Semuc Champey

Semuc Champey is a day trip location for tourists and local alike. By bus and 4x4 pick up truck it's about 2 hours from Coban. It is a natural wonder where the river drops underground. Above ground there are pools formed by water from the steep jungle mountains on either side. In summer the water is a beautiful blue. There is a steep climb to a lookout that is much easier to climb in dry season. I visited Semuc Champey 5 years ago, and since then it has become much more well known. One thing I found interesting was being a tourist alongside Guatemalans. Many of them had never been there either and were in for as much an adventure as us. This time Steve and I went with Hope and Marshall, who are also from Kamloops. Here are some pictures from the day.

Crammed in a van so full that the driver's assistant rode hanging on the ladder outside or on the roof

Hope and Marshall Chupa

The last part of the drive we had to ride in the back of a 4x4 truck, about a dozen of us, standing up

We knew we were close when we had to cross a river

A sign explaining the pools, rivers, cave, etc.

Where the river drops underground

Me and Steve

Where the river enters the cave, looking from the other angle

Steve having fun taking pictures

Swimming in the pools, ontop of where the river is flowing

Me and Hope under the water

Hope and Marshall diving from one pool to another

Part of the steep climb to the lookout had stairs, thankfully

Steve and I at the lookout

Semuc Champey

On the far left the river goes underground, ontop are the pools, and on the far right the river comes out again.