TripAdvisor http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g303868-d600477-Reviews-Semuc_Champey-Lanquin_Alta_Verapaz_Department.html
No matter how many photos I had seen of this famous natural wonder, there was no way I could have been prepared by it's majesty in reality. This is a no-brainer, if you are going to Guatemala, you have to visit this site. All the trouble it takes to get there and all the chaos you may discover upon arrival in Lanquin is worth it. If you are on a tour as you probably will be, don't feel like you have to do the straight up the mountain climb to view the pools from above. It will exhaust you and you will have less time to enjoy languishing in the pools. Even if your guide is trying to get you to climb up to the viewing platform it's not worth it. I refused to climb and I had so much more quiet time to discover the pools without the rest of my tour group. Even if you can't reproduce in photography the beauty of this natural wonder, take a million pictures! I love to look back at those images to relive such an amazing experience.
Arguably the most beautiful sight in Guatemala. The hike to the top is worth it for the views and you can reward yourself with a refreshing dip in the limestone pools afterwards! Just be careful not to swallow the water.. I've had a few friends who have gotten sick from it but it was fine when I went there.
This is one of those locations you just have to visit! The roads are kind of unfortunate to get there (as you can see from other reviews it is not recommendable staying close to Semuc but rather in Coban); coming from Coban (we stayed at Casa Gaia, which was excellent!) it taked about 1h30min to get to Semuc, first driving on a very nice asphalted road, then an ok-ish asphalted road and finally just a dirt road. Since it had rained quite a bit it was actually more of a dirt-slide, but the driver handled it perfectly. Arriving at Semuc we went up to the Mirador (view point), and well as mentioned it had rained a lot (and was still drizzling) so the path was very slippery (very good shoes are recommended). The view from the Mirador was impressive, something you do not want to miss (unless the steep way up there deters you, of course). We then proceeded to the different pools, and took the longer way back (which is recommendable). From what I've heard there's also a cave you can swim to (dive to, more precisely) but it's said to be a bit dangerous ...
Semuc Champey is a very remote paradise of waterfalls and swimming pools, set in a jungle of trees within a gorge. The dirt and rock road from Lanquin (I estimated 13 km) is very steep up and down, with numerous switchbacks and very narrow turnouts to allow two vehicles to pass. Entrance to the car park was 10 Q per car; separate entrance to the river and falls is 50 Q per person. There are bathrooms and food vendors before entering the park. Hiking and climbing to the platform (mirador) overlooking the river is very rigorous with a few almost vertical staircases but mostly boulders and dirt or mud. The river was cool but not uncomfortable, particularly after the hard climb to and from the platform overlook. Bring a picnic lunch to enjoy while sitting on the banks of the river.
I visited the caves during a school trip. I neglected to read the description for the caves so imagine my surprise when I found out we would be swimming in a cave. I was not prepared to climb rocks, hang on to ropes and walk through waterfalls. It was way out of my comfort zone but I'm glad I did it and I would do it again.
Bring a waterproof camera and water shoes and if you're a female, its preferable to wear a one piece swimsuit or a t-shirt and socks.
Semuc Champey is genuinely the most beautiful place in Guatemala, in my opinion. Hidden between sheer cliff walls, no power lines, no houses, nothing but the natural beauty of the crystal clear pools. We went to the pools first and enjoyed a refreshing dip and a little beauty therapy thanks to the company of tiny fishes, we could have stayed there forever but decided to climb up to the mirador to get the full view of this amazing place. A definite must-see for anyone xXx
One of the places I was most looking forward to visiting during my backpacking trip of Central America. It didn't disappoint. I did the tour of the underground Kanba caves first and then went on to see Semuc Champey. Both were absolutely incredible - beautiful, tranquil, and exciting. Just make sure to take suitable footwear (no flipflops) as it is difficult to see your footing in the dark caves, and the walk up to the viewpoint at Semuc Champey was slightly less than straightforward. A must see if you are in Guatemala!
My husband and I spent 2 nights in Lanquin only to see the amazing Semuc Champey!!!! It's a wonderful place with this natural green pools where you can swim and relax and see them from the top, walking to the famous Mirador. But the must was the entire tour involving Semuc Champey area!!! It's a great adventure!!! And a lot of adrenaline !!!! You swim and walk in the water into the cave holding a candle!!!! And there are many more surprises once you go in!!! In the same day you can jump in the river in many different ways and you also have plenty of time to spend in the pools in Semuc Champey!!! It was awesome!!!! We did with the tour operator of our lodge Zephyr Lodge and we highly recommend them!!! We got into the caves before the crowds and they took us in all natural pools in Semuc. We also had fun in the little waterfalls and went to a small cave in the pools!!!! It can not be missed at all!!!!
