Cancuen/Quirigua/Machaquila/Candelaria Xibalba–Sacred Caves of the Maya/ Rafting code: CUEN8

Day 1 Guatemala/ Quiriguá/ Poptun-Machaquila
Meet at Maya Expeditions office at 7:00am or be picked up at your hotel earlier. (Transportation from Antigua available) Drive towards the Atlantic coast to visit the Maya ruins of Quirugua. Scrutinize the rare zoomorphologic structures and the famous 3-dimensional facial view stelae, associated with Copán found within this site.
Lunch en route. Continue on to the town of Poptun and overnight at the eco-lodge Villa de los Castellanos. Enjoy the medicinal plant trail constructed by the locals. Dinner and overnight.

Day 2 Machaquila / Painted Caves / Machaquila
After breakfast take 4-wheel drive vehicles to a local community close to the entrance to the caves. After a short walk of 25 min., we arrive to the entrance to the caves. The cave walk will be about 3 hours with some intermediate climbing skills required. The Local guides are very helpful. Lunch at the site and return to the vehicle for a drive to Machaquila. Dinner and overnight.

Day 3 Machaquila / Cancuen / Candelaria
After breakfast drive vehicles to a small village along the Pasión River. Here we transfer by boats to the local service of transport to Cancuen. 1 1/2 hour boat ride to arrive at the field camp of Arthur Demarest and his team from Vanderbilt and Del Valle University. Guided by the local archaeologist we will visit the excavations of the Largest Palace of the Maya region yet discovered as well as the various digs throughout the site. Including the Jade workshop found in the 2001 season, which has yielded many precious artifacts, like a jade earpiece polishing rock for various different types of ear flanges.
Lunch at the site. In late afternoon, return by boat to our vehicles for a short drive to our lodging at the eco-lodge Candelaria for dinner and overnight. These accommodations are run by the community of Mucbilhá who oversee the conservation of the jungle on-top and surrounding the caves.

Day 4 Candelaria Caves
After breakfast we first visit a cave called "Cueva Seca". The entrance to this cave is an immense cavern with murals of the Maya Indians 20 meters above the cave floor. Spend 1-2 hours exploring the intricate formations and the towering columns one finds inside the inner sections of the "Cueva Seca". Continue with small inflatable rafts to the cave system Veronica. Four to five hours of the longest cave system on the Rio Candelaria. Experience the 150 meter Brain room, Marvel at the 25 meter “waterfall” of flowstone. All combined in mixture of darkness and natural light. A light bag lunch is carried by each participant. We must hike a short ways out of the cave at the end to get to our vehicles to return to eco-lodge for dinner and overnight.

Day 5 Candelaria Caves
6:00 breakfast. Early departure to entrance to the Caves of Mico and Nacimiento (Birth). Enjoy the morning traversing through the variance of rock formations at leisure paddling through the mild current. Each participant carries a light lunch. Arrive at exit of the Nacimiento for a short hike to awaiting vehicles. Return to eco-lodge for dinner and overnight.

Day 6 Candelaria / Lanquín
After breakfast, board bus for drive to the town of Lanquín. Lunch en route. For those who feel energetic, we will visit the caves of Lanquín where the bluish green river spills forth through one of the cave's openings. At dusk, one can observe the spectacular exodus of thousands of bats that fly out on their nightly hunts. Dinner and overnight at the Hotel El Recreo.

Day 7 Lanquín / Rio Cahabón / Lanquín
Early breakfast and then transfer to our put-in, a few kilometers out of town, on the banks of the Lanquín River. After a safety and orientation talk we board the rafts and begin descent of the Lanquín river to its confluence with the Cahabón river. Continue on the Cahabón, navigating some of the river’s largest and most difficult rapids. The day is full of excitement, a perfect combination of rapids, tranquil pools, friendly Maya-Keck'chi Indians, and wildlife. Enjoy the subtropical jungle with large variety of orchids and bromeliads blooming throughout the year. Marvel at the local birdlife like a Montezuma Oropendula, Blue belted & Amazon Kingfishers, Amazon Parrots or a glimpse of the Keel billed Toucan. In the afternoon we arrive at the small village of Tamash, our take-out, where we transfer to awaiting four-wheel drive vehicle for a ride back to Lanquín. Dinner and overnight at the Hotel El Recreo.

Day 8 Lanquín / Semuc Champey / Guatemala
Sunrise departure to view the incredibly beautiful travertine pools of Semuc Champey, where the Cahabón River runs underneath. The pools are lying on top of a natural limestone bridge formed by deposits of minerals carried by creeks descending down the cliffs of the canyon. Your expert guide will guide you to where the river disappears beneath the earth. Breakfast at the site. Morning free to swim and relax in this special natural paradise. At mid-day we return to Cobán for Lunch and continue to Guatemala.