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Published: July 18th 2008
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Semuc Champey
from El Mirador Semuc Champey!!!
We checked in at the front desk of El Recreo at 830am about transport and we got a car at 9am. It was a 4-door truck like yesterday's transport but the bed was framed in so passengers could hold onto the bars. We went to El Retiro and picked up a crowd before heading out to Semuc Champey (stupid El Retiro and their crowds of people staying there instead of us...). With 15 or so people standing in the back of the pickup the frame rather resembled a pen for gringo transport.
Our initial plans were to just get transport to Semuc ($5.50 each way), but we were offered a tour that included transport, Semuc Champey admission ($7US), a tour of the Las Marias Caves ($4US), and tubing on the river for only a couple dollars more so we did the package. The road was 11km of even rougher roads than yesterday. The truck had to shift to 4wd a couple times to get up inclines that were close to 55-60 degrees. Kind of scary in the back of a truck but it paled in comparison to what lied ahead.
A brief note for prospective travelers: Las Marias
outside the caves
just downriver from Semuc Champey Hostel is right at Semuc and looked pretty nice, though it is in the middle of nowhere. Didn't see rooms or anything, but if you can arrange transport it is probably worth it. We drove past Posada El Zapote halfway between Semuc and Lanquin (even more remote!) and I had a recommendation from a friend before we left but it looked pretty sketchy. El Retiro looks good but who knows how you actually get a room there. El Recreo was alright, at $21us a night with a restaurant that's adequate at best and basic rooms but it sure saved us when we needed a place the other night and could be a good backup for others. Both it and El Retiro are a 5-10 min walk from the center of Lanquin. Coban is the closest ATM (1.5hours and $4 each way on a collectivo) and big water bottles and snacks are hard to come by so bring some with you to avoid having to keep buying 12oz bottles. Our tour was Q170 but we heard El Retiro offered Q160 and included lunch.
Back to the tour- We checked our bags at the hut by the caves and went
in only with candles and bathing suits. We traversed the caves from waist deep water to depths requiring swimming, with your candle held above water to be able to see. In any normal situation you'd want to see what was in the water first but we all just jumped right in. There were bats along parts of the ceiling (just above our heads) and stalactites/stalagmites in various stages of evolution as well. There were 4-5 spots where you had to climb or descend a ladder, and one spot where we left candles behind, swung through a waterfall in the dark, then jumped in and let the current carry us back to our candles. A little further you could climb down a ladder or jump 6'-8' down into a dark pool. (we both jumped and it was quite fun) There really isn't a way to describe how adventurous the whole experience was and, unfortunately, there isn't any documentation but we had a great time.
After the cave we grabbed tubes and floated ten minutes or so down the river - beautiful and fun. Not for kids and Tevas/equivalent are critical, but we'd highly recommend both. After eating lunch and waiting for
others (the downside of tours) we walked up the hill to Semuc Champey.
Semuc Champey
Semuc Champey ws everything we'd hoped for. The pictures turned out great but it was even better in person. It is a limestone bridge of sorts, with the majority of the river running underneath. There are two dozen or more pools that have been terraced by years and years of water flowing through. The pools are anywhere from 6" above the lower one to 6'-8' and all are excellent for swimming. From the temperature of an outdoor pool in the summer to almost lukewarm water it is an absolutely amazing place!
There is a lookout ("El Mirador") way up the hill that we went to first, thinking that it would be better to start with the sweaty climb and spend the rest of the time swimming and relaxing (it was good planning on our part). The 1.2km hike up was a series of steps with intermittent path, not unlike climbing Templo IV if it had been placed on top of Templo V at Tikal. The steps were so steep they had switchbacks. The view from the top was breathtaking and well worth the climb.
The trail down to the pools was a more gradual descent and the whole loop up and back took around an hour. The pools were as beautiful and relaxing at eye level as they appeared around 400feet up. We put our little shoulder bag on the shore in sight and swam through three pools. I stopped to take about 100 pictures too.
About a half hour before we needed to head back our guide found us and asked if we wanted to climb down the rope ladder under Semuc Champey. Not many people were doing it and she didn't make it sound too bad so we agreed.
Guatemala offers a number of great ways to get yourself killed, and this might have been the best yet. As you climb down the rope ladder, flush against the rock, the waterfall is streaming down into your face. It was hard to breath and see, so you just had to close your eyes and hope there was a step below you (the steps were also more spaced out the lower you went). Once you get to the bottom you scramble to the side to see the raging torrent of the river flowing
from under the pools. There was water dripping from above and we saw the beginning and results of stalactites/stalagmites which support the foundation of the pools. It was pretty cool underneath the pools and was quite a rush, but you have to be a big thrill seaker to fully appreciate it. We made it out alive with swim tops and suits intact, to live another day and seek another way to get maimed (volcano in Antigua perhaps?).
The pictures have turned out well but still fail to reflect all the beauty of this natural wonder.
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