Lanquin: Lanquin is a small town located 64 kilometers
west of Cobán (3 ½ hour's bus ride). Just off the central
park is a 400 year-old church containing an original silver altar and many
religious relics. Located 1 km. from town is the cave of Lanquin through
which flows the Rio Lanquin (take your own flashlight; it has happened that
the lights in the cave go off unexpectedly, in which case you are trapped
until someone decides to turn them on again). The first night in Lanquin,
whether you explore the cave or not, you should go out to the river's edge
at dusk to watch the bats fly out of the cave. It is most definitely an
impressive sight to watch several millions of bats swarm out of the cave
and fly down the river. You can swim in the river that flows out of the
cave (if you like). If you have a tent, you can camp at the mouth of the
cave.
Services: Hotel El Recreo is very nice ($15); cheaper hotels without private
baths include Hogar del Turista (Q12), Divina Providencia (Q15), and El
Retiro (beautifully situated next to the Cahabon river 300 meters from town
on the road to Cahabon - Q20). It's not a bad idea to buy some cheese and
snacks in the supertienda in Cobán before you leave so you have something
good to eat during the journey. Also, the last bank and ATM until Peten
are in Cobán, so you'd better get all the cash you need there.
How to get there: you will need a minimum of 3 days (unless you take the
one-day tour: it's a long drive, 8 hours on the road to and from - consult
Hostal de Acuna or Hostal Doña Victoria in Cobán for details
of the one-day tour. Cost = about $35 / person, 3-person minimum). Buses
for Lanquin leave Cobán a block from the terminal de buses market
at 6 and 11 am and 1 and 3 pm, and get you into Lanquin about 3 hours later.
The cost is Q8.
Semuc Champey: This is a series of Travertine pools
and waterfalls in virgin rainforest, located 11 kilometers from Lanquin.
The place is incredible; you have to see it to believe it. Also it's a really
fun and beautiful place to swim in and explore. When the water (which is
rich in calcite) passes over the lip of a dam, it is agitated, which causes
the water to evaporate and deposit calcite on the top of the dam. Thus the
dams are being built up faster than normal erosion can wear them down. The
pools and waterfalls occur on top of a huge cave through which flows the
Rio Cahabon.
Services: Entrance fee is Q20; parking fee is Q5. You can buy cold beer
and soft drinks from the government commissary at the entrance, but not
food. There is a dressing room to change into bathing suits. There are places
to picnic and barbecue. If you have a tent, there is a place to camp. The
latrines leave something to be desired.. Do be careful of leaving belongings;
the local youths have discovered that thievery pays off (i.e., leave your
valuables back in Lanquin, or hide them well in the bushes, when you go
off exploring).
How to get there: Leave your heavy belongings in the hotel in Lanquin -
just take a day pack with swimming suit, towel, and food. EARLY in the morning,
get yourself out on the road to Champey. There's lots of coffee / cardamom
fincas on that road, and the finqueros will give you free rides. You can
also rent a pickup truck in Lanquin to take you and bring you back for about
Q 120 (ask at Hotel El Retiro). Or, you can walk: it's a 3-hour walk down,
and a 3-hour walk back (through tremendous heat - 11 km up and down the
mountain from Lanquin).
To head north from Lanquin: Take the 5 am or 7 am bus from Lanquin to Pajal
(the crossroads). The buses from Cobán to Sebol pass Pajal at roughly
7:30, 8:30, and 8:45 am. From Sebol, you can take a bus to Raxruja. You
can either hitch a ride with a pick-up or ride a bus to Sayaxche. From Sayaxche
you can catch a bus to Flores, Peten. A good place to stay in Raxruja is
Hospedaje Agua Verde.
To go to Poptun: Take the 5 am or 7 am bus from Lanquin to Pajal (the crossroads).
Flag a bus or truck going to Fray Bartolomeo Las Casas (known locally as
"Fray" or "Las Casas"). In Las Casas take a truck going
to Poptun. There is a bus from Las Casas to Poptun, but it leaves at 3:00
am, arriving in Poptun at 8:00 am.
Proyecto Eco-Quetzal (PEQ): PEQ takes tourists to
remote areas of the rainforest which are only accessible on foot. The guides
are rural Q'eqchi Mayans who sometimes know very little Spanish, but who
know the forest intimately and have received thorough training as guides.
