Having lived at the Lake for 4 months in 2022, this is one of the places on my travels I have the most insight to. Lake Atitlán is renowned as one of the most beautiful lakes in the world. It is also the deepest lake in Central America, with many parts still unexplored. A fisherman once found an entire city dating back to 250 AD in the lake. There is no road that circles the lake, so many towns are only accessible by boat, and it is a hub for ancient Mayan culture, with many locals speaking Kaqchickel or other Mayan dialects as their first language before Spanish.
SOME ADVICE
Don’t Swim in the Lake
Despite its incredible beauty, I really wouldn’t recommend swimming in the lake. During my time here I caught a number of parasites, and it is pretty common to get sick from the water. As well as the lake not having a very efficient sewage system (meaning a lot of the waste is just dumped in the water), and there is a pretty harmful algae present in parts algae known as Microcystis cyanobacteria. While the lake is good for kayaking/paddleboarding that’s about as far as I would take any water activities. Try to keep your head out of the water, and brush your teeth with bottled water while you’re here. Sickness is more common during the rainy season due to higher water pollution.
This isn’t meant to put you off – the lake is literally one of the most beautiful places I have ever been in my life and I had the most amazing 4 months there – it’s just a little warning following my experience!
Visit During Dry Season
The rainy season starts in May and ends in October. It’s still nice to visit the lake at this time, but its true beauty really shines in the dry season, with perfect warm weather for sunbathing and hikes, and beautiful sunrises and sunsets every day.
Don’t Let the Boat Drivers scam you
The boat or ‘lancha’ drivers will absolutely try to scam you. When you arrive to the port in Panajachel, they will try. toget you to take a private boat – this is not necessary. Public boats leave Panajachel every 30 minutes (or until they fill) until 7pm, and every 30 minutes until 5pm in the opposite direction. You shouldn’t pay more than 25Q (€3) for a lancha ride if you have your backpack with you, and less if you don’t. Prices change between towns so the further you go the more pricey it will be, but only by 5-10Q.
How to Get to Lake Atitlán, Guatemala.
FLY
If your first stop in Guatemala is the lake, then you will need to organise transport from Guatemala City Airport. For cheap flights to Guatemala check out aviasales or KIWI.COM for the best deal. An UBER from the airport to the lake will cost you about 40 USD. My recommendation, however, would be to stay in Antigua (check out my budget travel guide for Antigua here)for one night after you land and take a bus or shuttle the next day.
BUS
You can come to the lake from pretty much everywhere in Guatemala via a shared shuttle. Just ask your hostel to help you organise one. You can also come from Mexico via San Cristobal de Las Casas (check out my San Cristobal blog post here!) – this journey is about 12 hours. My top tip is when you’re leaving Antigua to organise your shuttles and tours through Somos Hostel as they honestly have the best shuttle prices of anywhere in Antigua. CHECK OUT MY COMPLETE BUDGET TRAVEL GUIDE FOR ANTIGUA HERE.
You can also take public transport on ‘chicken busses’ – pimped-out old school buses from the USA. This is a lot cheaper but can take up to 3x as long and involve a lot of bus changes. I would only recommend doing this if you speak Spanish so you can ask for directions etc.
The Best Places to Stay in Lake Atitlán, Guatemala
There are lots of different towns on the lake, but it’s not really too important which one you stay in as you can get a boat for 15-25Q (€2-3) to any of the other towns.
BUDGET-FRIENDLY OPTIONS
FREE CERVEZA, Santa Cruz:
Free Cerveza is an absolute dream of a hostel, situated right on the lake. There are lots of different glamping options and so many free activities. Included in the price of your stay are daily yoga lessons, sunrise hikes, or sunrise SUP tours, as well as free use of kayaks and paddleboards, and free evening activities like trivia and beer pong. For less than €10 a night (78Q) you can get a 3-course family-style dinner every night alongside 2 hours of free beer! This hostel is the perfect mix of chill and social in the most beautiful location.
DREAMBOAT, Panajachel:
While Panajachel is not my favorite town on the lake, it is a great stopover and if you’re staying there then Dreamboat is the place to stay. A party hostel for sure, this hostel is in a great location and is a great way to meet people during your stay at the lake. Plus it has a pool!
MR MULLETS, San Pedro:
This place wouldn’t be my scene at all, to be honest, but I’m just putting it in there in case any of you reading absolutely love a trashy backpacker-style party. Mr. Mullets is probably the craziest party hostel in Guatemala. They do bi-monthly boat parties and bi-weekly pub-crawls which get pretty crazy.
MAYA MOON LODGE, Tzununa:
I didn’t actually get to stay here but I heard great things from my friends who did. This is a bit off the beaten track, this is the perfect place to unwind, do some yoga, and reconnect with nature.
TREAT YOURSELF OPTIONS
SUNSET LODGE, Santa Cruz:
Sunset Lodge is a dreamy set of apartments in Santa Cruz, perfect for digital nomads with its good wifi.
