MAMA BEAR FAMILY REUNIONS

This was our first year starting "Mama Bear" Family Reunions.  Really, any woman who has children can be called a "Mama Bear".  With that thought in mind, we gathered our cubs together to spend time.  Family reunions are about reconnecting families, enjoying great food, sharing experiences, laughter, fun and making memories together.  This was a trip, we will soon not forget.  We are hoping in the years to come, other family members will join us.

TUESDAY - July 10, 2018 (Full Day)

ATM CAVE EXPLORING

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This tour will be the highlight of the entire trip.  We will be getting up at the crack of dawn, enjoying a quick breakfast, and boarding a boat for the mainland.  The boat ride will take about 1-1/2 hours.  Once we arrive to Belize City, we will be boarding two (15-passenger mini vans), which will take us to a campsite in the jungle, near the cave's entrance.  This is the most adventurous tour in Belize.  It will require your swimming (a short distance) to get into the cave.  Kids can go piggy back on dad's back.  There is considerable hiking through the cave, so be sure to wear good walking shoes.  Lunch will be provided by our tour guide at the park campsite.  Lauren did this tour when she was five years old, and loved it.  This is a full day tour, so everyone will be tired by the time we get back to the island.  There will be a crock-pot dinner waiting for us, when we get home.

WHY EXPLORE THE ATM

Every cave in Belize is unique--even among the variety of Mayan caves in Central America. But, some are more spectacular than others, like the cave located near San Ignacio Town bearing the quirky nickname of ATM.  Actun Tunichil Muknal has everything a curious tourist could want and more: folklore, splendor, history and skeletons, making the ATM worth the journey. 

10 reasons why you need to see this spectacular cave.
1. The National Geographic Society proclaimed the ATM Cave the number one sacred cave in the world.
2. High-profile broadcast documentarians, internationally known archaeologists, curious travelers, Mayaphiles and tourism professionals flock here because it’s so spectacular. Discover what brings them back repeatedly.
3. ATM is a living museum that has no equal, a designation given by social and physical scientists who study here because the cave’s interior and artifacts are so bountiful and unusual.
4. You can see the full and partial remains of 14 different skeletons, dating back to 700 to 900 AD.
5. ATM is a geology hobbyists’ dream. Bodies of water challenge visitors to walk deeper into the cave to see an extensive and rich heritage of the artifacts and cultural relics abandoned by Mayan's centuries ago.
6. If you’ve never seen stalagmites and stalactites, your time has come. They bear witness to untold numbers of ceramic vessels, stone artifacts, ritual items and skeleton parts plus the piece de resistance: a complete skeleton of a young male encased in crystalline travertine deposits that make his remains sparkle.
7. Check out authentic Mayan tools. They won’t look like your wrenches and screwdrivers, but they will give you an idea of sophisticated pre-Columbian tools manufactured by Mayans to undertake agricultural work.
8. Learn about mysterious practices. Guides are licensed by the government of Belize, and can share with you information that has taken them months to learn in a classroom setting.
9. See ATM while you can! Because the interior of this national landmark is fragile and sensitive, if archaeologists determine the cave must be sealed off to protect it, you could miss your chance to see this natural wonder.
10. Who knows how long this extraordinary place will be around? The Mayan civilization vanished without a trace. Anthropologists have still not figured out why. That could happen to the cave itself.

Changing weather patterns, global warming and rising seas might someday flood ATM, perhaps the biggest reason of all to visit now!

Picnic Lunch Outside The Cave's Entrance