A Little Adventure… A Memorable Day at Semuc Champey’s Waterfalls & Caves

Last updated on September 30, 2024 by Shannon

Travel pushes your boundaries and encourages you to live at the edges of what you find comfortable. So often in life we live with the safety of routine. But when traveling, I have tried new foods that I had never dream of sampling. I’ve tackled adventures that intimidated me.

My adventurous approach to travel failed me at Semuc Champey.

I jumped off a rope swing, that—come to find out—really didn’t “have my name written all over it,” as the other travelers visiting the Semuc Champey waterfalls that day had insisted.

For those traveling through Guatemala, Semuc Champey is now a classic stop for many travelers leaving Tikal and heading to charming Antigua—and it’s a place you should definitely visit!

Here’s what a day in these turquoise pools looks like.

Finding Adventure at Semuc Champey Waterfalls

We had trucked over the Semuc Champey waterfalls from Lanquin—the tour made the rounds of the handful of hostels and guesthouses in town, and were all ready for an adventurous day sliding down waterfalls, jumping from rope swings, and navigating the dark caves.

We had all booked a day trip since it included a guide and transportation—essential if you’re visiting from Lanquin. And the day would be packed full of fun. First up was a chance to get wet right off the bat with a rope swing into the turquoise water, which we would follow up with a visit to the Semuc Champey caves, then we’d frolic through the waterfalls (including sliding down one).

We would end with time tubing down the river to the spot where our truck would be waiting to bring us back to Lanquin.

Lanquin is an unassuming, quite town. It’s completely uneventful, save for its spectacular location in the heart of the Mayan Biosphere Reserve.

Low mountains surround the town, and a ring of misty thin clouds obscure nearby peaks. It’s known for its beautiful natural setting, with a variety of ecosystems including tropical rainforests, limestone caves, and waterfalls. And if you’re lucky you’ll see many of the area’s exotic birds, monkeys, and wildlife.

Lanquin is the most popular staging ground for visiting Semuc Champey, a crowning jewel of Guatemala complete with glistening blue pools, dark caves, and navigable waterfalls on the Cahabón River.

Although you’ll find sparse accommodation close to Semuc Champey, Lanquin is just 11 km away and the easiest place from which to organize your visit.

You can only enter the Semuc Champey caves with a guide, so from the hostel— Zephyr has gorgeous views and party vibes while El Retiro Lanquin has chill vibes—I booked a full day adventure complete with a candle tour of the caves, a bit of tubing on the river, a swim through Semuc Champey, and a hike to a peak for pretty panoramic views.

This all-inclusive one-day-tour was by far the easiest way to join other travelers on a fun adventure exploring the highlights of Semuc Champey.

A Brief History of Semuc Champey, Guatemala

Tucked into Guatemala’s Alta Verapaz, Semuc Champey ticks all the boxes for your best day in Guatemala. It’s a natural wonder replete with limestone pools and waterfalls formed by the Cahabón River.

Once a sacred site for the Maya, it’s now a hotspot calling adventure lovers who often overlook opportunities for cultural immersion with the indigenous cultures. Beyond the caves, waterfalls, and rafting, you can actually find Maya ruins and temples, and the influence of Spanish and German settlers who brought agriculture to the region.

K’an Ba Caves Near Semuc Champey, Guatemala

The coolest thing about Semuc Champey’s K’an Ba Cave is that you fully navigate with only a lit candle in your hand—then you proceed to climb ladders, scale the sides of rocks, and swim through deep pools of water with your candle held above your head!

This is something you would never be allowed to do in the States (or Europe for that matter), but perhaps that’s part of the draw. The K’an Ba Cave portion of our adventure wasn’t exactly safe and it was a bit out of my comfort zone (it’s one those things that you’d just never do back home but that is perfectly acceptable on the road!).

Once we reached the innermost part of the cave, our guide instructed us to blow out our candles one-by-one. While some were more skeptical and timid about it than others, the idea was that we would go totally silent so that we could hear the bats living in the inner caves.

I don’t know if it was a real experiment or a joke because our guide only managed to freak everyone out. We stood in ankle-deep water surrounded by the blackest darkness imaginable.

Dozens of minutes passed as we sat in pure silence, straining to hear the bats over the sound of our rapidly thudding hearts. It was probably only two minutes, but if felt like longer! I was relieved when our guide struck a match and relit all of our candles.

