Where is Semuc Champey located?
The pools are strung along a natural rocky bridge at the base of a valley in Parque Nacional Semuc Champey, 12km from the Q’eqchi’ village of Lanquín in the centre of Guatemala. It’s a great spot for a day’s swimming and relaxing among nature.
Most visitors stay either in Coban, Lanquín or Semuc for a couple of nights, which allows enough time not just for the pools but also for Grutas de Lanquín – an impressive cave system from where the Río Lanquín emerges. Here you can go tubing down the emerald ribbon of water during the day or head to the riverbank at dusk to see thousands of flitting bats fly out of the caves to feed.
How do I get there?
You can make your own way to the pools in a hire car or via shuttle bus from Antigua (two daily; 8hr) or Cobán (three daily; 2hr) to Lanquín – the jump-off point for the pools. The mountain town of Cobán is also a popular stopover en route to Semuc from Guatemala City (4hr 30min bus journey), due to its proximity to a vast network of stalactite caverns, freshwater swimming spots and subterranean rivers. To see the pools as part of a wider trip to Guatemala
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