By recommendation of other travellers, I ended up in Semuc Champey, a small national park in central Guatemala.
There are large natural pools of clear and warm water that you can swim in, separated by little waterfalls. The amazing thing is, you’re over top of a raging river! Literally, just upstream of the pools, the Cahabón river roars into an underground passage and disappears below the earth, and just below the pools, under a great waterfall, the river reappears!
This all happens in a tight, deep limestone valley, so it is possible to hike (steeply!) up to a viewpoint, and overlook the whole scene.
The Cave of Kan-bá
Right next to Semuc Champey is a nice little cave system. I’ve done some caving before, and I’ve swam in Cenotes before, but I’ve never caved alongside a flowing river, complete with underground waterfalls, tight squeezes up ladders and across rope lined ledges, and cliff drops into deep pools – all while trying to keep your candle from blowing out. Yeah, a candle. That’s what we had for light.
Enjoy the pictures!
