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The oasis of Guatemala, Semuc Champey. This stunning place is located in central Guatemala and filled with cascading limestone pools and miles and miles of underground caves. It’s certainly not a place I expected to exist in this country but I had heard it was a must place to see and when I looked up the photos I was motivated to get there.

We spent 4 days and 3 nights here and spent our days touring Semuc Champey, swimming in the cascading pools, hiking, and exploring the caves. This is definitely more of a challenging spot to travel to but highly recommend making the trip out if you have the time.

Getting Here

Semuc Champey is located in central Guatemala and in quite a rural and remote area of the country. Really the only way to get here is via bus or car and expect long, very long travel times. We booked a shuttle from Antigua to Lanquin which took about 11 hours so download a podcast and bring a book to occupy your time. When planning your travel keep in mind the amount of time for the trip back to Antigua or Guatemala City, or even getting to the next major city of Flores in the north if you are coming from the south. You will still have about 8 hours of travel time if you are heading up to Flores, so regardless of where you are traveling from keep in mind that you will lose 2 days just in travel to get to and from Semuc Champey.

• Shuttle from Antigua to Lanquin – 160 Quetzal

Location

I would say most travelers stay in the town of Lanquin. It is about 45 minutes from Semuc Champey and most likely the best option if you want to be centrally located with easy access to local shops and restaurants. Most visitors are there for Semuc Champey as well so getting to it from Lanquin is quite common although the form of transportation may seem a little bit sketch. There are drivers who constantly go to and from Lanquin in trucks shuttling people back and forth so you won’t be the only one traveling there this way if you stay in this area.

Things to Do

Take a Tour

You can choose to either see Semuc on your own or take a tour. We actually did one day on a tour and then one day on our own. We loved it so much we wanted to go again! You can definitely see Semuc on your own but the tour was worth it purely for offering guidance through the underground cave.

The tour includes transportation to and from your accommodation, entry into the park, and a guide. Lucky for us there were only 3 people on our tour which was also guided by a 14 year old…let’s just say it was a fun and interesting day! We started the tour with a hike up to a gorgeous view point of the cascading limestone pools and ended the hike at the bottom to go for a swim in the pools. It was the perfect way to cool off after the hike. Our guide showed us the right areas to jump from pool to pool and where to go for the natural slide into one of the larger pools.

From there he took us to a large swing where we got to swing and jump off into the river. It was actually a lot more intense and bigger than I thought but lots of fun for the thrill seekers. He then took us through the underground caves, which was by far one of the scariest things I have done since we explored the caves via CANDLE LIGHT. The caves were filled with water and sometimes with water so deep you would have to swim to the other side, one hand holding your candle and the other holding a rope above you to guide you. Some areas had rushing waterfalls and a spot where you could climb a rock and jump down into deep water of the cave. The whole time you are holding your candle and the guide is lighting up your path with tiny candles so you could find your way back. Definitely something I will never forget.

At the end of the tour we went to the base of the cascading limestone pools for a beautiful scene of waterfalls where we jumped in for a swim. Being the only ones there made for such a stunning view and experience.

• Cost: 180 Quetzal

See Semuc Champey…again!

So there are definitely other things to do here such a tubing, hiking, and more cave exploring but we loved Semuc so much we wanted to do it again. We didn’t get to spend a ton of time in the cascading pools on our tour and just wanted to spend the day relaxing and swimming in the water so we went there again.

Since our tour had organized transportation the previous day what we did was just hopped on another tour that had room in the back of their truck and paid the driver for one way (25 Quetzal). Entry into the park is 50 Quetzal and gives you access to the pools and the hike up to the top of the mountain for the views. To get back we just walked towards the parking lot area and hitched a ride back on a random truck for another 25 Quetzal and just asked the driver to drop us off in the center of town in Lanquin.

It may seem a little sketch at first to just hop on the back of a truck, holding onto the rail on a bumpy trail for 45 minutes but the views there are stunning and you also get a chance to meet other travelers.

Other things to note…

We booked tours and transportation through the hostel we stayed at, El Retiro. I am sure other accommodations offer similar options and since this area is more rural it’s probably worth the convenience to book through wherever you are staying to avoid any hassle.

We got all of our food for the duration of our stay from the hostel, including packed lunches they made for us in the morning for the day of activities. That way we didn’t have to worry about what to eat while out there because there isn’t much of an option once you arrive in Semuc Champey.

In regards to clothing, make sure to wear some water proof shoes or sandals with straps especially if you are doing the caves. There are lockers once you enter Semuc Champey but they are very dingy and not the most secure so it’s best if you avoid bringing anything of value.