They take visitors by bus, launch, and on foot to the heart of the rainforest.
The visitor stays in the guides' homes (which have been outfitted with beds,
attresses, latrines, bathing facilities, and boiled drinking water). You
share in daily Q'eqchi life, hear the stories of the aldeas, and with luck
might participate in Q'eqchi rituals and celebrations. In addition you will
experience beauty of the subtropical rainforest, and in all likelihood will
see the resplendent quetzal bird in its natural habitat. Participation in
this project is not only a unique cross-cultural exchange opportunity, but
also helps protect the vanishing rainforest.
Services: For Q 320 you get a guide for three days, lodging for two nights,
6 meals, registration fee. Q 110 for each additional night. The PEQ office
is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 am to 1:30 pm and from 2:30 pm to
5:30 pm. It is located at 2a Calle 14-36 Zone 1, Cobán . Tel/fax:
952-1047. See the PEQ website for details: http://www.ecoquetzal.org.
Proyecto Eco-Quetzal: this 10 year old NGO is dedicated to conserving and protecting the rainforests by offering economic alternatives to the indigenous occupants such as agricultural projects, candle manufacture using wax from the arrayan tree, and ecotourism. PEQ has lowered the deforestation rate to a 0.1% in the 70 square km area in which it operates. See the PEQ website for more information: http://www.ecoquetzal.org
Candelaria Caverns: The Candelaria Caverns are sacred
to the Q'eqchi Mayans. The Candelaria River passes through a mountain via
a subterranean network of grottos. The principle gallery is monumental,
with a width of 20 to 30 meters and a height of up to 60 meters, and it
is filled with large blocks of breakdown and is graced by gigantic stalagmites.
It is 200 meters long and has occasional windows to the outside world piercing
its walls and ceiling, which create a light show on the rocks and water
from the sunlight which filters through the jungle outside the cavern. Some
of the caverns have carved ladders or platforms constructed by the Mayans.
It is possible to swim in the river and sunbathe on the banks near the eco-camp.
This area is threatened by fires and logging by the local population, and
a team of French led by Daniel Debreux are trying to enlist the help of
local communities to protect it and create a national park. The people of
Muqbilbel run the camp, and some of them are studying tour-guiding in France.
There is some conflict between the local community and the conservationists.
Services: Tours of the caverns cost Q25, which includes a professional guide
fluent in Spanish and French. It is also possible to rent boots. The tour
of the smallest cave takes 2 hours. It's also possible to tour the caverns
in a boat; this tour takes two days and enables you to see parts of the
caverns inaccessible by foot. This expedition costs Q250 and includes overnight
accommodations. Make your reservation at least two days in advance with
Sergio Sierra at Tel: 710-8753. Accommodations: At the eco-camp the French
have built first-class bungalows and kitchens, with beautiful and peaceful
gardens. The cost is US$ 50 per person per day, which includes all services
and a tour of the cave. It is also possible to camp at the entrance at Doña
America's in the Rancho Rios Escondidos: in this case you should hire a
guide at the Cooperativa Sechaj (see below).
How to get there: Two day (+ one night) tours are available from Hostal
de Acuña for US$ 270 per person (2 person minimum) which includes
food, lodging, and guided foot tour of the caverns. If you are on your own:
from Chisec take the road to Raxruja for 20 kms. to the bridge over the
Candelaria River. The Cooperativa Sechaj is located 2 km. past the bridge.
Here you can engage a guide for the first cave. The most famous caves are
6 ½ kms. past the bridge on the right side, where there are two signs
announcing "Escuela de Autogestion" (there is no sign for the
caverns - on the left side of the road is a hill which is the center of
finca Rancho Rios). Enter here and go past the oil pipeline for 5 minutes
to the eco-camp.
Laguna Lachua: Lake Lachua is like a little Caribbean
sea set down in the tropical rainforest of Alta Verapaz. The lake is surrounded
by lush vegetation including mahogany and cedar trees, and fauna such as
jaguars (whose footprints can often be seen around the lake), giant shad
which frequently pop out of the crystalline waters, and abundant birds such
as parrots and toucans. In the distance - reflected in the mirror of the
lake - you can see the wooded peaks El Peyan and La Sultana. The water of
the lake contains so much calcium that the northern rim, where the water
leaves the lake, has rock formations which appear like shells of calcite;
and trees which fall into the water quickly turn into calcite skeletons.
