Hidden in the Alta Verapaz jungle, a long way from anywhere, is Semuc Champey: a series of turquoise pools formed on a natural limestone bridge, beneath which the Cahabón river runs furiously. It looks invented, and getting there is an adventure in itself.
Declared a Natural Monument in 1999 and on the UNESCO tentative list since 2002, it is probably Guatemala‘s best-kept secret. It is not easy to reach, and that is part of why it is still what it is.
What it is
The name comes from Q’eqchi’ Maya and means “where the river hides under the earth” — which is exactly what happens. The Cahabón disappears beneath a natural limestone bridge 300 metres long, while on top of it spring-fed pools form.
The result is seven stepped pools of turquoise and emerald, each a different depth — generally around a metre — perfect for swimming, surrounded by rainforest.
What to do
Swim the pools
The main event and the reason everyone comes. The water is cool rather than cold and completely clear. You can spend hours moving from pool to pool. Each has its own character: some deeper, some with small falls between them, some with little fish that nibble your feet.
The viewpoint
Do this first, before swimming. A steep climb of thirty to forty minutes through the forest to the mirador, from where you get the view of the whole staircase of pools laid out below. It is a hard, sweaty climb in the humidity, and it is the shot everyone wants.
The K’anba caves
A genuinely unusual experience: you enter a river cave carrying a candle, wading and at points swimming in the dark, climbing rope ladders past small waterfalls. It is not for the claustrophobic and not for weak swimmers, and there is a jump into a pool near the end that you can decline.
Tubing and the bridge jump
Floating down the Cahabón on an inner tube, and — for those inclined — jumping off the bridge into the river. Both usually come bundled with the cave tour.
Getting there
This is the difficult part. Semuc is about 10 km from the village of Lanquín, and that last stretch is rough track covered in the back of a pickup truck, standing up and holding the bar — which is half the fun and half the reason people arrive rattled.
Lanquín itself is reached by shuttle: roughly eight to ten hours from Antigua or Lake Atitlán, six or seven from Flores. The roads are winding and the journeys are long, whatever the agency tells you.
Where to stay
Either in Lanquín village, which has more options and better connections, or at one of the hostels down in the valley closer to the pools, which are more beautiful and more isolated. The valley places mean you are first in at opening, before the day groups arrive.
Practical advice
- Two nights minimum. With one you spend the whole time in a shuttle.
- Water shoes: the limestone is slippery and sharp.
- Bring cash. There is an ATM in Lanquín but it is unreliable.
- Phone signal is poor to non-existent in the valley.
- Go early: the pools are beautifully empty before mid-morning.
- In heavy rain the pools can turn brown and the track can close. There is no way around this.
