Location: Lanquín, Alta Verapaz Department Map
Grutas de Lanquín is a magnificent natural cave complex located near San Agustín Lanquín (northwest of the village center) of Alta Verapaz Department in Guatemala. The Grutas de Lanquín National Park is a protected area consisting of a system of large limestone caves located 1 km (0.62 miles) west of Lanquín. The cave system of Lanquín was declared a national park in 1955, covering an area of about 11 hectares (0.11 square kilometers), near the entrance is a river called Lanquín, which runs for 12 kilometers until reaching the river Cahabón.
Their scientific exploration has not been
completed yet, it is impossible to know the true length of the cave
system, but there are those who have reached it within 3 km. A
section of about 400 meters long can be visited by tourists who have
built-in electric lighting in this section, as well as some of the
more difficult to reach places and staircases. Walking is slightly
complicated by the large amount of guano, which comes from thousands
of bats living here and night. Visitors usually leave the cave at
the same entrance, where they have entered, but with a leader it is
also possible to choose another, more difficult exit.
In the
caves Grutas de Lanquín, the Lanquín River is known for its strange
blue water, but the exact location of the source is still unknown.
There are various limestone shapes in the caves of the cave and
in its halls, which human imagination resembles all kinds of objects
and creatures (such as sashoz), but there is also the so-called
Altar de la Picota (the "altar of pellengers") where the old mayas
held ceremonies. The caves Grutas de Lanquín here are respected by
the Kekcsi indigenous peoples as the sacred place, which is regarded
as the "heart of the sky", and they perceive deep secrets.