Semuc Champey is a nature park located right in the heart of Guatemala, surrounded by lush jungle. Despite the title of this page suggesting that I spent three days there, it was actually just one. Reaching or leaving Lanquín (the central village closest to the park) essentially takes up an entire day. That said, it’s absolutely worth dedicating the time to witness the sheer beauty of the place.
From Flores to Lanquin
There are daily tourist shuttles doing the transfer, which takes about 9 – 10 hours. They leave Flores at 7:30 and, in my case, reached Lanquín around 16:00. That still left a bit of time to explore this little town and book a tour for the next day.
Semuc Champey
In Lanquín, you’ll quickly discover that there’s basically only one tour available. It covers all the essentials:
– exploring one of the caves with an actual candle as your only source of light and watching not to extinguish it as you swim through the cave
– hiking up to the viewpoint overlooking the stunning river and its pools
– taking leisurely dips in those pools
– swiming down the river on a tube.
All of this in the beautiful jungle setting of Semuc Champey. We even heart and saw howler monkeys! Not to forget, the transport from Lanquín to the park was an adventure in itself, with 12 tourists standing in the back of a pickup truck! In the end it was a day fully loaded with adventure and all of this for less than 25 USD.
Semuc Champey picutre gallery :
