Belize CAVES
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Inside the Belize jungle, there is an incredible, hidden, underground cave system to explore. The cave system is so large and complex that it is longer than highways in this country. Our natural wonders are full of natural beauty and also contain much historical significance.
Caves tell the history of Belize. To the ancient Maya, underground caves were where rituals and sacrifices were done. Caves were believed to be the home of evil gods who expected people to offer them gifts in return for which the gods would provide to mankind. Evidence of these activities can be found inside these caves.
Enter the dark caves with just a helmet and headlamp and your adventure with the mystic begins. Trek through sacred ground exploring the ceremonial chambers. Relics, principally in the form of shards of pottery, are very common.
Visiting any of the caves can be done as part of a Jungle holiday, and also as a day trip from the beach. Here’s a few of the better known caves that will capture the imagination of all travelers.
Actun Tunichil Muknal
Actun Tunichil Muknal, means “Cave of the Stone Sepulchre” and is often referred to as ATM. It is an important ancient Maya underground ceremonial area not far from Chaa Creek in the Cayo District of Belize. The ATM Cave is home to the famous “Crystal Maiden”, an intact skeleton of a young female that, due to a covering of calcium carbonate, sparkles eerily in the lamp light.
It is one of Belize’s most impressive adventure experiences. This cave experience demands a certain level of physical fitness.
Barton Creek Cave
Explore the ancient Maya underworld by canoe. Barton Creek Cave is located in the Maya Mountains, in the Cayo District, and is approximately 4.5 miles long. Using a canoe, you can explore this cave which was formerly used by the ancient Mayans as a burial site and for ceremonial purposes. Here you can spot different artifacts and pottery that date back to the Early Classic period (200 to 600 AD).
The Cave features 10 ledges on which archaeologists have discovered the skeletal remains of 28 humans, ages from children to adults, food storage and cooking vessels, stone tools, spindles, monuments, ritual offerings of corn and other agricultural products and fire hearths. This makes it one of the best locations for cave canoeing in Belize.
Rio Frio Cave
Rio Frio Cave is located in western Belize in the Mountain Pine Ridge area. This is the “must do” cave attraction in Belize. Visitors, following stepping stones, are led into the entrance to the cave.
There the cave dweller is overwhelmed by its vast chamber size and can bear witness to the massive 70-foot arches at both ends of the cave, to the room sized varicolored boulders, and impressive chandelier-like stalactites, hanging from the cave’s ceiling.
Nohoch Che'en Caves Branch
Located 37 Miles from Belize City, on the George Price Highway, followed by an additional 6 miles off-highway is Nohoch Che'en Caves Branch Archaeological Reserve. You can explore Belize’s cave system by floating through an inner tube along Caves Branch River which flows through nine caves including the Crystal Cave. On route spot remnants of the Maya from pottery to ancient paintings carved on the limestone walls. Since it is so close to the Belize City, this is a great site for tubing and spelunking vacations.
St. Herman’s Cave
St. Herman’s Cave is located about half hour south of Belize’s capital city of Belmopan in the 575-acre Blue Hole National Park. This is one of the few sites you can visit without a guide.
This cave holds important cultural and archaeological significance, offering a glimpse into the Maya Classic Period. This cave contains a look at a time in an ethereal, almost mystical setting. Pottery vessels which were used for the collection of Zuh uy Ha (virgin water) from dripping speleothems were found here.
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