SATA's Guatemala Fam Trip (June 2007)

Guatemala: Vibrant Landscape of Adventure
By Colleen Korniak

“Will my sandals stay on my feet?” asks Mary Kat Fee as a guide helps her secure the climbing harness. Fee, owner of All About Travel in Fort Pierce, Florida, is ready to lose contact with the ground. Known as jungle surfing in Northeast Australia, zip lining in the United States, and canopy adventure in Guatemala’s Alta Verapaz region, our group of eleven intrepid adventurers found ourselves harnessed, strapped and cinched--ready for a tree top flying lesson. We were in Guatemala for less than 24 hours and already zipping along cables, through the jungle, from one platform to the next over distances ranging from 80 to 200 feet. Once I caught my breath and realized I was safely soaring, I could absorb the surreal surroundings of the thick forest canopy and the strong river that churned under foot.

On the ground, a system of hiking trails winds through this extraordinary cloud forest. One trail leads to a narrow bridge suspended over a thunderous waterfall. Crossing the bridge then following the trail alongside the waterfall, we arrived at a pool appearing to flow from the mouth of a cave. Here is the House of the Moon God, Hun Nal Ye, an important ritual site whose waters are believed to be purifying. All this is a part of Hun Nal Ye Parque Ecologico, an eco-retreat located in Chisec, Alta Verapaz--a region known for its coffee and cardamom plantations. Combining Mayan culture with natural beauty and adventure activities, Hun Nal Ye Parque Ecological set the stage for our first experience on the Guatemala Adventure Familiarization Trip sponsored by SATA in conjunction with American Airlines and the Guatemala Tourism Board.

For five days we actively experienced the diverse landscapes of Guatemala’s Alta Verapaz region with Ramiro Tejada of Maya Expeditions. Deemed one of the top 20 eco-tourism agencies in the world by Condé Nast Traveler, this Guatemala City based tour operator literally went above and beyond to connect our group to this vibrant land. By no means a standard tour, this activity-packed journey allowed participants to experience first hand the incredible beauty and biodiversity of Guatemala. From the lush high altitude cloud forest of Chisec, we continued our travels to the lowland Petén region where we explored one of the six largest caves in the world. Located in a national park, the Candelaria Caves are purportedly the largest cavern system with an underground river in Latin America. The principal cave entrances are found on the compound of Candelaria Cave Lodge. This beautifully situated eco-lodge is run by the community of Mucbilha, who maintain preservation of the caves and surrounding jungle.

A local guide led us on a footpath narrowed by dense undergrowth of herbaceous plants and shrubs with fanciful-shaped flowers attracting brilliant hummingbirds and butterflies. Noise and movement followed our every step for this tropical moist forest is filled with many species of birds and insects. Coming to the cave’s entrance, we left the humid day-light for the cave’s cool, moist interior.

Equipped with flashlights, we walked through a magical place of dripping stalactites, stalagmites, and skylight openings, where the thunderous Río Candelaria echoes. Considered the meeting place between heaven and earth, the caves are a sacred site of Q'eqchi' Maya who continue to pray here. Gizelle Polo of Big Five Travel captured the caves’ otherworldliness with a photo of a rock formation that appears as an angel on the camera screen. Leaving this mystical realm through an egress resembling an open mouth, the thick afternoon heat convinced us to dip our toes in the river before we continued to our lodging in Cobán.

The following day we ventured southward to Lanquín on a route winding through amazing three dimensional limestone mountains. Always a knowledgeable guide, Ramiro provided a geology lesson on the formation of this incredible karst topography. And, indeed, karst features are prevalent near Lanquín where we observed phenomenal mountains that rose and fell in an egg carton pattern, known as haystack karst. Just before reaching town we drove by the Nacimiento del Río Lanquín, the place where the Lanquín River is born. It is further along on the banks of the Lanquín River where we met the friendly crew of Maya Expeditions’ white water raft guides. After detailed safety instruction, we boarded the rafts to practice paddling on the command of our skilled guides. “Adalante,” we paddled the chocolate water of the Lanquín River to its confluence with the Cahabón River. The typically turquoise water had turned to swirling brown due to recent heavy rains. It was in the impressive torrent of the Cahabón River where the real adventure began. Mere words cannot describe the absolute rush of paddling raging white water through narrow channels of rock. After my group experienced the rolling intensity of the Class VI rapid aptly called ‘Rock n’ Roll,’ Daniel Matheson of Discover Brazil Tours observed, “It is essential to work as a team”. Skilled and patient raft guides motivated our slightly stunned group to successfully run the next Class VI rapid of “Entonces” and later a series of smaller rapids called “Three Sisters”. In between running rapids, we swam the chocolate river accompanied by brilliant yellow butterflies, the paradisiacal song of a multitude of birds, and friendly waving Q'eqchi' Mayans.

Our exploration of the rich Lanquín area resumed the next day with a harrowing drive along muddy mountain roads to Semuc Champey. Translated as “Sacred Waters,” the beautiful series of naturally terraced ponds and pools occurs on top of a huge cave through which flows the Cahabón River. Hiking the maintained trail which hosts a large variety of orchids and bromeliads, we arrive at the enchanted pools and waterfalls of this virgin rainforest. It was a dream to swim in the clear, turquoise pools surrounded by cliffs and views of mountains. It is little wonder that Semuc Champey is regarded as the most beautiful place in the Alta Verapaz region. Truly the grand finale of a five-day tour that proved Guatemala is beyond a captivating land of eternal spring as it is obviously perfectly ripe for adventure.


Colleen Korniak, Country Walkers
Author Bio: Colleen’s love for travel emerged at age two when she crawled out the door of her family’s home in rural upstate New York and continued down the road until caught by her grandfather. From that dirt road to off the beaten track adventures throughout Latin America, Asia, Europe and her home in North America, her wanderlust is fueled by her work with Country Walkers, an international active travel company located in Waterbury, Vermont.