Lago Atitlán, Guatemala

Lago Atitlan is a fresh water lake in a volcanic crater of Guatemala’s lush and rugged highlands. Its shores are surrounded by conical volcanos, nature preserves, coffee farms and small pueblos home to Mayan cultures, indigenous peoples and backpackers.

San Juan de la Laguna

San Juan de la Laguna is a pueblo with an authentic and vibrant local culture known for its handicrafts and artistic traditions preserved by indigenous women. Buildings throughout town are painted with colorful murals depicting the women and their artistry. The main streets are decorated in canopies of umbrellas, banderas and string lights. Cafes, bakeries, textile shops, art galleries and roof top restaurants with views of Lake Atitlán are common places to taste the local culture.

Los Calles de las Sombrillas. A series of painted streets throughout the pueblo with a canopy of colorful umbrellas, banderas and string lights hanging overhead. The most vibrant street leads from the ferry dock into town, passing craft and souvenir stores, cafes serving Guatemalan coffee, galleries selling colorful paintings and walls painted with vibrant murals depicting the local culture.

Market Municipal. A small produce market along La Calle de las Sombrillas with vendors selling fresh vegetables, produce, dried peppers, eggs, herbs and lake fish. We bought groceries for the week to cook Guatemalan meals in our hotel’s traditional kitchen.

SOL 4. The main road that passes through San Juan. After the last ferries leave for the day, this road becomes the epicenter of activity for locals. Whole families gather for dinner as street food vendors fill the air with aromas of grilled meats, fresh made tortillas and burning charcoal. Brightly illuminated chicken buses roar past, announcing their presence with the honk of a train horn.

Iglesia Católica San Juan La Laguna. A historic but simple stone church in the center of town with dual bells. The plaza in front of it is a popular spot for street food vendors selling pollo con papas (chicken with fries), choco-fruitas (chocolate covered fruits), pan dulces (sweet breads) and micheladas.

Traditions & Crafts

Indigenous women keep Mayan traditions and crafts alive. Throughout the pueblo, women are seen wearing colorful handwoven textiles, often seen making tortillas on streets and weaving inside shops and collectives.

Licor Marron Chocolate. A Guatemalan chocolatier with traditional chocolate making classes, tastings and history lessons about cacaos importance to the ancient Mayans. During an hour long class, we began by separating hundreds of dried cacao beans by size to roast in a traditional clay comal (frying pan). An intoxicating chocolate aroma wafted from the beans as they popped and cracked under the heat. Once fully roasted, we separated the husks by hand and pulverized the beans on a traditional grinding stone. We tasted tea made from the husks and ancestral hot chocolate made from the cacao grounds mixed with molasses sugar, cinnamon and cardamom. We bought a few hand pressed bars and large pellet on ancestral chocolate used to make our own hot chocolate at home.

Casa Flor Ixcaco Weaving Cooperative. A female owned weaving cooperative with demonstrations of the textile making process. During the demo, a weaver began by separating seeds from raw cotton, beat the cotton fibers to soften them, spun them into yarn and dyed them in a turmeric bath. Using a back strap loom, she continued weaving a piece that was weeks in the process. The cooperative has a store with textiles made by the women, including clothes, bags, home decor and blankets. Each piece has a tag with a photo and name of the woman who made it, the type of cotton it’s made from, the dyes that were used and how long the item took to make.

Mundo de Abejas Mayas. A bee farm and honey producer with an interactive garden home to hives of various species of stingless bees. We visited and tasted over a dozen types of pure and infused honeys made from local ingredients. We bought a jar of crystallized honey spread to smear on toast and sweeten herbal tea. Their shop sells all types of bee products including candles, honeys, pollen, raw honey combs, royal jelly, bee venom, honey wine and soaps. Despite its name, the bee farm has nothing to do with Mayan culture. It’s focused on the sustainable harvesting of honey and preservations of bees endemic to Guatemala.

Asociación Q’omaneel. A traditional medicinal garden commonly grown by Guatemalan women at home and used to make teas, soaps and oils to treat various ailments from stomach aches, joint pain, burns, stress, etc. We bought a tea that’s supposed to help with sleeping made from dried stems, leaves and flowers. We steeped it nightly and mixed it with our crystallized honey from Mundo de Abejas Mayas.

Hiking & Lookouts

Cerro Cristalino (Nariz del Rostro Maya). A mountain peak popular for its sunrise hike overlooking Lake Atitlán, the surrounding volcanos and pueblos. Starting at 4am, we hiked with a local guide from the trail head to the summit. We passed through farmland with avocado trees, coffee plants, black beans and corn stalks, reaching the lookout 30 minutes later. Surprised to be the first to arrive, we took front row seats to watch the sunrise!

The San Pedro, Tolimán and Atitlán Volcanos create a silhouette set against the dark blue and purple star covered sky. Below, twinkling lights from the pueblos dot the lake. Further in the distance the volcanic chain continues with Agua, Acatanango and Fuego. Every several minutes, we saw the red glow of lava erupting from Fuego and giant plumes of ash rising above it. First light appears with dim reds, turning to oranges, pinks and yellows as the sun rose above the volcanic landscape and reflected in calm the lake. As the sun rose, we were served coffee in clay mugs and conchas for breakfast.

