Semuc Champey is an amazing nature reserve found in the jungles of Central Guatemala, near to the town of Lanquín. This is a unique place full of natural turquoise swimming pools, breath-taking vistas, and numerous caves; I’ve never been anywhere like it, and it is definitely worth visiting and will undoubtedly be a highlight of your trip.
Semuc Champey is in the middle of nowhere and therefore not the easiest place to travel to. This is why I have put together this guide to explain how to get to Semuc Champey from various places including Antigua, Flores (Tikal) and Rio Dulce.
Wherever you start from you firstly need to arrive in nearby Lanquín as this is as far as shuttles or buses will take you. All of these instructions take you to Lanquín.
Check this article for the best advice on where to stay when visiting Semuc Champey. I strongly advise booking accommodation before you arrive so as not to be stranded at night in Lanquin.
How to get To Semuc Champey from Antigua
Public Transport - Step 1 Antigua to Guatemala City
The cheapest way to travel from Antigua to Semuc Champey (Lanquin) is using public transport. Leave as early as possible or plan to spend a night in Coban. The total cost will be Q175 ($22.50) compared to Q317+ ($41+) on the shuttle.
First, head to the main bus terminal in Antigua (see photo below). You need to take a chicken bus to Guatemala City costing Q20 and it takes 1 hour 20 minutes. This route is very popular, so bus departures are frequent. Start as early as possible. I left Antigua at 8.25am and arrived in Coban at 3pm.
Public Transport - Step 2 Guatemala City to Coban
Second, you need to go to a different bus station in Guatemala City to take a bus to Coban. The chicken bus from Antigua will go to Terminal de Buses. You need to go to the Transportes Monja Blanca bus station, a 10 minute drive away.
I wouldn’t advise walking (30 minutes) as I don’t know how safe it will be. A taxi between bus stations should cost Q30 – Q40. Lookout for fellow travellers to find anyone to share this cost with to make it cheaper. There was four of us, so we paid Q10 each.
The bus company is called Monja Blanca. You need to buy your ticket to Coban at the ticket office before you get on the bus.
The cost is Q105 ($13.50) and the bus takes about 5 hours. This is the longest part of the journey. This is not a traditional chicken bus, this is more like a shuttle, but used by locals rather than the specific tourist shuttles.
Public Transport - Step 3 Coban to Lanquín
I arrived in Coban at 3pm on Sunday and there were no more buses to Lanquín after this time. Every other day of the week the last bus is 5pm so think about this if you are travelling on a Sunday.
I didn’t mind staying in Coban for a night. There is plenty of restaurants and shops to visit, and barely any tourists so it feels very much off the beaten path.
The final part of the journey is a bus from Coban to Lanquín. The cost was Q40 and took 2 hours. Please see the map below for the location of the bus station to go to Lanquín. The company is called Transportes Martinez on Avenida 3a and is a 6 minute walk from where you will be dropped off.
In summary,
Total Cost: Q175
Total Time: 8.5 hours
If you are doing this route in reverse, I imagine it will be easier as the main concern is catching the last bus from Coban to Lanquín. Going in reverse you won’t have the same concern and there will be frequent buses from Guatemala City to Antigua until 7pm or so.
Where to stay in Semuc Champey
I strongly advise that you book a hotel or hostel in Semuc Champey prior to your arrival. For a detailed review of the best hostels in the area follow the link to the article – Where to Stay in Semuc Champey: Ultimate Hostel Guide
The bus and shuttles will leave you in the centre of Lanquin. If you are staying in Lanquin, it can still be a 20 minute walk to a lot of the hostels, along unpaved uneven roads.
If you make a reservation ahead of arriving nearly all places will pick you up from Lanquin and take you to your accommodation for free.
If you decide to stay nearer to Semuc Champey you will definitely need to reserve ahead of time and again, they will come and collect you when you arrive in Lanquin.
I always use Booking.com for reservations. If you travel a lot, join their Genius rewards program and make more savings – Use the easy search button below and book your accommodation.
Shuttle Bus from Antigua to Lanquín
An easier but more expensive option is to take a shuttle bus. You can book a direct shuttle from Antigua to Lanquín from many agencies in Antigua. The cost will range from USD$36 to $50 (Q317 – Q386). I advise shopping around to get the best price.
The shuttle will make a few rest breaks and food stops on the way and the journey will take a similar time to the buses as they tend to drive slower.
They leave Antigua at 8am daily and plan to arrive in Lanquín at 5pm although don’t be surprised if the journey takes longer than this as the roads are not great and there can be traffic.
How to get from Semuc Champey to Flores & vice versa
After visiting Semuc Champey, I travelled to Flores as the main place to visit Tikal. After asking around in my broken Spanish in Lanquín about public buses to Flores, it seemed like there wasn’t any.
The only option available is to book a shuttle bus. This is a direct bus from Lanquín to Flores, costs Q200 and takes 8 hours or so. This is a long gruelling journey so be prepared. Download some music, stock up on snacks and hope the bus is not too crowded!
If you are starting in Flores and travelling to Lanquín all shuttle buses depart from the same place. Shop around and book your ticket at one of the agencies in Flores.
The Road to Flores - Not as easy as it looks
The reason the bus takes so long (google says the journey is 6 hours) is firstly because the bus goes back via Coban. As I was tracking the route on my phone I thought Id made a mistake but eventually found out that this is the quickest route as the suggested google route it not tarmac and would take far longer.
Secondly, there is a ferry crossing involved, yes really! As you reach the town of Sayaxché, you need to cross the Rio De La Pasion. This isn’t a particularly wide river, however, there is no bridges, welcome to Guatemala.
All cars and vans must cross on a small wooden boat that takes less than 5 minutes once actually moving. The problem is waiting to cross. When we arrived there was a large line of vehicles so we had to wait about half an hour to board the boat. The boat then takes time on the other side of the river as vehicles disembark.
Think of it all as part of the journey. There is people selling food and drink here through the window of the shuttle so at least you won’t go hungry!
Once you’ve passed the river the journey should take another 2 hours or so to reach Flores.
How to get to Semuc Champey from Rio Dulce & vice versa
The journey from Lanquín to Rio Dulce looks straight forward enough on google maps. However, apparently it isn’t. There is no public transport that does this route, only private transportation. The roads are not suitable for normal vehicles, and the only option is to travel in a 4WD jeep.
There is a couple of travel agencies in Lanquín that can arrange this for you. The cost is Q800 (yes that’s just over $100). What you need to do is have 4 people make the journey so that the cost comes down to Q200 each.
If you are not travelling as 4 people you can put your name down with the agency and hope that other people want to take the journey the same day. You need to leave a Q100 deposit when you make the booking and there is no guarantee that they will find other people to go with you so it’s a bit of a risk as you may be waiting days.
Because of this difficulty I wouldn’t advise taking this route. This is what I wanted to do initially as I wasn’t interested to visit Tikal as I had already seen multiple ruin sites.
Eventually I was convinced by my friend to go to Flores and Tikal with him. I’m really happy I took this route in the end. Not only was it easier transportation, Flores and Tikal are great places to visit which I would have been gutted to miss out on in retrospect.
From Guatemala City to Coban is 75Q 😉