We didn't plan to rent a car (we are 6, and for safety reasons)....
Thanks for the threads. This is my question :
> Actually my plan is to go from Semuc Champey (9km from Lanquin) to El Estor....
....someone know if there is some(public) transportation between Lanquin and El Estor?
(how to get from lanquin to el estor?)>
No real answers...
Nine destinations, two countries, 20 days... are you competing in a game show?
There is a daily shuttle from Lanquin to El Estor, but really, the whole plan needs rethinking
Concur with brax, that's a lot of places and moving around for 20 days, especially if you want to enjoy yourself vs. looking out the bus.
Are you flying into Guatemala City and then out of Belize City?
Yeahhh, we come back from Belize city to Paris.Maybe we will skip Xela. We would like to do a volcano. Which one is the best? Have you heard of some recent eruption?
The itinerary to discuss could be... But we will see there and adapt the itineray
24-oct Antigua
25-oct Volcano Pacaya
26-oct Xela
27-oct Xela
28-oct Atitlan
29-oct Atitlan-Chichi
30-oct Atitlan
31-oct Road to Coban
01-nov Lanquin
02-nov Semuc Champey
03-nov Road to El Estor
04-nov Rio Dulce
05-nov Rio Dulce
06-nov Road to Flores
07-nov Flores Tikal
08-nov Flores
09-nov Belize
10-nov Belize
11-nov Belize
12-nov Belize
13-nov Belize
If you have not been close to an active volcano and you are looking for an easy (medium) hike Pacaya is a good choice. You can't go to the top any more and you won't see lava but the views are great and you will walk on old lava flows. Fuego and Santiaguito are very active and you can see Fuego if you climb Acatenango (from Antigua) and you can see Santiaguito by hiking to the Santiaguito viewpoint or if you climb volcano Santa Maria (from Xela). The viewpoint is a moderate hike, the other two are really tough. Make sure you are acclimatized. For Acatenango I recommend the overnight trip. Santa Maria can be done as a day trip (convince your guide to leave as early as possible as clouds roll in quickly). We climbed Acatenango with OX. They want a minimum of 4 people but you have 6. You can also go with Old Town Outfitters. In Xela we climbed Santa Maria with Kaqchikel Tours, a local tour operator. You can also look at Quetzaltrekkers. In Xela there is also the hike to Laguna Chicabal and the scenic hot springs Fuentes Georginas.
You can take a shuttle from the lake to Lanquin but that is a long day. At least 11 hours (the shuttle goes to Antigua first). You can go by bus as well (Pana, Los Encuentros, Chichi, Santa Cruz del Quiche, Uspantan, Coban, Lanquin. That will take a long time too. I like Lanquin, the village and the scenery, and Semuc but again, make sure you can actually visit Semuc Champey (it might be open but the road could be blocked... see earlier posts).
Spend more time in Tikal (stay overnight in the park) than in Flores. If you are going to San Ignacio you can go straight from Tikal without backtracking to Flores. Take any minibus going to Santa Elena but ask to be let off at the crossroads (called El Cruce Ixlu) just south of El Remate. There flag down any bus going to the border. We were picked up by an empty tourist shuttle. It takes an hour or so to the border. Once you have crossed the border you can take a taxi or colectivo to Benque (2 km) and there a bus to San Ignacio.
If you want to go straight to Belize City, take a Fuente del Norte bus from Santa Elena/Flores at 5 am or a Linea Dorada bus at 7 am.
Semuc is open. They will let you in the park for free, but you can't go with a guide. But it's such a small park that you don't need one anyway. There were a lot of locals hanging around but they were peaceful and friendly and some are walking around in the park making sure nothing happends. One tip; don't go in the park by yourself, but with a little group. Some girls who went alone got robbed.
I am in league with hopefullest (5) recommendation. Semuc Champey is OK if you have plenty time which you dont. It's a long rocky road in the back of a truck. Payoff isnt worth it unless you stay 3 nights in my opinion. Dunno about Quetazaltango but from what I read it is equivocal so I would bypass that. And I think you would be blowing it if you dont at least cruise the Rio Dulce to Livingston.
It's 10 hours with a shuttle from Antigua and 1 hour in a pick-up truck from Lanquin to semuc. It's not that bad. Most people spend there 2 nights only.
Hi Sonia - you seem to know the area - Do you know anything about getting to Lanquin from Rio Dulce, via El Estor? Is it possible? How Long? conditions? Mode of transport. Where to catch etc....We will be there mid January.
Thanks
I have been to Lanquin and Semuc Champey several times. And I have been to Rio Dulce. But I have not traveled between the two. When I was in Lanquin a couple we met was traveling on to Rio Dulce and they took a shuttle. They just asked at their hotel. I think it was $20 and was supposed to be 5-6 hours. Like I said before, there are buses but not many. I would just ask around when you are in Rio Dulce. I think you will either be able to piece it together by bus (several buses) or there will be a shuttle.