Turquoise Waterfalls and Rivers at Semuc Champey

Once we climbed and swam our way back out of the caves we grabbed inner tubes and floated down the ice-blue river. Tubing is a pretty standard way to entertain backpackers (as Vang Vieng in Laos proves, since it takes the cake as the most famous tubing spot in the world), and this is a sedate option that will differ completely based on your group and the weather.

If it’s cool and you’re exploring Semuc Champey with chill people, it’s quiet and enjoyable. If you have some rowdy people on your day trip then expect tubing shenanigans.

After tubing, our Semuc Champey tour included a “choose your own adventure” part of the afternoon. A nearby mirador requires a steep and strenuous hike (45 minutes if you’re moderately fit) to the top.

It’s worth it.

The lookout point over Semuc Champey offers stunning views of the many pools of water and tiny waterfalls. We could see the others on our tour as tiny pinpricks soaking in the pools of water below.

It’s funny how, no matter where you go though, some places are strikingly similar to others. Bio and ecological diversity fills our beautiful planet, but the view of Semuc Champey from the lookout jolted me instantly to a similar view of the waterfalls at Krka National Park in Croatia.

Even today, I have to pause when I review my old travel photos and take a closer look to identify which one is which national park!

All in all, our Semuc Champey day trip ended in two injuries: my own (minor) injury and one other woman cut her leg sliding down the waterfalls. It’s a classic activity on this day trip, but if you’re not wearing swimming trunks (those lucky guys!), you might incur some cuts and scrapes.

And you should not undertake the waterfall portion barefoot. I wore my beloved Chacos water shoes, and it made a huge difference (although it was a goofy feature in all of my photos!). 

Our guide slid down each of the waterfalls first, and then waited at the bottom to catch us so that we wouldn’t slam into the rock at the bottom—he didn’t catch the one woman though!

Misadventures at Semuc Champey

If a picture is worth a thousand words, I’ll end the tale of my day visiting Guatemala’s gorgeous Semuc Champey waterfalls with an image of the gnarly bruise I got from playing a little bit too hard in the river.

It was the start of day trip to the waterfalls and caves, and the guide chose this pretty waterside spot to explain our plan, and also go over the safety instructions we’d need to get through the day without injury.

Finally, it was my moment of glory. Many other backpackers had taken turns and flawlessly executed their swing as they landed into the water with a cheerful splash.

What could go wrong, right?

Famous last words.

My fear of heights meant that I hung onto the swing a little too long.

Panicked that I would hit the rocks if I didn’t let go, I flung myself off the swing without any finesse.

I’m a little bit risk adverse, so I had some last minute terror about dropping into an unknown river that actually made me

It wasn’t pretty. I started our day of adventures with a massive bruise that formed less than two minutes after I demonstrated precisely how not to jump off of the rope swing.

Yes. That takes mad skills.

That was the start to the day, but it turned out not to be an ominous sign, because we would soon spent all of those hours sliding on waterfalls and wading through the nearby caves!

The entire rest day trip to Semuc Champey was pure backpacker fun and adventurous travel for those who like a bit of fun, but nothing too extreme.

Injuries included, visiting Semuc Champey from Lanquin was  an incredibly fun day and an adventure anyone backpacking Central America should absolutely add to their bucket list. It’s a bit out of the way if you’re on a short trip, but it’s well on the backpacker route if you have weeks on your side.

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How to Get to Lanquin

Semuc Champey is increasingly popular with backpackers and buses route there daily from the two hubs: Flores and Antigua.

Lanquin is eight hours from both towns and located in the heart of the “The Green Route of Verapaz, Guatemala,” a diverse and mountain ecosystem in a fairly remote part of Guatemala. It’s a seriously stunning part of the country.

You can also bus from the Rio Dulce, which is an optimistic five hours from Lanquin.

You only need two nights in Lanquin. Although Semuc Champey is a fun adventure, there is not much else to do in town. I recommend sandwiching it between your time in Antigua and Flores since both of these cities offer great onward travel options either by bus or plane, or before/after visiting the Rio Dulce.

It’s not necessarily along the way between any of these spots, but it makes it seem more worth the trip if you’re not just doing roundtrip 16 hours to Antigua and back (that would be brutal).