The tour included a round trip transfer from our hotel in San Juan to the trail head. We booked with Tours with Vick on Viator.

Good to Know. From San Juan, the mountain crest looks like the profile of a face looking upwards. It’s named after a beloved Mayan woman and local legend. Tourists commonly call the mountain, “The Indian’s Nose.” This is considered disrespectful to locals and best avoided.

Places to Eat & Drink

Cafe Las Marias. A tiny coffee roaster with a cafe on its second floor serving and bold brews of Guatemalan coffee prepared in various styles including drip, aeropress and Turkish. The cafe is semi-hidden in an alley. Once finding it, ring a bell to be let in. The intimate cafe only has two tables and boasts views of Cerro Cristalino. They offer full breakfasts and do occasional coffee roasting demonstrations but there’s no set schedule.

Jaque. A second floor restaurant above a gallery with an outdoor patio overlooking Lake Atitlán and the San Pedro Volcano. The menu features a range of pizzas, seafood and vegetarian dishes. We ordered a Mojarra Frita (whole fried fish) and garlic shrimp with fresh made tortillas and two bottles of the local beer, Gallo.

Restaurante MayAchik’. An eco hotel and restaurant on the outskirts of town with homemade vegetarian and vegan dishes. We ordered the Tacos de la Casa made with hibiscus flowers and Chapín, a local soup made from chile peppers, tomato and cilantro. Both were served with locally grown avocado and handmade tortillas. For dessert, we shared a plate of fried plantains covered in a spicy and chocolaty mole with a garnish of toasted sesame seeds.

Santa Catarina Palapó

A small pueblo known locally for its traditional handicrafts and patterned buildings painted in shades of blue. It’s lesser visited and nearly untouched by tourism allowing it to maintain a strong sense of authenticity. We followed a combination of cultural routes leading through town past various sights including viewpoints, museums and artisan shops. Similar to San Juan, many of the shops are women owned cooperatives used to keep the local traditions alive and to allow them to earn an independent livelihood.

Proyecto Pintando Santa Catarina Palapó. A small but fascinating cultural center dedicated to the town’s efforts of painting all of its buildings in a range of blue hues and patterns reflective of the local Mayan people. Blue represents the primary color of the local textiles and the symbols represent nature including birds, butterflies, fish, corn, the volcanos and lake. We bought a clay Christmas ornament painted to look like a local house.

Casa Museo. A simple museum dedicated to the town’s cultural history and way of life with four small exhibits. One discusses the history, traditions and legends of the communities in Santa Catarina. The second is a replica ancestral home adorned with artifacts, furnishing and personal belongings. The third is a mock Temascal, a traditional Mayan sauna and bath. The fourth is a Mayan betting game named Patolli. Filed down beans are used as dice and rolled to move a token twenty-some places forward before the other player. The museum has a rooftop restaurant and cafe with views of the town’s center, built up hillside and lake flanked by volcanos.

Iglesia Santa Catarina Palapó. A small windowless church in the center of the pueblo with a white painted facade, wooden doors, clay tiled roof and motif of two lions holding up a blue circle.

Centro Cultural Santa Catarina Palapó. A small museum dedicated to the textiles of the community. It’s explains the history, colors and meaning behind the traditional textiles worn by the locals. Red colored textiles were the most traditional. Shades of blue later became popular. Today, it’s a mix of those colors and many others that represent the individual weavers own style. There is a textile shop on the second floor with women weaving on back strap looms.

Fábrica de Velas y Cerería Sajvin. A traditional candle maker with various styles and colors of handmade candles. The shop owner explained the process of how the candles are dipped, colored and molded using bees wax and paraffin wax. We bought strings of pink and blue candles for 15Q each.

San Pedro de Atitlán

San Pedro a larger pueblo at the base of the San Pedro Volcano. It’s locally known as backpacker destination and for its nightly party scene. The roads parallel to the lake are busting with expats, travelers, hostels, restaurants, cafes and bars making it a popular place to visit and stay. Further into the pueblo, we discovered the local side of town. We walked along the quiet winding streets listening to locals speaking Mayan and watched as they mixed mass to make tortillas. The pueblo is more Catholic than many of the others we visited. Simple murals of bible verses are contrasted by colorful ones depicting Mayan and indigenous culture.

Tzunun' Ya'. A museum dedicated to the history and people of San Pedro as well as Lake Atitlán’s geological formation and volcanic past. One of the most interesting parts of the exhibit was a black and white film from 1941 of life in the pueblo. Several aspects remained the same including women wearing traditional clothes and carrying objects on their heads as well as men fishing from small wooden boats and carrying heaps of firewood on their backs.

San Pedro Playa Pública. A public beach looking over the lake, skyline and volcano. It’s a simple beach popular with locals and backpackers. We came here to layout, listen to the waves and picnic.

