The lookout
Pools from above.
Christopher Crouzet — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Betipá — CC BY-SA 4.0 · TravelWorks — CC BY-SA 3.0 · descubriendoelmundo — CC BY-SA 2.0
One of Central America's loveliest natural sights: a staircase of clear turquoise pools sitting on a natural limestone bridge about 300 metres long, in a deep valley clad in tropical forest in the mountains of Alta Verapaz. Its Q'eqchi' Maya name means «where the river hides under the earth». The bridge was carved by the roaring Cahabón River, which plunges into a tunnel beneath the pools at a spot called El Sumidero and emerges at the far end, while springs and streams fill the pools above with calm water shading from green to blue. Visitors climb a steep trail with wooden steps for about an hour to the El Mirador lookout, the best view of the pools from above, then walk down to stroll between their rims. Swimming in the pools is allowed in suitable clothing. The track from Lanquín is rough dirt, covered in open pickup trucks, so bring water shoes and a towel. The water turns murky after heavy rain. The road to Lanquín is rough mountain track for its last hours, so take known tourist shuttles and travel by day.
Pools from above.
The river vanishes.
Clear water.
Semuc Champey National Monument, about 10 km south of Lanquín
From Lanquín by pickup truck along about 10 km of dirt road; Lanquín itself by tourist shuttle from Antigua or Flores.