Our guide today was Hector and he was fabulous! He had lots of energy and was full of information on birds, plants, and Mayan history and culture. This was a full-day event, not for the faint of heart! We started with a short drive to the trailhead, and then hiked through the jungle for about 1 hour. During the hike, you must wade through a few rivers/creeks to get there.
We arrive the entrance to the cave! Here, Hector helps gather our gear - He has a dry-bag that he packs in his backpack, so you can put your camera in there if you'd like. (Our camera had a waterproof housing, so we kept it out at all times.) You don't take anything with you inside the cave except maybe your camera. We wore sneakers, socks (a must), bathing suits/trunks....I wore board shorts and my rash guard to help keep me warm and protected (in case I scrape up against any rocks).
What can I say about the ATM cave?! Lots of history here...It was amazing to see some of the remains of human sacrifices. The journey through the cave was fun and challenging, but mostly adventurous! There were stalagmites, stalactites, and other interesting rock formations. We even saw some small plants growing in the cave - In complete darkness! We doggie-paddled through water and did some scrambling on the rocks. You definitely need to be an active person to get through this cave.
The ATM cave is a magical place and also a sacred place. Hector did such a great job making sure we were safe, and he was so knowledgeable about the cave. What an exhilarating day!
This evening, after an amazing dinner, Francisco took us on a night hike through the jungle. (And there were almost no mosquitoes!) Francisco is so good at spotting animals, that he can recognize an animal by the rustling sounds it makes in the jungle! We saw 3 armadillos, 1 skunk, some frogs, bats, kinkajou and wolf spiders (which glow when you shine your light on them). This night hike was really spectacular, and it's complementary at Pook's.
For our first trip to Costa Rica, Adventure Life designed a tour that meets the interests, ecological and adventure, of our party; but also takes into account our physical limitations sine we are all septuagenarian. We are looking forward to the trip.
John Zent
1 day ago
Adventure Life is my favorite travel company due to their genuine care for their customers. They make every effort to ensure a wonderful travel experience for you. Their personal touch really gives the customer a lot of confidence with their travel plans and the trip leaders are always outstanding. They are truly consistent and accountable with the great service they provide. I can't thank Adventure Life enough for the incredible trips I have enjoyed thanks to them and their attention to detail.
Tim Duffy
2 days ago
Kevin Moore working with me and providing very timely answers to all my questions.
Sharon Worsham
2 days ago
Adventure Life coordinated all our domestic air travel in Argentina as well as
Multiple tours in four cities. Every thing went perfectly smooth. All the local companies were on schedule and very professional. We will surely use Adventure Life on future travels.
customer
3 days ago
Franny helped us put together a great itinerary, was very responsive and so helpful. We ended up not being able to use Adventure Life for our trip, but would definitely use them in the future.