Guatemala: Semuc Champey

Semuc Champey is so beautiful.  It's a hell of an adventure to get there, but it really is gorgeous.  If you go, I'd be sure to do the caves and the tubing as well if you have time just to make the trip all the way out there worth it.  ​

We stayed at the Utopia Eco Hostel, and it was okay.  All vegetarian which I like, and I don't know much about anywhere else, but it was expensive.  

The whole area seems to be expensive because there are so many tourists who come to hike here.  With our tour, we didn't get that much time to spend in the lakes, but after the caving (which was intense), we were ready to be in warm, dry clothes anyway.  

For the caves, you go in with just a bathing suit (don't wear a thong because you'll ruin everyone else's pictures), your shoes (don't wear flip flops - wear chacos), and a candle.  Then you have to swim through areas, climb up ladders, jump off cliffs, etc., all within a cave!  And luckily I didn't realize until after that we were swimming around in a cave right after a huge earthquake.  Yeahhh...

​See our Guatemala photos here.