Flores & Lanquin, Guatemala

"Very good price, Señor!". With these familiar words, we are greeted at the bus station in Belize city; our destination is the Guatemalan border and we have not even stepped out of the taxi. It is a sad fact that travelling breeds cynicism. Often it is warranted, as you will soon read. In this case, however, we have struck gold. Here we find ourselves being offered a taxi direct to the border for the same price as we would otherwise have paid for a long, hot, sweaty bus journey. Quickly accepting the offer, we are whisked to the border in comfort and much quicker than expected. A simple border crossing leads to a minivan waiting to take us to Flores, a picturesque town located on a small hill in the middle of a lake.

Mayan ruins at Tikal

Flores is one of the main towns in this part of Guatemala and a major tourist destination, thanks in part to its proximity to the Mayan ruins at nearby Tikal. It is on arrival in Flores that we first experience the infamous ´coyote´, a seemingly friendly English-speaking local who makes great offers of tours and onward travel with promises of discount rates. Needless to say, these offers are massively inflated prices and attempt to take advantage of newcomers´ lack of knowledge. Thankfully, we have received advance warning of these ´coyotes´, which we are convinced translates into Scots as ´bastards´, and kindly decline his generous offers.

Sitting atop the highest temple

Disaster averted, we set about making our acquaintance with Flores, exploring its cobblestone streets and visiting its lakeside cafes. We also arrange our tour of the Mayan ruins at Tikal, which, despite a 4am departure, proves to be a great trip. We saw tarantulas, monkeys, toucans and parrots, as well as the magnificent Mayan ruins buried deep within the rainforest. We are able to climb to the top of the highest temple in the complex and see the entire maze of ruins laid out before us, with the tops of the highest temples peeking out above the top of the trees. A particular highlight of the tour was witnessing several spider monkeys leaping between the trees above us.

Diving spider monkey

After the early morning rise and the long tour in the humid rainforest, we both feel like a little comfort food, so decide to try a local pizzeria. The aptly-named Pizza Vesuvius could only lead to one end, as we later compete for shots on the throne. Thankfully the eruptions have abated by the time we board our shuttle bus the next morning, which see us head south to the small village of Lanquin, perched high in the Guatemalan highlands. Despite a couple of hiccups (including the entire bus being emptied to allow the driver to wash his bus at a petrol station, and two passengers being asked to sit on what were effectively deckchairs in the aisle of the bus for the entire 9-hour journey), we finally arrive at our destination.

Zephyr Lodge

Lanquin is a shit hole, let´s not pretend. It has nothing to offer visitors (unless you like being ripped off and choking on diesel fumes) except a very short journey to Semuc Champey. Here, however, you will find some of the most dramatic scenery in the country, where natural limestone pools cascade gently above a violent underground river. It´s a stunning location that can only be reached by truck or similar 4x4-equipped vehicle. Predictably, the insane Guatemalan transport situation continues, as we all stand upright hanging on to the back of a pickup truck for the next 45 minutes. After a bumpy ride, we are greeted by awesome views and spend a day exploring the area, climbing the surrounding cliffs and swimming in the cool, clear pools.

The pools of Semuc Champey

Our accommodation in the outskirts of Lanquin, the Zephyr Lodge, was also excellent - great food, great people and great views across the surrounding valleys. The staff at Zephyr can arrange tours and travel around this part of Guatemala, so we choose to spend an afternoon on a tubing trip. This is a simple concept, where you take the inner tube from a tractor tyre, sit in it and allow the current to guide you down the river. Simple, no doubt, yet made a little more interesting by overhanging branches, river rapids and razor-sharp rocks. And of course, the obligatory beer drinking throughout. All capped off by jumping into the river from a tree 10m above. Aptly summed up by Babs as "crazy shit". Great fun mind.

Guatemalan breakfast

We could easily have spent a lot longer in this part of the country, exploring further and relaxing in the comfort of the Zephyr Lodge. But we have more places to visit and will soon be heading south to see more of Guatemala...