Things to Do in Semuc Champey

Swim the limestone pools

Six stepped pools cascade down the hillside. Each one is slightly warmer than the last from the sun heating the pale stone. You'll slide between them on natural chutes. Schools of tiny fish nibble at your toes. The water's so clear you can watch your shadow ripple across the white bottom ten feet down.

Hike to El Mirador viewpoint

The 45-minute climb up slippery stone steps might have you questioning your life choices. Then the jungle canopy parts. From the wooden platform, you'll see the entire staircase of pools stretching below like a topographic map carved in turquoise. Howler monkeys crash through the trees nearby. They sound closer than they are.

Tube the Cahabón River

You'll float past banana plantations and bamboo groves in an oversized truck inner tube. The river moves just fast enough to keep things interesting. Guides point out birds you'll miss. Like the bright-billed toucans high in the canopy. The water's that perfect temperature where you can't tell if it's cool or warm.

Explore K'anba caves by candle

You'll wade through underground rivers holding a stub of candle. The flame throws shadows on stalactites that look like melted wax waterfalls. At one point you'll climb a rope ladder through a waterfall. Shoes squelching with every step. The cave opens into cathedral-sized chambers where your voice echoes back transformed.

Visit Lanquin village market

The Saturday market spills down Lanquin's main street. Women in embroidered huipiles sell tomatoes still warm from the sun. You'll smell wood smoke and fresh tortillas. Hear marimbas from someone's radio. Taste cacao beans that taste nothing like chocolate. More like bitter coffee crossed with dirt.

El Portal area. Guesthouses strung along the main road, where you fall asleep to river sounds.

Near the park entrance. Basic dorms a five-minute walk from the pools, popular with Israeli backpackers.

Lanquin village - proper beds and hot showers, 20 minutes from the pools

Riverside spots. Hammocks strung over the Cahabón, morning mist rising off the water.

Jungle cabanas - solar-powered retreats where howler monkeys wake you at dawn

Budget hostels near the football field. Cheapest beds, communal dinners, guitar circles.