Semuc Champey and Lanquin

Semuc Champey is a tiny place in the middle of nowhere in central Guatemala. For some travelers, it is the best place in Guatemala. I'm not exactly sure why, but everyone's tastes are different... And it's definitely an adventure.

The journey from Flores takes about eight hours in a tourist bus. You could also take the regular (chicken) bus, but that's inconvenient and sometimes it's nice to travel in an air-conditioned bus without transfers, and it doesn't cost more than 10 francs.
The journey itself is impressive. From the tropical rainforests in northern Guatemala to the pine forests in the center. You drive through beautiful hilly landscapes, but unfortunately some areas have been heavily deforested, which doesn't look very nice. The whole landscape is dotted with huts where the rural population lives. Guatemala is densely populated. The people here seem very poor and probably live off what nature provides. The journey continues via Copan, a larger town, towards Lanquin. For the last 10km, on an unpaved road, we need an hour to descend a steep nature road into the valley. My hostel is also in Lanquin. There are also some hostels in Semuc, but you are quite trapped there because there is nothing else.
The trip to Semuc Champey starts early the next morning. On the bridge of a pickup truck, it takes 45 minutes to cross a decently steep pass. It's pretty bumpy and narrow, and you have to hold on tight.
Once we arrive, we immediately start with a real adventure: a cave tour, where everyone is given only one candle for illumination. Then you climb and swim about 500m into the cave, passing waterfalls, climbing vertical ladders, and swimming one-armed (with the candle in the other hand) along sharp rocks. It's probably not very safe, but everyone makes it out unharmed and is thrilled.
After that, it's time to relax with tubing down the river on an inflated car tire.
To be prepared for the 'hike' in the afternoon, we have lunch afterwards. This hike, which is a big challenge for some tourists, takes 20 minutes to the viewpoint above the river with its natural pools in a gorge. It is beautiful to look at, but not as spectacular for me as it is for some others. I guess I'm a bit spoiled by the Swiss Alps...
After the descent, we also get to swim a bit in these pools. By the way, the main river runs under the pools in this area through a natural tunnel.
After that, we return to Lanquin. And because I booked three nights, the next day was a day of rest, because there really is nothing else to do here. At least there is a good café with cake.

The next day, I continued to Panajachel on Lake Atitlán, which is the main tourist region in Guatemala.
The journey went over narrow bridges, high passes through huge landslide areas, and past garbage dumps where waste is simply dumped into the gorge, directly into the northwestern highlands. After a twelve-hour drive and with the onset of darkness, we finally arrived.