an early day in your Cayo stay.
