Due to a glowing recommendation from Duncan, we decided to totally backtrack 7 hours all the way to Lanquin for the supposedly must-see caves and pools of Semuc Champey.
We took a shuttle from the Black Cat Hostel in Antigua and after a grueling journey, reached El Retiro in Lanquin. We were welcomed with such warmth, and the guy at the desk was so excited that we were the first from Singapore. Perched along a turquoise river, the little chalets at El Retiro are charming. We got the last private room on the grounds… which was more like a tree house! With our 50 kilo backpacks, we climbed up a little bamboo ladder up to our hut. Small yet charmingly rustic, I knew I was gonna like it there. The great part about the place is that you don’t pay for anything until you check out.. so we happily charged our room, meals, drinks and tours to the “FISH” room.
El Retiro & Falls at Semuc Champey
El Retiro has such a hippie feel… the food is awesome, the music excellent and we had a blast playing games which range from giant jenga to trivial persuit. The place feels like being part of a big family of travelers. Dinners at the in-house restaurant (filled with hammocks, swings and candles) feels more like a dinner party, and the Quebec Libres (rum, ginger ale and a twist of lime) sure beats the regular rum and cokes (Cuba Libres).
The next morning, we picked up the sandwiches we ordered from the restaurant (packed in a banana leaf and tied with natural raffia!!!) and headed off to Semuc Champey. First was the CAVE. It had to be one of the top 5 adventure experiences of my life. Unlike the caves in Australia, the US or even in many parts of Asia, there were no platforms to walk on, no signs telling you not to touch the stalactites and stalagmites and best of all, no lights. With swimsuits, a candle in hand and a local guide, we had to swim, climb rocks and go through a natural obstacle course of sorts, finding our way through the maze within the cave. I was reminded of “The Goonies” as we took turns clinging onto a rope and swinging through a hard waterfall within the dark cave. The scary part about it is that you have no idea what’s coming up next… all the guide tells you is stuff in Spanish (which you have to decipher) like “ok, now we swim for 2 minutes…” or “ok, climb this rickety bamboo ladder one at a time so it doesn’t break.” Though I feared for my life on exactly 4 occasions during the 2 hour adventure, it’s another one of those experiences which I’m so glad I lived through to tell the tale.
More falls... and the pools (view from the top) of Semuc Champey
After the exhilarating cave adventure, we headed to the pools. And although it was only a few minutes away, our guide made us drudge up thousands of steps half covered with slimy mud all for a view of all the pools. Ok, so maybe it was worth it… We went all the way back down for a swim in the group of crystal blue green pools. What a perfect way to spend the afternoon before hopping back onto the back of the pick up truck all the way back to El Retiro.