CASA DEL MUNDO, Santa Cruz:
Casa Del Mundo is one of my dream places to stay on the lake if I could afford it. Accessible only by boat or a long long walk (I mean this is the case for lots of places on the lake but it’s pretty isolated), this hotel has stunning views and is right on the water.
EAGLES NEST, San Marcos:
Located in hippie haven San Marcos, Eagles Nest is a yoga-loving-cacao drinking- ecstatic dancer’s dream. It’s a bit expensive but may be one of the best yoga views of your lifetime.
Which Towns to Visit on the Lake, Guatemala, and What to do There
SAN MARCOS, LAKE ATITLÁN
San Marcos is the perfect place to go to buy Cacao, do some yoga, and eat vegan food. However, in my opinion, (as a yogi who loves all this kind of stuff generally) there is something a bit inauthentic about San Marcos. It is all very white American what I imagine to be an LA version of spirituality, plonked in the middle of and completely taking over from the indigenous Mayan spirituality and magic that once was there. That being said, it’s a great place to do some yoga and there are a few places with nice offerings, at a standard Western price of course. Anyway, I’ve put together below a list of some things you can do there:
Best Things to do in San Marcos
- Visit the National Reserve
- Cliff Jump
- Take a yoga class in Eagle’s Nest or Yoga Forest
- Get a Massage ( I got an amazing hour long massage for 175Q/€20 here.)
- Go to the Markets
Where to Eat in San Marcos
Go to San Marcos for the food alone.
- Restaurant Fe (Best Pizza on the Lake)
- El Artesano Wine and Cheese
- Dolce Gelato (ice-cream)
- Samsara (Healthy, Vegan)
SAN PEDRO, LAKE ATITLÁN
San Pedro is the party town on the lake! Apart from that, there’s not too much to do but I’ve put together a little list anyway!
Best Things to do in San Pedro
- Hike Indian Nose
- Visit the solar pools (just tell them 1 hour before)
- Stay in a homestay and go to a Spanish school (this is one of the cheapest places to do this!)
Where to Eat in San Pedro
San Pedro is another great spot for food – when I lived on the lake we used to just go there for food all the time.
- Pitta Sabij (Israeli food)
- Hummus-Ya (Israeli food)
- Yakitori (sushi and Japanese food)
- Restaurante Pizzeria de Alfredo (other best pizza on the lake)
Where to Drink in San Pedro
I’ve added this one as San Pedro is the big party place so it would feel weird not to add some bars in.
- Boat Party – Mr. Mullets do a boat party on the 5th and 20th of every month. Tickets are 200Q (€25) and include ‘unlimited drinks’ (unlimited until they run out so get your drinks in quick!)
- Pub Crawl – twice a week on Tuesdays and Fridays Mr. Mullets runs their famous pub crawl.
- Sublime – this is the main bar in San Pedro, where everyone ends up.
- El Barrio – I add this one in as they do an amazing Boozy Brunch deal every Saturday and Sunday (they also serve Guinness sometimes).
SANTA CRUZ, LAKE ATITLÁN
Honestly, there is nothing much to do in Santa Cruz except hang out in the great hostels, but I’ve put together a very small list anyway:
- Hike to San Marcos (approx 3 hours).
- Hike to the waterfall (in rainy season)
- Kayak (Santa Cruz is one of the best places to Kayak as it has slightly cleaner water
- Visit Cafe Sabor (a cafe with great views of the lake run by a local charity.)
PANAJACHEL, LAKE ATITLÁN
Panajachel , pronounced ‘PAN – A – HATCH – EL’, also known as ‘Pana’, is the tourist hub on the lake. This is the town most buses will bring you to, and you get your boat from there. If you’re looking for good wifi, nice food, and creature comforts like a supermarket or Domino’s pizza, this is a great spot to hang out for a while.
Best Things to do in Panajachel
- ATV ride
- Ziplining
- Shop in the markets
- Thrift shopping
Where to Eat in Panajachel
- The Little Spoon – delicious brunch, lots of fun evening activities, and a great space to come work for the day
- Restaurante Hana – sushi and Japanese food
- Dolce Gelato
- Delhi 6 – amazing Indian food
- Deli Jasmin – great breakfast
TZUNUNA, LAKE ATITLÁN
Tzununa is a little more off the beaten track. This is the place to come if you want to disconnect from tourists and spend some time in nature.
Best Things to do in Tzununa
- Do yoga at Doron Yoga & Zen Center
- Hike to the waterfalls (in rainy season)
- Visit The Old Goat Irish pub/ permaculture farm
SAN JUAN, LAKE ATITLÁN
San Juan is famous for its colourful buildings and cute streets. It is only a 10-minute TukTuk from San Pedro so is a great day trip if that’s where you’re staying. We paid 40Q (€5) each for a Tuk Tuk to bring me and some friends around to visit. a bee farm, a chocolate factory, and watch textiles being woven (we organised this with a guide at the dock.)
Best Things to do in San Juan
- Visit a bee farm and watch how they make honey
- Watch textiles being woven
- Visit a chocolate factory
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