Early to rise this morning for our big Day of Adventure! We booked a tour to visit Semuc Champey, a national park about two hours away from Coban. Difficult to get to, but well worth it! We arrive at Semuc Champey and begin our hot, humid walk up to the lookout (El Mirador). Once there (and all nice and sweaty), the view was AMAZING! We looked down onto a series of tiered turquoise pools that form a natural limestone bridge over the Cahabon river. The river runs under the pools and comes out the other end. I haven’t seen anything quite like it before! During our hike we saw an owl, a poisonous snake, and many colorful butterflies.
After a quick lunch, we start our adventure! We swam in the clear, cool pools (with some small fish swimming around us). It was great to cool down after our long, humid hike. We moved from one pool to the other, and even got to repel down a small waterfall to get to the last pool. This part was really fun, but definitely a little dangerous. We repelled down a rope with knots tied into it – No helmet; No harness. But it was so much fun! And then we had to climb back up the rope!
After the pools, our guide, Rudy, took us to some caves nearby. We did not go to the famous Lanquin caves, but to Kanba Cave. It was great! We all donned our headlamps and received tapered candles to enter the cave. It was full of water! We walked and then swam in the cave, going up a couple of ladders and ropes along the way. The water was cool, but not too cold. The candles were a really nice touch, but I kept putting mine out in the water!
After caving, we picked up some inner tubes and finished our day with a lazy float down the river. This day was full of adrenaline, and one of my favorite days of the trip! Some say that Semuc Champey is the most beautiful place to visit in Guatemala, and I just might have to agree with that!
We arranged our tour with a company called Aventuras Turisticas, based out of the Hostal de Dona Victoria hotel in Coban. Our guide, Rudy, worked for a company called Maya’ch Expeditions, and he was fun and energetic!
Adventure Life has been an extraordinary travel resource for us over the years and today was no exception. Our River Cruise booking was handled by Jess (who has been our personal trip planner for several years) the same day as our inquiry. Suggestions were given for cabin choice and pre-trip options (that were not shown on the cruise line's website) like airport transfers and prepaid gratuities. Trip insurance recommendations followed and we were assigned a travel co-ordinator till the end of the tour. All we have to do is show up! Great service from friendly folks.
APtravelwell
1 day ago
My representative Kevin was very responsive generally and in crafting our itinerary to our specific priorities.
Rocco Labella
1 day ago
Although there was a lot of paper work, I received help and guidance when I needed it.
Donna Kirby
2 days ago
Our travel was flawless! The rider pickup (airport, hotel, ship) was seamless. Jane's recommendation for Emerald Cruise Sakara was everything I wanted but the experience was soooo much more. Adventure Life took care of each and every detail and this was the easiest of all my travels.
Anne Petty
3 days ago
Follow up was effective any questions were answered in a timely manner