Semuc Champey

Our hostel in Semuc Champey, Utopia, was in the middle of nowhere, only surrounded by a river and mountains of coffee and cocoa fields. We arrived in Lanquin at 23:30, a town 30 minutes drive from Utopia. As we were taken to the hostel we held on for dear life standing at the back of an open aired truck, the clear night sky and thousands of stars distracting us most of the way.

The set up of the hostel reminded us of being on a school tour. To get to the private rooms one had to walk passed the dorm beds which were in an open area. Then go back downstairs to get to the toilets and shower. If all dorm beds, private rooms and cabins were filled, roughly 40 people would be using 3 toilets and 1 shower! Hopefully this is just a problem in the beginning phase bearing in mind that the hostel has only been open for 5 months. The school tour feeling got stronger when we learnt how the kitchen was set up: a vegetarian kitchen with set meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The guests would all eat together at the tables on the balcony, looking out onto the cocoa fields, beautiful birds occupying the trees.

Semuc Champey is famous for its turquoise pools and during our tour we could see why. First stop of the tour was to the Kanbah caves which we would enter the day after a heavy rainstorm.

We followed our guide, each person carrying a lit candle. A few bats flew above our heads as we started to walk and then swim our way through the dark cave. In some areas we could hold onto a rope, this made swimming a lot easier seeing as the one hand had to keep the candle above the water. Where there was no rope we had to swim carefully, trying to avoid kicking the rocks at the bottom of the cave. If we weren't walking or swimming our way through, we were climbing up rocks or crossing under waterfalls until we reached the turn around point - some tall rocks from which you could jump off into a pool in the cave. Out of the group Geert was one of the first to try. After testing the depth of the pool he climbed up the rocks, about 4m high, and aimed to jump in the deepest part, the section of water which the rest of us tried to highlight by shining our candles there. Even though his jump made it look so easy, I couldn't gather up the courage to try it myself. As soon as the other brave people had jumped, we made our way back the way we came, still holding the candles above the water.

Before the lunch break we were led to a section of the river where a swing had been built. By getting on and swinging towards the water, one had to lift themselves off the seat and jump in the river from the top height of 4m. I chickened out, afraid to damage my back on the fall while Geert jumped in with enough style for both of us!

After lunch we entered the National Park, walked through the forest up towards the viewpoint, the rain now pelting down. From the viewpoint of the turquoise pools the colours of the water looked magnificent. We headed back down towards the pools ever so slowly trying not to fall on the wet steps and bridges. Finally we arrived and swam in the water, sliding down some smooth rocks like a water slide.

The last part of the tour was to tube down the river back to the hotel. While I held a tube and beer for us both, Geert was getting ready to jump off the 8m bridge. I threw his tube in the river just before he landed so that he could grab on. We floated down the river, beer in hand, trying to stay in just enough rapids to keep it exciting. At a point with quite a few rapids Geert put his bum a bit too far into the middle of the tube and scratched his lower back on the rocks. Poor guy had also hurt his back and shoulder the night before during the rainstorm when he fell down wet wooden stairs, getting a bucket for the leak in our room.

Despite any pain, scratches or bruises, we left and loved Semuc Champey for the new experiences we will never forget.