The day we left Flores the weather finally took a turn for the better and the sun was shining when we pulled in to Finca Ixobel (GPS N16.30335 W089.42032), a working guest ranch just outside of the pueblo of Poptun. The finca is set up for all flavors of camping – cool little treehouses, cabanas, tent, and car camping. They had plenty of space for the vans, nice bathrooms and showers, and water/electricity too (40Q per night). We found a fair number of people there, hanging in the common area of the main house, but it did not feel crowded and the overall atmosphere was pretty sleepy and relaxed. In addition to a full kitchen that puts out some really good food, they also offer several day trips off the finca. Bryan and I hiked with our guide Aquino to the Rio de Cueva. This river essentially springs out of the earth and then immediately flows into a cave and runs underground for approximately 1.5 km from the cave mouth, with several small waterfall drops along the way. At the terminus of the cave system you reach the tallest of the falls which cascades into a relatively still pool – from here the water seeps down into the rock again. Once you enter the cave, the entire hike is in the water, varying from ankle deep to over-your-head swimming. We each had a headlight – you need to make sure you have at least 2 hours of battery in your lamp because when the lights go out in there it is truly the darkest of dark. Aquino brought along candles and planted them every couple hundred yards to mark the way out should we lose our lights, but I would not want to depend on that.
Looking back at the entrance to Rio de Cueva
Cascading underground waterfall about a kilometer in from the mouth of the cave
Getting to the cave entrance was as much a part of the adventure as the in-river section. We left at 9 AM, did not dally, and got back at 3PM (an hour earlier than most folks we’re told). The trek in to the cave is by itself a 2 hour deal if you don’t stop and take breaks, longer if you do – definitely not a hike for pansies. To start with, after many days of unseasonable rain, at least 60% of the trail in to the cave was ankle deep in shoe sucking mud. Initially Bryan and I were both planning to just wear our own running shoes on the hike, but the manager convinced us to borrow from their stock of loaner shoes instead and I’m really glad we did! Unfortunately the smallest size they had was 2 sizes too big for me, so I had the shoes ripped off my feet at least 4-5 times on the way in 🙂 The trail in crossed several kinds of terrain, from open slopes full of grazing cattle to dense overgrown jungle trail – lots of razor sharp machete wielding by Aquino. The machete is the most ubiquitous tool in Guatemala and is used for a multitude of tasks other than brush cutting – I’m pretty sure they issue one with your birth certificate here. Aquino said that in a typical year he goes through more than 20 machetes, replacing them when the blade becomes too thin to sharpen anymore. Bryan was so taken with the blade that Aquino allowed us to buy it from him – my husband is now known as Indiana Irwin 🙂
Ankle deep, shoe stealing mud on the way to Rio de Cuevas
Small obstacles in the trail on the way to the cave. Aquino had to wield the flat edge of his machete to deter a charging cow trying to protect her calf. Note the super high end Guatemalan backpack Bryan is sporting 🙂
Here you can see where the machete really comes in handy. This ain’t no typical tourist trail – after this trip I really feel like I have been IN Guatemala.
LongroadSTT 