Semuc Champey - Is it worth Visiting?
Thinking of visiting Semuc Champey in Guatemala? Semuc Champey is an amazing nature reserve found in the jungles of Central Guatemala, near to the town of Lanquin. 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.
You can visit Semuc Champey on your own or with an organised tour. I go into more detail about both options below. If you stay in Lanquin you can arrange transport to Semuc Champey through your hostel, they all offer the same pricing.
– The ultimate guide to visiting Guatemala: Don’t miss any of the top sites The Best Guatemala Travel Itinerary – 7 Amazing Destinations
– Have you visited Antigua yet? Read about the 9 Best Things to Do in Antigua, Guatemala.
– You must ride on the local chicken buses at least once. Chicken Bus from Lake Atitlan to Antigua – How To Guide
– Don’t miss out on the best attraction in Guatemala. Hiking Acatenango Volcano – All you need to Know
What to do in Semuc Champey
Semuc Champey can be explored in a day, it’s not huge and unless you want to spend more time swimming in the pools it’s easy to do everything in a day. So here are all of things to do in Semuc Champey Guatemala.
Relax and enjoy the Semuc Champey pools
The main attraction of Semuc Champey is of course the cascading turquoise blue/green natural pools. Set in the jungle, this a magical experience when traveling in Guatemala.
There are about 6 pools, each one cascading to the next that you can enjoy and swim in. Some are bigger than others, and some are busier than others.
Lockers are available, so remember to bring a padlock so you can lock away your valuables while you’re in the water.
The temperature of the water is perfect, it’s very refreshing after walking through the jungle. Plan to spend anything from 2-4 hours here to really enjoy the experience.
If you have a GoPro or waterproof phone case dont forget to bring this with you.
Hike to the Semuc Champey Mirador
When you arrive at Semuc Champey there is a couple of paths you can take. You can choose to go straight to the pools or firstly to the mirador lookout. I advise going to the mirador first as after the hike you will be even more ready to cool down in the pools.
The hike to the mirador is hard work but everyone of moderate fitness shouldn’t have a problem. After hiking 30-40 minutes be rewarded with some incredible views of the surrounding jungle and the cascading Semuc Champey pools below.
There is a time limit on the viewing deck of about 10 minutes which to be honest should be long enough to take in the view and get some pictures.
If there are people waiting there will be a security guard kindly telling you to move on.
After visiting the mirador you will continue the path back down to the pools, another 30-minute hike.
Visit the Semuc Champey Caves (K'an Ba)
A popular activity to include in your trip is a visit to the Semuc Champey Caves, known as K’an Ba Cave. The caving is not for the feint hearted, and you should be prepared for what lies ahead.
Inside the 1km long cave it is very dark so everyone is given a candle to take with them (alternatively if you have a waterproof headlamp bring it with you).
The exciting caving experience involves walking, climbing, swimming, and jumping through the labyrinth of caves. If you have water shoes, I advise bringing them.
It’s an awesome experience and I recommend if you’re comfortable in the dark and the water.
I didn’t do this tour as I’m a little claustrophobic and wanted to spend more time in the pools.
Swing Big in Semuc Champey
After the caving, on the banks of the river Cahabon is a huge swing. The tour will stay here for a while and if you’re brave enough, you can take the swing and jump into the river. It’s not that scary, just remember to hold your nose when you land in the water!
Tubing on the Cahabon River
The final additional tour activity in Semuc Champey is floating down the River Cahabon in a large inflatable ring. This is a nice relaxing activity and there is an opportunity to buy some beers for the gentle ride down the river so bring some cash if you want some beers for the ‘road’.
While you do these activities your bags can be locked up with the tour company, so you don’t have to carry everything with you throughout the day.
After the River tubing it’s on to the main event – the pools and the mirador. The main downside to the tours is less time here. Depending on the tour you may only have 3 hours or so to enjoy both and it may feel a little rushed.
If you have time, you could consider returning the following day and just doing the pools again if you wanted to.
Do you need an organised tour in Semuc Champey?
Visiting the pools and the mirador is easily done by yourself, you don’t need a tour to do this. All you need to do is arrange transportation (see below for
transportation).
The entry fee for Semuc Champey is Q50 ($6.50) and you can arrange round trip transport to Semuc Champey from Lanquin for another Q50. Opening hours are 8am to 4pm daily, arrive as early as possible to avoid the crowds.
As mentioned above, you don’t need a tour to visit the pools and the vista. If you want to do the additional activities such as Caving, and Tubing you will need to book with a local tour agency, this can be done in Lanquin or at your hostel.
How to get to Semuc Champey
The main problem about Semuc Champey is getting there, as its kind of in the middle of nowhere. However, if you’re backpacking Guatemala, it’s easy to fit into a Guatemala itinerary, and I’ll show you how.
If you are travelling through Guatemala the most likely destinations either side of Semec Champey will be Antigua, Flores (Tikal) or Rio Dulce. Follow the link for in-depth details of these travel routes:
I have written very detailed instructions to how to get to Semuc Champey from various destinations. The below is a summary of each option. Please read the following post for maps, times, bus companies etc.
HOW TO GET TO SEMUC CHAMPEY FROM ANTIGUA USING PUBLIC TRANSPORT
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.
