Flores - Coban

Hi guys,

long long time since the last entry, but now the wait is over and the storytelling continues. From San Ignacio (Belize) we traveled to Santa Elena (Guatemala) using public transportation. But the real destination was the island of Flores, which is connected to the mainland by a bridge. To save money, we decided to sleep on the roof of the hotel in our own hammocks. The first night worked wonderfully too, as the weather was still good. The next morning we went on a discovery tour, first visiting the market in Santa Elena and then Flores. The market was huge and of course, we got lost. Since we were tired and exhausted from the whole day of exploring, we were looking forward to a quiet night, but that was not the case. The weather in Guatemala is unpredictable, you never know how bad it can get. The night brought heavy rain, so this time we slept in beds. The next morning, we took a water taxi to San Andres, a small fishing village on the other side of Lake Peten Itza. From there, we walked to San José, also nice. We actually wanted to visit the famous Mayan temples of Tikal, we were excited about it, but a strike by the workers there prevented us from doing so. So we decided to stay one more night in Flores to wait out the strike and see Tikal. A hurricane was announced for that night, so sleeping on the roof was not such a good idea. But we are 'real adventurers' and prepared ourselves for that night with mattresses and thick sleeping bags. At four o'clock in the morning, the rain and wind became so strong that we decided to sleep at a lower level. But it was too late to save our belongings, they got wet, but there are worse things. On August 4th, there was no sign of the Tikal strike improving, so we continued our journey to Coban. 🙁

Arriving in Coban, first we dried our stuff :) We explored Coban on August 5th. We visited a church and a park. By park, I mean a small jungle in Coban called 'Parque Nacional las Victorias'. The reason why we went to Coban was actually Semuc Champey, a beautiful natural spectacle in the jungle. It was worth a day trip for us, just getting there was an adventure in itself. First, we took a regular shared bus to Lanquin, where we had to get on another taxi that took us to Semuc Champey on rough and bumpy roads. First, we hiked to a platform to get a view from the top. Then, after a tiring descent, we took a refreshing dip in the water pools. What exactly is Semuc Champey? Good question: Semuc Champey means 'where the water disappears'. The water comes from the Cahabon River. Our pictures show pools of water at different heights, but below these pools, the river flows as wild water. It's a very impressive nature reserve in Guatemala.

Hi guys,

Sorry that you have to wait so long for the next traveler story, but here it is. We went from San Ignacio (Belize) to Santa Elena (Guatemala) by public transportation. But actually, we slept on the rooftop of the hotel in Flores, to save money. Flores is a little village connected to the mainland Santa Elena by a bridge. The first night, we slept very well because the weather was not so bad. In the morning, we decided to go to the market in Santa Elena and later visited Flores. The market was very big and everyone was busy, so we got lost, of course 😊 After walking the whole day, we were tired and looking forward to sleep, but you never know what the weather in Guatemala can be like, so this night was very wet and we decided to sleep in beds. On August 3rd, we took a water taxi to the other side of Lago de Peten Itza to the fisher villages San Andres and San José. We actually wanted to see the famous Mayan ruins Tikal, but a strike canceled our trip. The workers blocked the road so nobody could go inside the buildings, and we didn't have much time to wait for Tikal. We were very sad about that 😔 So we continued to Coban.

In Coban, we visited a church and the 'Parque Nacional las Victorias'. The main reason we went to Coban was Semuc Champey, a beautiful nature reserve in the jungle. Even the transportation to the entrance was a real adventure. First, we took a shared bus to the city of Lanquin, where another taxi picked us up in the cargo area. First of all, we hiked to an observation deck to see the nature from above. After the exhausting descent, we swam in the water pools, which were very refreshing. What is Semuc Champey exactly? Good question: Semuc Champey means 'there, where the water disappeared'. The water comes from the river 'Rio Cahabon'. Our pictures show you the pools of water at different levels, but underneath these pools, the river flows as wild water. An amazing nature reserve in Guatemala.