Originally, I was skeptical about staying at Lower Dover because it’s in the middle of nowhere but that’s the beauty of this place. Lower Dover is located in the middle of the Belizean jungle about twenty minutes outside of San Ignacio. The farm is owned and managed by an extremely nice (and very knowledgable) older couple. They bought the land decades ago and turned it into one of the coolest “hostels” in Belize.
The farm has multiple colorful houses, one being a hostel house and the others are private rooms. There is a community shower house and the water was always blazing hot! I believe she said it’s rain water. The stars at night are unbelievable. If you don’t like animals, this isn’t the place for you! Dogs, chickens, goats, bugs, etc.
They have homemade lunch, dinner and wine available for a small price. The wine was strong and tasty! We found that out quickly with our complimentary toast upon arrival. Before we left she said, “you girls are like wild goats. Gotta jump around.” I felt that LOLOL.
There is a community building where everyone would hang out, play pool, drink, converse etc. It was actually Super Bowl Sunday when we arrived. They let us watch the game in their house which was very nice of them. Apparently they never do that.
We went to San Ignacio precisely to check out the Actun Tunichil Muknal (ATM) cave. The guided tour costs $125/person- Pricey but WORTH IT! If you’re staying at Lower Dover, book the trip through them. They use a tour company called Tikal Day Tour and with Lower Dover being so close to ATM, we were able to start earlier than other tour groups.
ATM cave only allows entry to 160 people a day. Groups are structured with 8 people or less. Our tour guide, Lenny, is a very experienced cave explorer and I felt safe on his watch. Most importantly, wear water shoes (my Keens were PERFECT) and socks! The socks are crucial. And make sure it’s a pair you don’t care about because they are going to get dirty.
To reach the cave, you have to cross three creeks. It’ll wake you up and get your blood pumping! The cave goes several hundred feet underground. Early on in the trek, there was a portion of the cave so tight that you can only fit through with your neck. Your shoulders are submerged under water and your neck fit perfectly through the rock. It was crazy! Eventually we climbed up a few rocks to the higher chamber of the cave that is considered the sacred Mayan burial site. This is where you remove your shoes and walk around in your socks, to protect the ancient artifacts. This is like nothing you’ve seen before. In the U.S. these artifacts would be behind glass or in a prohibited area. In the ATM cave, the artifacts are marked on the ground by an outline of chalk. You could literally reach down and touch them…. but don’t do that.
Phones and other personal belongings are prohibited from the cave. That’s why it is hard to find photos of the inside BUT one of the guys in our group (Shane) used an ingenious workaround. He used a pair of Spectacles (sunglasses with built-in cameras) and was able to get a couple pics/videos (below).
We took a different route out of the cave and it was INTENSE! The video above gives a great representation of how tight it was. It got to the point where you would only fit walking sideways. It was one of the coolest tours I’ve ever taken. Looking back, I’m glad I didn’t think too deep on this. I probably would have become claustrophobic had I thought about the couple hundred feet underground we were.
Lunch was provided after the trek and we were given time to take a few photos at the ATM cave sign. We passed orange tree and sunflower fields on the drive in that were really pretty. Unfortunately the orange tree field was infected and it was really hurting their exports. That sunflower field though- we took full advantage of being basic AF.
Shane and Greg became our side kicks for the rest of the trip. They picked us up that night and we went out for a few drinks. Our first stop was near Lower Dover: Casa Sofia Inn & Italian Restaurant which was strange and kick ass at the same time. No one was there except us and the owner was pouring our margaritas mighty strong. The place was dark, had unique statues, a punching bag and weird tunes playing with strange music videos to match. It was very random. We finished the evening in downtown San Ignacio.
We made plans to spend the final day together before heading back to Belize City for my flight. Lucky me, the guys were heading there as well so they were kind enough to drop me off at the airport. But first… we did some exploring! Our first stop was the Xunantunich Archaeological Reserve. To reach the ruins we had to take the car on a manually operated ferry to cross the Mopan River.
In my opinion, with the experiences I’ve had, a variety of archeological “ruins” have felt prey to a ‘touristy’ vibe of sameness. I never get a guide because typically after a few minutes of looking around; I’m good to go. The downside is not obtaining any history. I recently read online that “Xunantunich” means “Sculpture of Lady” and many people have mentioned a ghost sighting of a woman dressed in white with bright red eyes that walks up the steps of “El Castillo” and then disappears into the stone. Yeah, crazyyyy! We didn’t see any of that but you can see Greg laying along the steps.
El Castillo is “the castle” of the Mayan ruins. Definitely the tallest which offers an impressive view of the surrounding Belizean jungle.
We had lunch at “The Great Mayan Prince.” This was one of my favorite meals of the trip because it was authentic, affordable and less touristy. You definitely got a local vibe sitting on their gorgeous patio overlooking town. Their breakfast menu was on point and included breakfast burritos, omelettes, pancakes, etc.
As we drove towards Belize City we took a detour to St. Herman’s Blue Hole National Park. I think it cost $2 a person to enter the trail. It’s just a short walk to the hole that is filled with turquoise blue water. It was definitely smaller than I expected but if you’ve been to Jacobs Well in Texas then you’ll understand the disappointment. Nonetheless, it was really pretty and if you followed the stream it led you to a small cave.
After the blue hole we split up and chased down a bus! I couldn’t believe they actually pulled over. We made our way back to Belize City and jammed out to Pearl Jam and old school hip-hop throwbacks. K-Sauce bringing the beatsssss!