The route to take is as follows:
- Step 1: Antigua to Guatemala City. Cost is Q20 and journey time 80 minutes.
- Step 2: Guatemala City to Coban. Cost is Q105 and journey time is 5 hours. Be aware you need to move to a different bus stop in Guatemala City.
- Step 3: Coban to Lanquin. Cost is Q40 and journey time is 2 hours.
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.
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.
Wherever you come from you will need to make your way to the nearby town of Lanquin, 30 minutes’ drive from the actual Semuc Champey park.
You then need to decide if you want to stay in the town of Lanquin or one of the accommodation options closer to Semuc Champey.
If you stay in Lanquin, transportation to Semuc Champey can easily be arranged with your hostel. You will get collected in a pick-up truck, where you stand in the back like cattle. The bumpy ride to Semuc is about 30 minutes and there are some great views on the way so try to stand on the outside rather than get stuck in the middle of the truck.
When it’s time to leave Semuc, go back to where you were dropped off and there will be regular pick-up trucks collecting people – just jump on the next one – check when the final collection will be. Usually it will be about 5pm.
Where to stay when visiting Semuc champey
As I mention above, there is two options of where to stay when visiting Semuc Champey. I chose to stay in the town of Lanquin.
Option 1 – Stay in Lanquin
Benefits / Cons:
- In Lanquin you have access to shops and restaurants, so there is many more options for eating and you’re not held prisoner at your hostel.
- There is a bank in town if you need cash.
- Lanquin town itself is worth visiting, it’s a quaint little town of only 16,500 people.
- If you stay in town, you can also visit the cave complex Grutas de Lanquin, a large limestone cave system home to hundreds of bats.
- Wherever you come from you will first stop in Lanquin so if you arrive late at night, as you most probably will you can walk to your accommodation.
- You must find transportation to Semuc Champey as it’s too far to walk (this isn’t a problem though but you need to check what time departures are)
Option 2 – Stay closer to Semuc Champey
Benefits / Cons:
- You will potentially be able to walk to the entrance of Semuc Champey. This means you can arrive before everyone staying in Lanquin and have the place to yourself.
- If you want to get away from it all and spend a night or two in the jungle this is the perfect place to get off grid (there is WiFi, albeit not great)
- Many of the places nearby Semuc Champey are eco-lodge type hostels. A consideration if you stay at one of these places is that you will be required to eat all your meals at your accommodation as there is no shops or restaurants nearby.
Hostels in Lanquin
Hostel Vista Verde Lodge
I stayed at Hostal Vista Verde Lodge in Lanquin, and I would highly recommend this place. It is a 10–15-minute walk from the centre of Lanquin, set on a hillside, offering fantastic views of the valley.
The dorms are all in wooden huts, there is a large communal dining area and a great infinity pool. The price for rooms is very good and food is reasonably priced, especially when compared to other hostels in town. Due to the price, this is my top recommendation.
Dorms start at Q60 per night which is great value considering what you get.
Zephyr Lodge Semuc Champey
Before I arrived, I wanted to stay at Zephyr Lodge Lanquin as I’d read lots of good things about this hostel but it was fully booked when I wanted to go. You need to book with them directly and I would advise booking as far as possible in advance as it does seem to be busy. Dorms start at Q110 per night (almost double the price of Vista Verde).
Although I didn’t stay here, I did visit for dinner one evening. I would describe Zephyr as a posher version of Vista Verde, and as such, you pay more for the experience. They have similar wooden huts for the dorms as well as a large communal eating area.
A bonus at Zephyr is a pool table if that’s your thing. The infinity pool here is also bigger than Vista Verde and there is a pool side bar. As you might expect, the price to stay and eat here is more expensive than Vista Verde.
Hostels closer to Semuc Champey
I met a few people who stayed close to Semuc Champey and they enjoyed their stays. As I didn’t stay at these places or visit them, I can’t recommend them or not.
A couple of hostels I did hear good things about are Hostal El Portal and Greengos Hotel. If you do stay at these places, ensure you book ahead of time and ask them to collect you from Lanquin as there is no other way to get there.
It’s standard that the accommodation will collect you from Lanquin and take you back at the end of your stay but you need to let them know your arrival time.
How many days should you spend in Semuc Champey?
Wherever you come, from or wherever you are going afterwards, you will have to endure a long bus journey. For this reason, I would advise staying a minimum of 3 nights, possibly 4 if you have time.
You will likely arrive in Lanquin late in the afternoon, so give yourself time to check in and enjoy the hostel for the evening. After the long bus journey, the next day take it easy by exploring Lanquin, and enjoying the hostel pool and surrounding mountain views.
The second full day in the prefect day to visit Semuc Champey. You can organise transportation and a potential tour the day before.
The third full day can again be relaxing in Lanquin or your hostel after a long day at Semuc. Also use this day to plan your onward journey and book a shuttle or find out about buses. This should be enough time to enjoy everything without rushing.
For more information on Guatemala please visit my other pages and add a comment below if you found this article useful.
Read about the Best Things to Do in Antigua, Guatemala and if you are then travelling to Lake Atitlan read how to take a Chicken Bus from Lake Atitlan to Antigua