The water also has a high level of sulphur, which is where the name "Lachua"
comes from (in Q'eqchi' "Li chu ha" means "the fetid water").
The sulphur indicates the probable presence of petroleum beneath the lake.
If you cross the lake in a launch, what looks to be a white beach is actually
a mire, so be careful not to sink into it.
The lake is 173 meters above sea level, and is 222 meters deep (thus beneath
sea level), which is major puzzle for geologists. One theory holds that
the lake was formed from a large salt deposit; another theory is that the
lake is a meteorite crater, and the rest of the meteorite which formed the
lakebed fell near Cobán in the Nim Tak'a depression, where one also
finds meteoritic rocks of the same age as those around Lachua. Lachua is
a National Park with a total area of 14,500 hectares (the lake itself occupies
400 hectares). The Peyan river empties into the lake, and the Lachua, Tzetoc
and Del Altar rivers drain it. The climate is hot and extremely humid, with
an average temperature of 26° C, rainfall of 3.3 meters, and humidity
of 91%. The abundance of mahogany in the park has caused problems between
conservationists and illicit loggers, who can earn up to ten times the going
wages of a laborer by cutting down mahogany trees. The governmental authorities
(UICN and INAB) who administer the park have adopted strategies of vigilance,
and also seeking economic alternatives for the rural populations around
the park. For example, UICN sells high-quality organic chile, chocolate,
and honey made in the surrounding communities; by purchasing these products
- as well as by visiting the lake - you can help the communities' sustainable
economic projects.
Services: The park has a capacity of 84 day visitors and 21 overnight visitors,
so it is not a good idea to visit during the Easter or Christmas holidays
when it quickly becomes crowded. Admission costs Q40; boat rental Q7 per
hour; and a guide costs Q30 (this must be arranged in advance at Tel: 704-1509).
Camping costs Q20, beds with mosquito netting cost Q60. There are showers,
toilets, barbecue fireplaces, and a large round hut shelter. You must bring
your own food and drinking water, and take your trash out when you leave.
How to get there: Hostal de Acuña offers 2 day (+ 1 night) tours
for US$90 per person (2 person minimum), which includes food, lodging, and
guide. If you're on your own: heading east from the Cobán - Playa
Grande crossroads it is 5 km (road to the right) to the entrance to Lachua
(watch for thatched Administration building and signs on the left). You
then have to walk 4 km through the hot, moist jungle to get to the lagoon.
Jungle hike to Río Ikbolay: This deep blue
river winds its way through the jungle and disappears behind a mountain
barrier, continuing its way below the surface in caves. The water reemerges
in natural spring fountains and is so saturated with calcium that it cements
its own path through the virgin forest. There is a beautiful cave, formerly
also an underground arm of the river, with gorgeous white stalagmites. The
Q´eqchi´ host community of Rokjá Pomptilá colonized
this area twenty years ago. They are growing cardamom below primary forest
shadow. They will guide you and share their everyday life in the jungle
with you. The community is beautifully situated at the edge of the river,
which is always inviting for a refreshing bath. The community of Rokjá
sits right in one of the biggest tropical rainforest reserves of Guatemala
in the vicinity of Laguna Lachuá. Your visit helps this community
to keep on protecting their forest.
Services: A tour costs Q 320 for three days and two nights, guide, food
and bed included. Every additional night Q 110. A motor boat round trip
to the natural spring fountains costs an additional Q 100. See Proyecto
Eco-Quetzal, above. You can contact your guide in Eco-Quetzal, Cobán,
2aCalle 14-36, Z 1, T9521047.
Rafting on the Cahabon River: Class IV river trips
down the Cahabon and Polochic rivers pass through beautiful canyons and
tropical rainforests. Top-notch physical condition is required.
Services: Maya Expeditions, 15 Calle 1-91 Zone 10, Guatemala City - local
#104. Tel: 363-4955, Fax 337-4666, e-mail mayaexp@guate.net, offers tours
lasting from 1 to 4 days.
Stuff to do of an
afternoon in Cobán
Full day trips out of Cobán
Special events and fairs
How to get to … (bus
schedules)
Cobán city map