CUEVAS DE B'OMB'IL PEK ET JUL IQ'

The site has been open to the public since 2002, 30 years after it was officially discovered by the Frenchman Daniel Dreux. The two caves take their name from the q'eqchi' B'omb'il, meaning Cueva pintada - "Painted Cave" - because of the jaguar and the two drawn monkeys that it shelters, dating from the classical period. For its part, Jul Iq' can be translated as Cueva del aire - "Cave of the Air". To reach them, you have to walk along a green path for about 40 minutes, which continues inside the caves for about half an hour each. Together they have a depth of 300^m2.

Easy to access, Jul Iq' is made up of a succession of underground rooms filled with stalactites and stalagmites that sometimes join together in columns or curtains of multicolored crystals. They are illuminated by natural windows which offer plays of light worthy of the most beautiful stained glasses.

On the other hand, B'omb'il Pek is reserved for the non-claustrophobic. To reach it, it is necessary to sink to the bottom of a chasm formed by the collapse of the ancient cave. There are two possibilities: to take a steep wooden staircase or to abseil down. Then, it will be necessary to climb several imposing rocks and to slip through narrow passages, until the rupestrian paintings, considered to be the first ones of Guatemala. You will also be able to observe numerous ceramics. An unforgettable visit.