We were picked up in Antigua.   A good way to get to Flores was to take a tour to Semuc Champey on the way.

We went on a minibus most of the journey.  Later on a 40-minute bumpy ride standing in the back of a pickup truck, we all had to hold on for dear life, it was kind of insane and hilarious.  It seemed like it was me on the tour with a lot of people from Israel, we got to the hostel and settled into rooms.

The next day, with approximately one kilometer of stair-climbing, we climbed to the famous viewpoint, El Mirador, the view here is outstanding, and looked down to Semuc Champey.

Semuc Champey is a series of limestone bridges and caves that snakes through part of central Guatemala, tying in with the Cabahón River.  Combining the limestone and the river, you have a series of tiered pools that look like a wonderland.  Complete with turquoise water and butterflies flying everywhere.

11km south of the Q’eqchi’ Maya town of Lanquín.  Semuc Champey, means “where the river hides under the earth” in Q’eqchi.

With a very funny local guide, monkey boy. While hiking up it is possible to see and hear howling and spider monkeys.  And then down to swim in the pools…

Cave K’anba

Exploring the caves… we were each given a candle, all in swimming gear, as here we were frequently swimming through the water so deep we couldn’t touch the ground… and trying to keep the candle alight!  It looked magical, and was an incredible experience, not for the faint hearted though, as in some places it was tight squeezes. We all did it, me and the Israelis and felt amazing afterwards, but it was slightly scary sometimes. Inside the caves you also get to climb 10-foot high waterfalls through knotted ropes, jump from high rocks into murky pools, and squeeze through spaces that are the size of a car tire, kind of tight.

Tubing in the river…

I come from New Zealand, the home of adventure sports, but I don’t really partake… ! So when it came to caving and tubing and down the river, mmm well whilst in Rome, I guess.  But it was not difficult really the tubing, as the current takes you and your tube for half an hour tyre ride, down the river…

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Then the next day it was transportation up to Flores.