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The turquoise tiered pools of Semuc Champey in the forested Cahabón valley, seen from above

Sample journey · 9–11 days

Guatemala's green heart: Semuc Champey and the Río Dulce

The Quetzal Biotope, Cobán, Lanquín, Semuc Champey, the Río Dulce & Livingston

Photo: Conor Murphy / Unsplash

Illustrative journey ideas — not bookable packages. No prices, dates or accommodation are implied.

This is not the Guatemala of volcano and colonial-town postcards. In the hills of Alta Verapaz it rains often, so everything is green: cloud forests where the quetzal lives, coffee and cardamom plantations, Q'eqchi' Maya villages. Deeper in the valleys the Cahabón river vanishes beneath a limestone bridge, and above it lie the pools of Semuc Champey. Then east to Lake Izabal and by boat through the Río Dulce gorge to Livingston, where people speak Garifuna and the drums play.

This is an active journey: there's swimming, wading, a climb to a viewpoint and a couple of days spent largely on potholed mountain roads. In return, the days in nature are long and the stays are simple but welcoming lodges by rivers and the lake. It suits couples, friends and anyone who has already seen the highlands, or would rather start with Guatemala's other side.

The route

The journey

  1. Guatemala City
  2. Quetzal Biotope
  3. Cobán
  4. Lanquín
  5. Semuc Champey
  6. Río Dulce
  7. Livingston
  8. Flores or Guatemala City
  1. Mist-filled cloud forest with moss-covered trees in Guatemala

    01Days 1–3 · The Quetzal Biotope & Cobán

    Into the green hills of Verapaz

    After a night in Guatemala City, about four hours north, from dry valleys into damp, mist-wrapped hills. On the way you stop at the Quetzal Biotope: short trails lead through cloud forest of tree ferns and waterfalls, and early in the morning, in season, the quetzal itself, Guatemala's national bird, sometimes appears. In Cobán, walk through an orchid nursery and a coffee farm where the owners also show how cardamom, the region's great crop, is grown.

  2. The view from the lookout down to the pools of Semuc Champey in a deep forested gorge

    02Days 4–5 · Semuc Champey

    Pools above a vanishing river

    From Cobán to Lanquín is about two to three hours, and the last stretch to Semuc Champey is usually done in the back of a pick-up. Here the Cahabón river plunges roaring beneath a natural limestone bridge, and on top of it lie tiers of calm turquoise pools you can swim in. Climb to the viewpoint first: the trail is steep, around 45 minutes, but the view from above explains the whole place. Early morning, before the day groups arrive, is the quietest time.

  3. Green Cahabón water and limestone shallows at Semuc Champey between steep forested slopes

    03Day 6 · The caves of Lanquín & the Cahabón

    Candlelight underground

    The K'an Ba cave is visited with a guide and a candle in hand: part of the way you wade, part you swim, and in places you climb ladders. It's great fun, but only for confident swimmers who don't mind the dark. In the afternoon, a lazy float down the Cahabón on an inner tube, and at dusk, at the mouth of the Lanquín caves, you can watch thousands of bats stream out.

  4. A stone fortress at the water's edge with a blue boat passing, in the Izabal region

    04Days 7–8 · Lake Izabal & the Río Dulce

    A lake, a fortress and hot springs

    The road east to the Río Dulce is long, six or seven hours on mountain roads, so this day is given over to the journey, with stops along the way. The reward is a night in a cabin on stilts above the river, where birds are the first thing you hear in the morning. Nearby stands the seventeenth-century fortress of San Felipe, built to guard Lake Izabal from pirates, and by boat you can reach hot springs whose water falls straight into the cool river.

  5. The Río Dulce flowing between high, jungle-covered banks under a blue sky

    05Days 9–11 · Livingston

    Through the gorge to the Caribbean

    About two hours by boat down the Río Dulce: past water lilies, a bird island and the high, jungle-clad walls of the gorge to the river mouth. Livingston can be reached only by water. It's a Garifuna town where punta rhythms play in the streets and kitchens make tapado, a seafood soup with coconut milk and green plantain. One morning, walk along the shore to Siete Altares, freshwater pools beside the sea. To finish, a boat back up to the Río Dulce and the road north to Flores (with Tikal as an option) or back to Guatemala City, and the flight home.

Experience highlights

  1. 01

    Semuc Champey from above

    Tiers of turquoise pools on a limestone bridge, with a river vanishing beneath.

  2. 02

    The K'an Ba cave

    Wading and swimming by candlelight: a proper adventure with a guide.

  3. 03

    The Río Dulce gorge

    By boat between walls of jungle, lilies and birds all the way to the Caribbean.

  4. 04

    Garifuna Livingston

    Drums, tapado and a town that no road reaches.

First, we listen. Then, we explore what's possible.

Make it your own

  • With Tikal

    Finish with two nights around Flores and an early morning among the temples of Tikal before flying back to Guatemala City.

  • With the highlands

    Begin with a few days in Antigua and at Lake Atitlán, stretching the journey to two weeks and taking in both sides of Guatemala.

  • On to Belize

    From Livingston by boat across the Gulf of Honduras to southern Belize, then a few days on a reef caye.

  • More gently

    Skip the cave and add a night on the Río Dulce: kayaks in quiet side channels, a book and birdwatching from the terrace.

Practical considerations

  • The roads to Lanquín and on to the Río Dulce are potholed and slow, and the last stretch to Semuc Champey is by 4×4; after heavy rain journeys can take longer, so time in hand is built in.
  • Semuc Champey's pools and the K'an Ba cave depend on the river level: after heavy rain the water turns murky and the cave may close. The cave is visited only with a guide and suits confident swimmers.
  • Before travelling we always review the latest official travel advice and road conditions for the region.
  • The drier months, roughly November to April, are usually the most comfortable, though it can rain in Verapaz at any time, so waterproofs and quick-drying shoes are useful.

General guidance only. Seasons, weather and wildlife are never guaranteed, and travel requirements are always worth checking before you go.

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