Sha-mook-sham-pay

That’s how you pronounce Semuc Champey. Its national park famous for natural, limestone pools filled with jade-colored water. The day started off with the last official rite of passage for assimilating to Guatemalan traveling standards, we rode with 16 other people in the back of a pick-up truck (standing) for 1 hour. (I have seen others pick-ups with many more people!)














Views from the truck

The pools The Gorge














We arrived amazingly intact and met up with a guide to take us through underwater caves that have been formed over thousands of years in the limestone. Using candles, for 2 hours we swam through caves, walked through underground tunnels, filled wit water, climbed over and under rocks, up water falls down gushing ‘rock slides’. It was truly incredible to see a cave from this perspective with the water, the stalactites and stalagmites, formations, mineral deposits and all by candlelight - in a bikini! Unfortunately water doesn’t like cameras but there's a picture from the mouth of the cave.

Next we hiked up to waterfalls, and the eventually made our way down small waterfalls into the different limestone pools all set among an amazing gorge.


Finally we finished our day of water adventure with another pool, swimming under a warm waterfall. It was an absolutely fascinating and beautiful day!