Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
grab a flashlight and helmet. Inner tubes are also available for rent ($3) for inner tubing on
the cool waters of the
Río San Simón,
another fun nearby activity.
The trip to B'omb'il Pek begins with a 40-minute hike through forest and cornfields. A
steep wooden staircase leads you down into the sinkhole. Inside the cave, there are ceram-
ics, and the caves are still used for Mayan religious ceremonies. There is a second, much
smaller chamber where there are some faded cave paintings of two monkeys and a jaguar.
The community tourism organization offers the option to do the tour with rappelling into
the cave for $8. Cobán-based
Aventuras Turísticas
(3a Calle 2-38 Zona 3, tel. 7951-4213
/14,
www.aventurasturisticas.com
)
also does rappelling into the sinkhole as well as visits
to the Sepalau Lagoons.
The
Lagunas de Sepalau
($5.50) is a sublime assortment of four turquoise, jungle-
shroudedlagoonsfoundninekilometerseastoftown.Thegatewaytothesefantasticswim-
ming holes is the small Q'eqchi' village of Sepalau Cataltzul, where another community-
run tourism initiative will lead you to the lagoons, a further one kilometer away. The first
lagoonyou'llfindis
Laguna Paraíso,
surroundedbythickjungle.Unfortunately,youcan't
swim here, as it serves as the source of drinking water for nearby communities. There are,
however, boats for rent if you want to paddle across its peaceful waters. The next lagoon
is right next to it and is smaller, but you can swim in it. Walking through a jungle path for
another kilometer will bring you to the third and fourth lagoons, which are the most spec-
tacular, framed by a background of high limestone cliffs.