The allround trip to the caves, the mirador and semuc champey was one of the best and craziest experiences I ever had. (we booked at our hostal "El retiro"). The visit of the cave was probably the best part.
Partly walking, then swimming one handed trying to get the only lightsource alive, then climbing ladders, crossing rocks, jumping into darkness. You have to trust yourself and the guide. That kind of adventure wouldn´t work in countries like the US or Germany cause of the lack of security but in my opinion that just made it an unforgettable adventure. You finally get a chance to test how crazy you really are and in a group everyone takes the next step.
And to be honest it is not too crazy rather than an amazing experience. Watch you step and keep you light alive.
The final move on the trip was to climp down a ladder, at the end of the pools of semuc champey, leading into a cave where the river comes up from underneath again. If you mess up there you´re probably lost but knowing that will make you hold on to and succeed.
Once again, just awesome and amazing!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fWi_qJKtnHs
from Gadling.com http://www.gadling.com/2012/12/09/semuc-champey-guatemalas-next-big-attraction/
Semuc Champey: Guatemala's Next Big Attraction
If guidebook writers even bother to mention Guatemala's Semuc Champey, they rarely offer more than a teaser. The cascading pools of turquoise and emerald are often looked over in favor of the many other places worth venturing on the Guatemalan map, among them theruins of Tikal, the colonial city of Antigua and the volcano-ringed Lake Atitlán.
I should know: I was an editor of one of those guidebooks. After reading the short description of Semuc Champey over (and over... and over...) something about it aroused my curiosity. So when I embarked on a 10-day trip from Guatemala City to Belize City, I made sure Semuc Champey was on the itinerary – even if it was a little out of the way. Now that I've been there and back, I can tell you it was well worth the extra effort and the few extra bumps in the road.
The Road to Somewhere
Although it was technically in the opposite direction of our route, we had taken a short sojourn to Lake Atitlán for a night. That meant in order to get to Lanquín, the small town that acts as a jumping-off point for Semuc Champey, we would have to spend nearly an entire day in the car.
After backtracking through the smoggy Guatemalan capital where we had landed a few days prior, our car endlessly wound up and up through the mountains. The trip would have likely taken half as long if we weren't forced to slow down every few hundred yards to drive over speed bumps, many of which seemed manmade by local villagers in order to force cars not to be so lead-footed when passing through. Just after dusk we passed through Cobán, the capital of the Alta Verapaz department, one of 22 departments that make up the country – similar to states or provinces.
By that time it was dark – and raining – making the trip seem even more treacherous. As the city lights disappeared behind us, a thick layer of fog surrounded us ahead. In this part of Guatemala, a fine-misted rain falls from the sky constantly during the rainy season. Locals call it "chipi chipi." It seems as though everyone is quite used to the continuous rainfall; many people were walking and riding bikes along the side of the road. As someone unfamiliar with what lay beyond the pavement, my mind couldn't help but wonder where the people our headlights shined on lived and how often they had to make this trek during a downpour. Our driver, for one, seemed unfazed.
The roads remained paved until about six miles before you reach Lanquín, when cars and buses take, quite literally, a downward spiral on a rocky road into the jungle. It's bumpy and overgrown, making the pesky speed bumps we had to travel over to get to this point seem like child's play. As we bounced down the road, I couldn't help but think this place would make the perfect setting for a horror movie.
We made it to the tiny town of Lanquín and some locals helped direct us to our hostel, Zephyr Lodge. We checked in just as the nightly party hit its crescendo. For better or for worse we joined in, knowing that we had to get up bright and early to stay on schedule and get to Semuc Champey.
The next morning things started off a little rocky. It seemed our travels weren't quite over: we still needed to spend a half hour standing with a bunch of other hostel-goers in the back of a pickup truck as it climbed at near-impossible angles up dirt roads to Semuc Champey National Park. Before we set off, our tour guide made a pit stop in town to get candles, an important part of the first adventure at this park – exploring a cave by candlelight.
Through the Cave
Not long ago I had "explored" Luray Caverns in Virginia, where visitors walk on manmade pathways through several well-lit chambers. I knew the cave near Semuc Champey would probably not be such an easygoing, accessible experience, but I wasn't expecting the serious challenge that lay ahead.
Outside of the entrance to the cave, our guide instructed us to strip to our skivvies and leave our cameras behind, as we would be climbing and swimming through multiple underground chambers. The guide, who wore a headlamp and board shorts, didn't say much else, but handed us each a lit candle as we entered the cave.
