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This tour starts at 8 a.m. with a 45 minutes’ drive from San Ignacio Town and into George Ville village, passing through the Mennonite community (Amish). Upon reaching the entrance of the cave, we board our canoes and slowly paddle into the cave passage.
In addition to the natural beauty of the area, Barton Creek Cave contains many cultural remains left in the cave by the ancient Maya, centuries ago. Artifacts, Hearths, modified cave formations and human skeletons were deposited on stone ledges as part of the ritual activities of the ancient inhabitants of the Barton creek valley.
Barton Creek Cave is part of a large riverine system and one of the longest subterranean sites in the country of Belize. Cultural remains, however, it has only been found within the first kilometer from the downstream entrance. This kilometer-long space contains ten ledges above the river with evidence of ancient Maya activity. The first ledge is located on the left just inside the entrance to the cave, and continues to roughly 30 meters beyond the Maya Bridge that straddles the river.
Approximately 1800 years ago the Maya began utilizing the cave ledges for ritual activity. The ceramics that has been found suggest that the Maya were using Barton Creek Cave from the Early Classic (A.D 200 to 600) to the Late Classic Period (A.D. 600 to 900). This is typical of caves in this area, however at this site Early Classic material is found farther into the cave than at other sites. The reason for this may simply be that the Maya moved into the Barton Creek Valley earlier than into other areas such as the Roaring Creek Valley.
The most memorable experience in Belize - Just came back from our ATM cave tour with Orlando from Kaatz Witz Tours . Pick up from the guest house where we are staying, nice air-conditioned van with lunch... read more and drinks included. But the highlight was the cave on its own, the whole experience it is once in a lifetime one and thank you to our guides for making it so much fun, educational and so interesting. We are leaving San Ignacio tomorrow with some wonderful memories
The best tour for ATM and Xunantunich!! - Absolutely amazing day with Orlando guiding my husband and I through the ATM Cave and Xunantunich! He’s been guiding for 20 years and is truly an expert with so much... read more historical knowledge and cultural insight to share. He takes the time and effort to point out details that elevate his tour far above the competition (we passed many other groups on the way back who seemed to be getting a much more superficial experience). He also took great care to ensure our safety and comfort. He’s the type that hikes in with a tablecloth for the yummy picnic lunch after exiting the cave! It was wonderful to be able to visit both of these amazing places in a single day but not feel rushed or that it was superficial. Thank you Orlando for guiding us so expertly through these Belizian treasures and sharing your homeland with us. If I could give six stars I would!!
Orlando was our guide for the ATM caves. He was an excellent guide and the tour was a really fun and interesting experience. Would highly recommend booking.
- He... read more was very knowledgeable and even told us about San Ignacio and Belize generally en route to the caves.
- Lunch was tasty and had a vegetarian option available.
- He was always making sure people were comfortable going through the cave.
We had Orlando as our ATM cave guide. He was a wonderful guide, and happily answered all my questions, made sure the group was doing ok at every turn, and... read more gifted us with so much knowledge about the rainforest, the caves, the Mayans - truly everything. His experience is unparalleled, and his passion really helps you appreciate the history and our amazing environment. Thanks Orlando, for an incredible, otherworldly experience!
Orlando took us on an amazing trip to the ATM caves!! We enjoyed the day with him learning about the jungle, caves and history of the Mayan people. Orlando was... read more so knowledgable and friendly. Book with Orlando, you won't be dissapointed.
Have you ever walked away from something and said to yourself "WOW!! that experience could not have been any better and it's all because of the person who was gracious... read more enough to share their love of their country and their knowledge with me!"
Well, that's Orlando!!! From the moment we got into his vehicle and headed down the bumpy road to the ATM Cave Tour path, we knew we were given a gift. It was just the two of us with Orlando and we felt so special to have our own guide on this tour. What an intimate experience and I can't imagine experiencing this adventure any other way.
As we headed towards the parking lot, Orlando explained what we were about to experience during our time with him. He gave us all the information during the ride to the entrance with all the history and knowledge only a local Belizean who loves his country, could possibly do.
There are guides and then there are knowledgeable, educated, enthusiastic and caring people who bring the experience to the next level. You could hear in Orlando's voice and see it in his eyes, how passionate he was about sharing this amazing experience with us and how touched he was by what the Mayans went through back in the day, to do whatever was possible to care for their families and please the Gods.
I know this is a long review but I can't express enough with my words how grateful both Jo Ellen and myself were with what Orlando shared with us and how thankful we are that he came into our lives and was our guide for the day. In the end, we now consider Orlando our friend and we would totally reach out to him the next time we're in Belize just to stop by and see his smiling face.
Wait!! Did we mention we had the most amazing lunch with him when we came back out of the cave that his wife prepared!!?? It was incredible and he even had a white linen table cloth that he put over our picnic table. Yes, the thoughtfulness of this man and his wife was incredible.
Ok...I need to end this review but I need to say one last thing...if you go to San Ignacio to with the hopes of going on the ATM tour and you don't book Orlando as your guide, you've missed one of the most amazing experiences and one of the world's treasures in listening and watching Orlando express the love for his country and for the bravery of the Mayan people.
Enjoy!!!
PS Orlando...we love you!!
Excellent! Orlando explained the history and cultural relevance of the site! Highly recommend this personalized tour of this Underground Maya Ruin
We went on this adventure with an expert on the ATM cave who told us a lot of interesting facts and stories about its magical history. Any question we asked... read more him he could answer. His enthusiasm works contagious and makes for a great day! Thank you again Orlando.
Our trip to the ATM cave with Orlando from Katz Witz Maya Tours was nothing short of mind blowing!
Orlando’s knowledge of every detail in the ATM cave,... read more Mayan history, and area/jungle surrounding the cave was very impressive to say the least. He has been going through the cave since 2004, and is an absolute expert on everything involved, including how to get all of his visitors through it safely. He took so much time showing us exactly where we needed to put our hands/feet when climbing and what areas to avoid when stepping. His care and concern for the cave and all the priceless artifacts inside was also very impressive.
After our tour Orlando served us a delicious homemade traditional Belizean lunch, of stewed chicken with rice and beans and all the fixings.
I can’t say enough good things about Orlando and his tours. The whole experience left me craving not only to go through the cave again, but to learn as much as I can about these fascinating people and their beliefs. This tour, and any others that Orlando offers will be the first excursions I book on my next trip back to this amazing country!!
The ATM cave tour was the highlight of our week in Belize! Our guide, Orlando, was very patient and informative, giving us direction on where to place our hands... read more / feet when navigating through the waters and dark caves. His knowledge on the history of the cave is outstanding. He has much respect for the ancient cave artifacts and carefully navigates you through the caves and explains each section in detail. Thank you to Orlando for a wonderful experience! At the "young" age of 50, we found this excursion very fun and informative, and cannot wait to share it again with our college age children.
We had an excellent time with Orlando exploring the ATM caves. He is a very knowledgeable tour guide and we felt extremely comfortable exploring the caves with him!! ... read more We also want to thank his wife for providing us with such a great Belizean meal after we finished!!!
My 18yo son and I were guided by our new friend Orlando into an experience we will remember for the rest of our lives. We learned and experienced so... read more much mystery, culture and natural beauty from an adventure that few will understand until they experience it for themselves. Highly recommend. You will be glad you did.