Guatemala #2 - Semuc Champey

Traveling hardships

When we boarded the minibus to Semuc Champey early in the morning, nobody suspected that it would be one of the most exhausting bus rides of our lives. Flores and Semuc are only 150 kilometers apart as the crow flies, but the journey took over ten hours!

As the journey progressed, the road became increasingly difficult: initially, we made good progress despite crossing a river on a small ferry, but in the second half, we only passed remote villages before it became adventurous in the final third.

The dirt road wound through the mountains in tight curves. Indigenous people cultivated corn fields and coffee plantations on the steep slopes on both sides of the road. The engine of the small bus repeatedly roared. Dense clouds passed by our windows until we drove above the cloud base at times.

It was already dark when we arrived in Lanquin, where we had to switch to a 4x4 for the last stretch. It was a miracle that the shuttle bus had made it this far. The sunlight of the next day would finally reveal what we had endured the hardships of the journey for.

Semuc Champey

Semuc Champey, a place in the middle of nowhere, has become popular due to a quite unique river course.

In a very narrow valley, a river rushes under the ground before resurfacing a few hundred meters later, somewhat lower. At the surface where the river disappears underground, natural pools have formed in a stepped arrangement. Each of them invites for a refreshing swim with its turquoise water.

This somewhat surreal landscape can be viewed from the surrounding mountains as well as spending a whole afternoon hopping downstream from pool to pool.

Rain and iron bars

Although the sun briefly appears every day, we have unfortunately only experienced Guatemala under a gray cloud cover so far. We were told that the end of the rainy season is the worst, as rain showers are unpredictable and particularly heavy.

We have decided to divide the journey to Antigua into two stages to avoid long shuttle rides and furthermore to see more of the country and the Maya heritage. We traveled past extremely interesting indigenous markets in a small public bus. Women with colorful skirts and babies wrapped in colorful blankets kept getting on. At the roadside, men with sombreros, leather boots, and long machetes were waiting for the bus. This is how we made our way through the mountains to Coban.

Upon arrival here, we had to realize that for the first time on our journey, almost all shops are protected by thick iron bars. Even the small kiosks and pharmacies have only a small opening in the bars to hand out goods. We have the feeling that the pavement is slowly getting hotter towards the south. Fortunately, we have not yet encountered any dangerous situations, knock on wood...

Dana's Spanish is improving noticeably, considering upcoming challenges, she bought hiking shoes here, so stay tuned...

Saludos!

D&J