Semuc Champey Lanquin

Reflecting on our less than enjoyable stay at Los Amigos we were happy to tie our backpacks to the roof and squish ourselves into an uncomfortable mini van to head to Semuc Champey for some swimming and caving!

In good practice and anticipation of a long journey we deprived ourselves of any fluid for fear of needing a wee and enjoyed some …

Nach einer 8h-Shuttelfahrt via Coban nach Lanquin (das uebrigens auf Halbem Weg zwischen Antigua (wo wir herkamen) und Flores (wo wir waren) ist...) haben wir einmal mehr heruasgefunden, dass geteerte Strassen einfach etwas tolles sind. Oder besser gesagt waeren.
Als wir dann unser Hostel und unser privates Cabana bezogen und die frische …

After a long drive in from Antigua, some of it along the roughest road imaginable, we arrived at El Portal, a hostel just 100m outside of Semuc Champey. We arrived late; at around 10:00, but the ride in was worth the late hour. We got to look up at a sky free of light pollution and saw many stars. The room at El portal is the top of the cabana …

Our next stop on the agenda was a very small town known as Lanquin. We had a long, uncomfortable trip in a Hi Ace van loaded with 14 people that took up the whole day. With much relief we arrived in the evening and checked into our accommodation for three nights at the El Retiro Lodge. I wasn't feeling so well with traveler's stomach so was taking …

Now the sole reason for visiting Lanquin is because it is the jump off point for Semuc Champey, one of the natural wonders that Guatemala has to offer and seemingly a "must visit" on the tourism trail. The river and rock at Semuc has formed a natural limestone bridge of calm, crystal clear, turquoise pools that sit above the raging torrent below. …

We have decided to take the road less travelled and explore the highlands of Guatemala on the back roads, rainy season permitting. Most of these roads are unpaved so we may have to be fairly flexible with our route. At the moment we are sitting waiting for a collectivo (shared) minibus to take us 5 hours on a dirt road to a place called Cahabon …

... to say it was a fun night...that quickly became morning.  And I didnīt exactly make it to the tour for Semuc Champey, the famous torquois-colored pools that were my main reason for ending up at El Retiro in the first ...

... , or that he either start to practice Islam or become a Zen Buddhist so he doesn't even get to celebrate Christmas? The Lanquin and Semuc Champey area was just as spectacular as the people I've met said it would be. I think I'll have to struggle a bit ...

... on our priority list as we were bundled and bounced around hairpin bends on our descent to Semuc. The whole area of Lanquin and Semuc Champey are surrounded my beautiful alpine type mountain scenery. They both nestle in the bottom of a valley, which a ...

... wasn'tīt really that bad until we were burping them up later that day. Thanks a lot Phil and Kemp. After breakfast we walked to Semuc Champey. Now at this point we have know idea what to expect, only that everybody raves about it and its a must see. At ...

When we returned to Coban after our very early bus ride from Semuc Champey, we jumped straight into our next adventure organized by a non-profit called Proyecto EcoQuetzal. Our excursion was labeled ethno-tourism, and was essentially a homestay with a ...

After a glorious week and a half of homestaying in Coban, we headed off to Lanquin and then to Semuc Champey.  Lanquin is only about 50km form Coban and is a beautiful windy road that lets you look out onto neverending green mountains and also ...

... laughs with fellow backpackers and enjoyed the family-style environment. But the highlight was definitely the limestone bridge of Semuc Champey, on top of which there are several natural pools of different sizes, filled with crystalline mountain spring ...

... his reputation, with tardiness and sneakiness! So yes, we ventured beyond the realms of Zephyr to do the "must-do" trip to Semuc Champey. We'd heard others' accounts of the day, but it wasn't until we did it ourselves that we fully understood. What a ...

... game from our friend from Isreal, and played last night for almost four hours. Yesterday, we took the tour to Semuc Champey, the main reason for our visit to Lanquin. This was the most amazing day we have had so far on our travels. First, we went ...

We took a tour to Semuc Champey where the limestone pools are and caves to explore. In typical Guatemalan stylee we all piled into the back of pickup truck and sped off. We all stopped to pick up lunch items. When Paul and I returned the pickup had ...