What to Bring on a Day Trip

You absolutely want water shoes—my trusty Chacos served me in good stead. A a rash guard sun shirt if you are sun sensitive. Much of the trip is in the shade (or the cave), but I did use my sun shirt by the end so I didn’t leave burnt.

I don’t travel with a ton (here’s my full packing list), but a few items are so useful it pays to pack them when visiting adventurous destinations like Central America.

You’ll also want sun block, a sun hat, and maybe a coverup (sarongs work well as a towel-coverup combo), especially if it’s cooler during your visit since you will likely ride back to Semuc Champey in the back of a pickup truck at dusk.

If you’re keen, you could also bring a headlamp to make the cave adventure easier (and likely safer, too).

Other Things to Do Near Semuc Champey

Hike through the jungle! The area around Semuc Champey is home to a dense tropical rainforest, and there are many hiking trails to explore. You can hike through the jungle to see a variety of flora and fauna, including exotic birds, monkeys, and other wildlife.

You could also visit the Semuc Champey Archaeological Park to learn about the history of the area, and spend more than a day trip in the area to learn about the cultures and traditions of local indigenous communities by visiting local markets and villages.

How to Get to to the Waterfalls from Lanquin

Assuming you’re already in Lanquin, you can organize a full day tour (upwards of $40 and includes lunch, tubing, entrance fees and such).

To visit Semuc Champey independently, it becomes a pick and choose adventure of which of the options you prefer. Entrance is about US $7, tubing on the river costs is also about $7, and the cave entry fee is about $9 with tours every 30 minutes from 9am to 3pm.

Day tours will handle transport in a 4×4, or you can hire one to take you there for less than $5 in a shared transport.

Some people walk the 2.5 hours, but you’ll likely only want that option in one direction since it’s a long day!

Note that you can buy a box lunch from your hostel, or there are a couple local vendors near the bridge. Ten year ago, NO ONE organized independent trips to Semuc Champey because it wasn’t yet on the radar, but now it’s pretty common to opt for either option in the high season, and most travelers go indie in Guatemala’s off season.

Where to Sleep

There are two main hostels in town. Zephyr was not a party hostel back in 2010—in fact it was brand new. But now it’s a gorgeous spot where you might not get a sound sleep but you will surely have a good time.

That said, it’s also very, very buggy. I woke to a scorpion on the floor of my dorm when I tried to pee in the middle of the night, and others confessed that cockroaches dropped from the ceiling onto their beds.

It could do with some bed nets and I probably would stay elsewhere if I revisited it, even though it’s truly the prettiest spot in town. 

El Retiro Lanquin is a good option for backpackers who might not want the party vibe but still want the companionship of other backpackers and access to the affordable backpacker trips. Incredibly, Lanquin also has some great mid-range accommodation—if you’re keen for a bit less backpacker vibe but still good adventure, or you should shop around to suss out which places match your budget and preferences.

How to Stay Safe

These types of day trips, while fun, are also a good reason you should carry travel insurance. I have used IMG Global for more than a decade (here’s why), and no matter which company you chose, the last thing you want is a serious injury in rural Guatemala (it’s EIGHT HOURS by car to the nearest airport and four hours to Coban in Honduras, which does have a hospital).

In short, this is not the place to desperately need an airlift but have no way to arrange one.

Travel Tips

Wear comfortable clothing and shoes: Semuc Champey is a hot and humid destination, and it is important to wear comfortable clothing and shoes to stay cool and comfortable. It is also a good idea to bring a swimsuit, towel, and water shoes if you plan to swim in the pools. Here’s my complete packing list.

Use sunscreen and insect repellent: The sun can be strong in Semuc Champey, and it is important to use sunscreen to protect your skin. I prefer La Roche-Posay Anthelios Sunscreen SPF 60 because it’s highly rated, and it’s great for acne-prone skin. It is also a good idea to bring insect repellent to protect against mosquitoes and other pests—Off! Botanicals can help prevent bites.

Stay hydrated: Semuc Champey can be hot and humid, and it is important to stay hydrated to avoid dehydration. Carry a reusable water bottle with you and drink plenty of fluids, especially during the hot summer months. It is also important to drink bottled water or water that has been properly treated using something like a SteriPen or Lifestraw.