We were the first group to walk into the cave that morning. As we entered the first chamber, a few bats took the opportunity to leave, flapping their wings over our heads. As I watched the entrance to the cave disappear behind us, it became clear that the candles would be the only thing keeping us from being enveloped in total darkness.
What started as an easy hike through the cave soon turned into some difficult maneuvering. Not only did we scale walls and climb up and over waterfalls, but at some points we needed to hold our candle above our head with one arm and use the other to swim through dark waters where our feet no longer touched the ground.
We moved through the cave until reaching a waterfall that some daring people climbed and jumped off of. Our guide took a final leap into the water, and to our surprise, didn't surface. At first some of us giggled, but after awhile we started looking at each other nervously. Was he just playing a joke? If he was, how long could he possibly stay under water? Just as someone stepped forward to jump into the dark pool of water to rescue him, we heard a scream behind us. It was our guide, who seemingly knew about some sort of underground tunnel and played this joke whenever he took visitors on tours. I was relieved, but as we turned back I felt a little daunted at the prospect of going back through the cave – which seemed more like an obstacle course.
In the end, I was happy our guide had not briefed us on any further details before we entered the cave. Otherwise, I probably would have let all the others go ahead while I waited outside. Instead, the group mentality pushed me to continue no matter how challenging the task or how claustrophobic I felt. And let me tell you: finally seeing the outside light filter through the cave was a great feeling. It had only been a little over an hour, but it seemed like we had been underground for much longer. Little did I know, this was only the first obstacle we would face.
Finally: Semuc Champey
So what is Semuc Champey, exactly? It takes a steep climb to a lookout to find out. Our guide (smartly) told us to follow the path up, enjoy our lunch at the lookout, and then meet him at the bottom. A few minutes into the climb – which, by the way, is labeled "difficult" on a signpost – we were out or breath and cursing his name. But we forged ahead until finally reaching a wooden overhang on the side of a mountain.
From the edge, you could see it: a river cuts through a dense forest, but instead of running water there is a 300-meter-long limestone overpass made up of a series of pools. These baths are filled with runoff from the Río Cahabón, and many are connected to one another by small waterfalls. The river here still flows under the limestone bridge, and emerges downstream.
We ate our lunches in silence, staring blankly at the beauty in front of us. After we climbed back down (this time, there were stairs!), we reached the placid pools of cool water. The day's challenges were well worth the reward, and we spent the next few hours splashing around in the cool, clear waters. Our guide showed us some spots where waterfalls formed natural slides, and also some great jumping-off points. It was kind of like a water park, except minus the crowds and concrete. When it came time to leave, none of us wanted to stop enjoying the sunshine – but our stomachs were grumbling and our ride was leaving, so off we went.
Although it is far from being overrun with tourists, I should note that travelers do go to Semuc Champey. Usually the ones who are moving slowly, spreading their experience out over weeks or even months and saving money by renting beds at hostels. They are also usually in good health, and are more than willing to climb the grueling 20-minute hike and go caving by candlelight. Of course, these are just generalizations – but they also give clues as to why Semuc Champey has remained more remote than other destinations throughout the country.
[Photo credits: Top photo by Kacy McAllister. Gallery images by Libby Zay]
Although it was technically in the opposite direction of our route, we had taken a short sojourn to Lake Atitlán for a night. That meant in order to get to Lanquín, the small town that acts as a jumping-off point for Semuc Champey, we would have to spend nearly an entire day in the car.
After backtracking through the smoggy Guatemalan capital where we had landed a few days prior, our car endlessly wound up and up through the mountains. The trip would have likely taken half as long if we weren't forced to slow down every few hundred yards to drive over speed bumps, many of which seemed manmade by local villagers in order to force cars not to be so lead-footed when passing through. Just after dusk we passed through Cobán, the capital of the Alta Verapaz department, one of 22 departments that make up the country – similar to states or provinces.
By that time it was dark – and raining – making the trip seem even more treacherous. As the city lights disappeared behind us, a thick layer of fog surrounded us ahead. In this part of Guatemala, a fine-misted rain falls from the sky constantly during the rainy season. Locals call it "chipi chipi." It seems as though everyone is quite used to the continuous rainfall; many people were walking and riding bikes along the side of the road. As someone unfamiliar with what lay beyond the pavement, my mind couldn't help but wonder where the people our headlights shined on lived and how often they had to make this trek during a downpour. Our driver, for one, seemed unfazed.
The roads remained paved until about six miles before you reach Lanquín, when cars and buses take, quite literally, a downward spiral on a rocky road into the jungle. It's bumpy and overgrown, making the pesky speed bumps we had to travel over to get to this point seem like child's play. As we bounced down the road, I couldn't help but think this place would make the perfect setting for a horror movie.
