Travel to one of the most popular Mayan ceremonial caves in the Maya world. Discovered in 1986 in western Belize, mapped and studied by an archaeologist from 1993. The cave has a full length of 5 km but the ceremonial area used by the Mayan priest & shamans is 1 km from the entrance. Fourteen human remains have been found inside and 1100 ceramic objects. All bones and most ceramics have been completely covered by calcite from the dripping water which has left them with a sparkling appearance especially the full extended skeleton called the ‘Crystal Maiden’. Drive 1 hour from San Ignacio then hike is 35 mins on a jungle trail. Swim once across a river then walk across shallows twice. Inside the dry zone where the artifacts and bones are located all persons need to remove all shoes and walk in socks to reduce damage. To see the Crystal Maiden you need to ascend a 13 ft ladder to reach the area known as the sepulcher. Time spent inside the cave is 2 ½ to 3 hrs. Get an in-depth look at Belize’s Mayan culture.