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Draft data. Times, fares and step counts are desk estimates awaiting field checks. Unknown times stay unknown. How we verify

Major city · Guatemala

Lanquín

Stay 2 nights: one full day for Semuc Champey, one dusk for the Grutas bats. Skip it as a day trip — the last shuttle out leaves before the bats.

Weather
see forecast
Currency
GTQ
Best months
Feb–May (drier, pools clearest)
avoid Sep–Oct (wettest, road washouts)
Airports
GUA · FRS
Nights
2
Not field-verifiedbasic guide
Print / PDF guide
3 pages, for the metro and roaming-off days
Map
Google Maps Apple Maps Street View
Rules in force · 6Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua (CA-4) giv…
  • Central America ↗Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua (CA-4) give one shared entry allowance, usually 90 days in total; leaving for Belize, Costa Rica or Mexico and coming back does not always reset it — check with immigration before a long stay.
  • Central America ↗Cross land borders in daylight and early in the day; many posts close or empty of transport by late afternoon, and the approaches are where robberies happen.
  • Central America ↗Several borders charge entry, exit or municipal fees in US dollars (Belize exit, Nicaragua entry and exit, Honduras entry); carry small, clean US notes and ask for a receipt.
  • Guatemala ↗Check entry rules for your passport with Guatemala's Migration Institute or a Guatemalan consulate. Guatemala shares a Central America border agreement (CA-4) with El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua, so your permitted stay may count across all four.
  • Guatemala ↗Hike volcanoes (Acatenango, Pacaya) only with registered guides and check eruption alerts; Fuego is highly active.
  • Guatemala ↗Avoid public chicken buses between cities: they are frequent targets of robbery. Use tourist shuttles or private transport.

Lanquín is a hot river valley town in the Northern Lowlands, 7 km from Semuc Champey and next to the Grutas de Lanquín cave system. Almost everyone comes for those two things and stays two nights. Roads in are rough and slow, so treat arrival and departure as half-days.

Essentials

Quick answers and what things cost

Quick answers

The questions people ask first about Lanquín, one line each. Tap a card for the full answer.

Cost cheat-sheet

2026 desk estimate · check

Typical prices for the everyday things, as ranges. Your currency is shown next to the local price.

  • Sit-down mealSet lunch at a comedorQ25–40
  • Beerbar / shopQ20–30Q12–18
  • Taxi, about 5 kmTuk-tuk in townAgree the fare before you get in.Q5–15
  • SIM or eSIM, a weekeSIM or data SIM, about a weekQ100–200
  • Budget bedHostel dorm bed, a night, per personGTQ 60
  • Mid-range bedPrivate double room, a night, per roomGTQ 280
  • High-end bedPrivate double room, a night, per roomGTQ 550

A day, not counting the bed: Budget GTQ 180 · Mid GTQ 320 · High GTQ 600

Local prices, with USD next to them (rates 2026-09 (approximate); change it in the header). Ranges are desk estimates: check locally. Every price and the budget calculator →

Decide

What it is known for, and when the weather works

At a glance

What the city is known for, how you fly in, and where to find the phrases.

Semuc Champey limestone poolsGrutas de Lanquín caves and bat exitRiver tubing on the Lanquín riverCave-and-pools day tours
Airports
GUA Guatemala City — La Aurora (No direct service to Lanquín; shuttle or bus via Cobán, or fly to Flores then come overland.) · FRS Flores — Mundo Maya (Closest useful airfield; about 5–7 h overland to Lanquín, check current road conditions.)

Weather and climate

Forecast from Open-Meteo · averages rounded

Lanquín: next 7 days

Loading forecast…

Forecast: Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0), model data for this point.

Air quality

Loading…

Model estimate (CAMS via Open-Meteo), not a street-level station; readings near busy roads run higher.

Jan

27°C

18°C

12 rd

Feb

29°C

18°C

9 rd

Mar

31°C

19°C

8 rd

Apr

32°C

20°C

8 rd

May

32°C

21°C

13 rd

Jun

31°C

21°C

20 rd

Jul

30°C

21°C

22 rd

Aug

30°C

21°C

21 rd

Sep

30°C

21°C

22 rd

Oct

29°C

21°C

20 rd

Nov

28°C

19°C

15 rd

Dec

27°C

18°C

13 rd

High / low °C · rd = rain days

Arrive & move

Airports are listed under At a glance; this is how to move once you are in

Getting around

Walk: the town is small, most places are within a 20-minute walk. Tuk-tuks run in town and sometimes as late as 23:00; agree the fare first. Pickup trucks to Semuc Champey cost about Q25 each way (2026 estimate).

See & do

Day-trips, door to door

Day-trips

Door-to-door, not ride time

Semuc Champey

go

Door to door: About 1 h each way

Pickup from town, about 30–45 min on a rough road

Tiered limestone pools with a river running underneath; climb to the mirador first, then swim. Park entry is charged separately — check current price.

Grutas de Lanquín

go

Door to door: About 30 min

Walk or tuk-tuk from town, then a short hike to the cave mouth

Lit walkways for roughly the first 400 m. Arrive before sunset for the bat exit; watching from the riverbank outside is free.

El Retiro river bend

go

Door to door: About 20 min

Walk 15–20 min, or tube down from upstream

Tubing with tube, ride and entrance runs about Q20; the driver usually stops for beers.