We made it to the tiny town of Lanquín and some locals helped direct us to our hostel, Zephyr Lodge. We checked in just as the nightly party hit its crescendo. For better or for worse we joined in, knowing that we had to get up bright and early to stay on schedule and get to Semuc Champey.
The next morning things started off a little rocky. It seemed our travels weren't quite over: we still needed to spend a half hour standing with a bunch of other hostel-goers in the back of a pickup truck as it climbed at near-impossible angles up dirt roads to Semuc Champey National Park. Before we set off, our tour guide made a pit stop in town to get candles, an important part of the first adventure at this park – exploring a cave by candlelight.
Through the Cave
Not long ago I had "explored" Luray Caverns in Virginia, where visitors walk on manmade pathways through several well-lit chambers. I knew the cave near Semuc Champey would probably not be such an easygoing, accessible experience, but I wasn't expecting the serious challenge that lay ahead.
Outside of the entrance to the cave, our guide instructed us to strip to our skivvies and leave our cameras behind, as we would be climbing and swimming through multiple underground chambers. The guide, who wore a headlamp and board shorts, didn't say much else, but handed us each a lit candle as we entered the cave.
We were the first group to walk into the cave that morning. As we entered the first chamber, a few bats took the opportunity to leave, flapping their wings over our heads. As I watched the entrance to the cave disappear behind us, it became clear that the candles would be the only thing keeping us from being enveloped in total darkness.
What started as an easy hike through the cave soon turned into some difficult maneuvering. Not only did we scale walls and climb up and over waterfalls, but at some points we needed to hold our candle above our head with one arm and use the other to swim through dark waters where our feet no longer touched the ground.
We moved through the cave until reaching a waterfall that some daring people climbed and jumped off of. Our guide took a final leap into the water, and to our surprise, didn't surface. At first some of us giggled, but after awhile we started looking at each other nervously. Was he just playing a joke? If he was, how long could he possibly stay under water? Just as someone stepped forward to jump into the dark pool of water to rescue him, we heard a scream behind us. It was our guide, who seemingly knew about some sort of underground tunnel and played this joke whenever he took visitors on tours. I was relieved, but as we turned back I felt a little daunted at the prospect of going back through the cave – which seemed more like an obstacle course.
In the end, I was happy our guide had not briefed us on any further details before we entered the cave. Otherwise, I probably would have let all the others go ahead while I waited outside. Instead, the group mentality pushed me to continue no matter how challenging the task or how claustrophobic I felt. And let me tell you: finally seeing the outside light filter through the cave was a great feeling. It had only been a little over an hour, but it seemed like we had been underground for much longer. Little did I know, this was only the first obstacle we would face.
Finally: Semuc Champey
So what is Semuc Champey, exactly? It takes a steep climb to a lookout to find out. Our guide (smartly) told us to follow the path up, enjoy our lunch at the lookout, and then meet him at the bottom. A few minutes into the climb – which, by the way, is labeled "difficult" on a signpost – we were out or breath and cursing his name. But we forged ahead until finally reaching a wooden overhang on the side of a mountain.
From the edge, you could see it: a river cuts through a dense forest, but instead of running water there is a 300-meter-long limestone overpass made up of a series of pools. These baths are filled with runoff from the Río Cahabón, and many are connected to one another by small waterfalls. The river here still flows under the limestone bridge, and emerges downstream.
We ate our lunches in silence, staring blankly at the beauty in front of us. After we climbed back down (this time, there were stairs!), we reached the placid pools of cool water. The day's challenges were well worth the reward, and we spent the next few hours splashing around in the cool, clear waters. Our guide showed us some spots where waterfalls formed natural slides, and also some great jumping-off points. It was kind of like a water park, except minus the crowds and concrete. When it came time to leave, none of us wanted to stop enjoying the sunshine – but our stomachs were grumbling and our ride was leaving, so off we went.
Although it is far from being overrun with tourists, I should note that travelers do go to Semuc Champey. Usually the ones who are moving slowly, spreading their experience out over weeks or even months and saving money by renting beds at hostels. They are also usually in good health, and are more than willing to climb the grueling 20-minute hike and go caving by candlelight. Of course, these are just generalizations – but they also give clues as to why Semuc Champey has remained more remote than other destinations throughout the country.
[Photo credits: Top photo by Kacy McAllister. Gallery images by Libby Zay]
Article from NY Times http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/16/travel/in-guatemala-a-torturous-drive-to-a-remote-eden.html?_r=0
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