Flores >> Lanquin // Semuc Champey

From Flores you can grab a shuttle van to Lanquin — the jumping off point for the incredible Semuc Champey. The ride is a solid 7 hours and gets pretty bumpy at the end. The starting price is about $20usd (150 quetzales) but, of course, it is possible to talk down the price.

You can also book transportation to Palenque in the Chiapas region of Mexico. This trip takes about 8 hours through the Guatemalan jungle and includes a boat ride. Because of the difficult terrain and all that is involved, the starting price for this voyage is $35usd (265 quetzales)

Lanquin >> Semuc Champey

I’ve been to Guatemala several times, but this is the first that I’ve been to the enchanted and magical world of Semuc Champey. If you are in Guatemala, you would be an absolute fool to miss out on this place — although it is a budget buster.

You can book a tour through El Retiro Lodge for 165Q, or walk into town to Restaurant Champey and get the same tour for only 140Q.  If you’re not interested in a guided tour and don’t care to see the caves, then you can just hop on one of the trucks heading there and explore on your own for 20Q one way.  Be aware that there are costs to get into Semuc Champey (50Q) as well.  We opted for the  cheaper tour and couldn’t have been more satisfied.  The price includes transportation (40Q both ways), getting into the park (50Q), getting into the caves (60Q), and tubing down the river (45Q), so we saved 40Q and had a great guide.

The truck leaves Restaurant Champey at 9:00am and returns around 6:00pm. They take a break for lunch at El Portal hostal in Semuc Champey which offers decent food at 15-40Q but packing a lunch is advised.  The ride takes a little under an hour down a very bumpy dirt road.  You’re seated (or standing) in the back of a truck so hold on, but the views of the Guatemalan mountainsides couldn’t be more beautiful. Click here to read more about the tour.

Leaving Lanquin

From Lanquin you can book shuttles to Flores, Rio Dulce and Antigua all for right around $20usd. The rides are bumpy and take several hours, but that’s the price you pay to explore the amazing nature you came to see in Semuc Champey. You can also grab a bus to Coban for around $7usd (50 quetzales) and from there you can find local buses to other destinations. Coban is about 2 or 3 hours from Lanquin depending on the condition of the roads that day.
 

Take me to SLEEPING: LANQUIN//SEMUC CHAMPEY

Take me back to LANQUIN/SEMUC CHAMPEY // Take me back to GUATEMALA // Take me HOME