Cobán

caution

Door to door: About 2–3 h

Minibus from Lanquín, stops to pick up locals

Useful as a connection, not a day out. Minibus fare about Q25 (2026 estimate).

Eat & sleep

Which area to sleep in

Where to sleep

Areas, not hotels: pick the one that fits your arrival time and plans.

Lanquín town centre

Walkable, comedores and the Banrural ATM; cheapest beds, no river.

El Retiro / river road

Riverside guesthouses 10–20 min walk out of town; tubing, bar, communal dinner.

Hillside hostels above town

Valley views and river access; steep walk back up, bring a torch.

Practical

What a day costs, what to watch out for, and the pocket card

Cost per day

2026 estimate, excluding the bed unless stated
Budget
Q150–250 excl. bed
Mid
Q250–450 excl. bed
High
Q450+ excl. bed

Trip budget

2026 estimate · converts to your currency
Private double room1 × 2 nights × GTQ 280GTQ 560
Food, local transport, entries2 × 2 days × GTQ 320GTQ 1,280
Semuc Champey pickup, both ways2 × GTQ 50GTQ 100
Semuc Champey park entry2 × GTQ 50 · checkGTQ 100
Grutas de Lanquín park entry2 × GTQ 30GTQ 60
eSIM, about a week of data2 × GTQ 150GTQ 300
Buffer 10%Price creep, a taxi you did not plan, one splurgeGTQ 240
Trip total≈ GTQ 660 per person per day, bed includedGTQ 2,640

2026 estimate in quetzales; long-distance shuttles and tours excluded. Your choices stay in this browser.

Prices of common things

Set lunch at a comedorQ25–40
Beer: bar / shopQ20–30 / Q12–18
Hostel dinner or breakfastQ20–40
River tubing (tube, ride, entrance)Q20
Tuk-tuk in townAgree the fare before you get in.Q5–15
eSIM or data SIM, about a weekQ100–200

2026 estimate; check locally.

Watch out

Safety

Lanquín itself is a small, low-crime town and the main risks are practical: slippery cave rock, deep water, rough roads and cash shortages. Keep valuables in a dry bag on the river, and do not walk unlit roads out of town after dark without a torch.
  • The road to Semuc Champey is rough and under improvement: allow extra time and expect dust or mud.
  • Cave paths and rocks are wet and covered in bat guano: sturdy non-slip shoes and a torch.
  • Cave tours involve swimming, wading and jumps in the dark — only if you are comfortable in water.
  • Some riverside guesthouses have a poor record of writing down reservations: have a backup bed.
  • Carry cash. There is a Banrural ATM with a 5B machine in town, but it can be empty or offline.

Emergency numbers

Police
110
Fire and ambulance
122
Tourist assistance (INGUAT)
1500

Pocket card

One page · print or save as PDF

Fill in, then print or save as PDF

Stays in this browser only; nothing is sent anywhere.

LanquínLanquín

Pocket card · Voykit

My bed tonight

—

—

—

A esta dirección, por favorTo this address, please

Emergency

  • Police110
  • Fire and ambulance122
  • Tourist assistance (INGUAT)1500

Embassy

No embassies in Lanquín. Most are in Guatemala City; the US, UK, Canada and Australia all operate from there. Consular help for the Petén is usually handled from Guatemala City or Flores.

My embassy: —

Fare anchors (2026 estimate)

  • Lanquín → Semuc Champey pickup: about Q25 each way, 30–45 min
  • Lanquín → Cobán minibus: about Q25, 2–3 h
  • Tuk-tuk in town: Q5–15, agree first

Say or show

  • ¿Cuánto cuesta? — How much is it? (KWAN-toh KWES-tah)
  • ¿Dónde está la gruta? — Where is the cave? (DON-deh es-TAH la GROO-tah)
  • Dos entradas, por favor — Two tickets, please (dohs en-TRAH-dahs por fah-VOR)
  • ¿Está pasable el camino? — Is the road passable? (es-TAH pah-SAH-bleh el kah-MEE-noh)
  • Tengo una reservación — I have a reservation (TEN-goh OO-nah reh-ser-vah-SYON)
  • La cuenta, por favor — The bill, please (lah KWEN-tah por fah-VOR)

Cash is king here. Draw quetzales in Cobán or Flores before you arrive.

Deep dive

What this guide covers so far, and its sources

Not a trip line yet

This is a basic guide: no airport-to-bed contract, walking clusters or day plans are published for Lanquín. Airport, fare and schedule details are unverified; check the operators before you fly.

What we know, and what is coming

On this page

  1. Best months: Feb–May (drier, pools clearest) · avoid Sep–Oct (wettest, road washouts) · month by month →
  2. 2 airports and 3 areas to sleep in
  3. Weather: a 7-day forecast and monthly averages
  4. Cost per day in 3 bands
  5. 4 day-trips, door to door
  6. 5 things to watch out for, with emergency numbers

Coming as the guide grows

  1. Airport-to-bed contract for GUA and FRS: last shuttle departures field-checked, Cobán connection, overnight rung.
  2. Three walking clusters with rescue anchors: town centre, El Retiro river road, hillside hostels.
  3. Place pages with verified cutoffs (Semuc Champey, Grutas de Lanquín, El Retiro) and eat pages with last orders.
  4. Wet-season and hostile arrival fixtures so gates A–D can go green.

Meanwhile

Back to Guatemala

Sources