La Ventana del Lago. An elevated lake view restaurant with seafood dishes and Guatemalan cuisine. It’s a little out of place for a backpacker’s town which inadvertently made it a quiet spot for a date night. We dined by candle light, ordering the Mojarra Frita (whole fried fish) and Caldo de Marriscos (seafood soup).

Backpacker Bars

Sublime. A large bar overlooking the lake with nightly events, daily happy hours, well made cocktails, local beers and simple but tasty dishes like vegetarian nachos. We ordered the watermelon mojito and pineapple sunrise.

420 Reggae Bar. A local bar with a backpackers vibe along the main road displaying a well curated wall of spirits used to make classic cocktails all for 25Q.

Shanti Shanti. A restaurant and bar overlooking the lake. We stopped in for spiked fruit smoothies made with pineapple, muskmelon, watermelon, run and vodka.

San Pedro Volcano

A 3,000 meter high conical shaped volcano covered in farmland and lush forest on the shores of Lake Atitlán beyond the pueblo of San Pedro.

Hiking the Volcano

A trail leads from the welcome center through farmland with crops of coffee, avocado, corn and squash. As we hiked up, farmers harvested firewood, carrying large bundles down on their backs. Beyond the farmland, the trail passed through forest, providing shade most of the route up. The path is well maintained, paved in occasional sections with cement stairs, wooden log steps and stacked rubber tires. The trail climbs steadily uphill with altitude markers every 100 meters and occasional points of interest along the way.

Mirador Tz'unun Ya'. A lookout over San Pedro La Laguna and Lake Atitlán at 2,173 meters.

Area de Descanso. A rest area and lookout with a tire swing overlooking the lake at about 2,300 meters.

Arbol Anciano Quercus. A fallen 400 year old tree at 2,600 meters.

Tronco de Arbol Aijlamam Gran Abuelo. A sacred Mayan tree believed to be the reincarnation of a powerful Mayan wizard. It’s located around 2,750 meters.

Area de Acampar. A campground with an graffitied wooden cabin and restroom at 2,867 meters.

The Summit

After 2 hours 30 minutes of hiking, we reached the summit at an altitude of 3,000 meters. We walked the crater rim lined with moss covered trees to a rocky outcrop with views of the deep blue lake, its pueblos and the chain of volcanos. From above, boats looked like small dots as they crossed the lake leaving a rippled trail behind them. In the distance, Volcan de Fuego let out continual eruptions of smoke and ash high into the sky. We spent about an hour at the summit, eating our lunch and enjoying the views.

Tips for Hiking the San Pedro Volcano

Hire a Guide. We hired our guide, Vic, from the Cerro Cristalino (Nariz del Rostro Maya) Sunrise Hike. He organized transportation, safely guided us to/from the summit, shared stories about Mayan legends and info about the local nature and landscape Book his tour here!
Timing. We began hiking at 9am and reached the summit at 11:30am. It took us under 2 hours to hike down.
Safety. Having read the warnings about armed bandits online, we were apprehensive about going on the hike. Beforehand, we read recent reviews, spoke to others that had safely completed the hike and confirmed the current safety situation with our Airbnb host and guide. We only carried enough cash for the hike. We left our wedding rings, all but one cell phone and one credit/debit card at our hotel.
Popularity. The San Pedro hike is not as others in Guatemala. We met about a dozen hikers at the summit, some solo and others in pairs. Along the route down, we passed a few groups, one led by two armed police officers.

San Marcos

San Marcos is very small pueblo with bohemian vibes, winding pedestrian walkways, a peaceful nature reserve and the best views of Lake Atitlán and the volcanos.

The Hippie Highway. The narrow street leading from the ferry dock into town is locally called the “Hippie Highway.” The street is appropriately named for all of the health food cafes, fruit and vegetable farm stands, tins of smoldering incense, shops with bohemian style clothes, vendors selling feather and wire jewelry, long and dreaded hair expats, stick and poke tattoo shops, wellness studios with crystals healers, spiritual massages and yoga classes.

Cherri Tzankujil Nature Reserve. A peaceful nature reserve with trails leading to Mayan ceremonial altars, bathing areas and lookouts over the lake, volcanos and town. We spent an entire afternoon here, surrounded by breathtaking nature, hiking the trails, sunbathing and picnicking along the rocky cliffs and swimming in the cool refreshing water. From one of the overlooks, we watched as adrenaline seekers jumped from The Trampoline, a 12 meter jump into the lake below.

Circles Cafe & Bakery. A bakery and cafe with Guatemalan coffee, sourdough breads, rustic pastries, sandwiches and pizzas.

Mi Vida Bar. A two floor open air bar with views of the lake and volcanos, local beers and classic cocktails.

Panajachel

Panajachel, also called Pana, is the most developed and commercial pueblo on Lake Atitlán. It’s home to multitudes of Guatemalan craft shops, cafes and lake front restaurants. It’s a branching off point and hub to reach the other pueblos around the lake.

Calle Santander. Panajachel’s main tourist street lined with shops and vendors selling all types of handmade leather goods, colorful woven textiles, beaded jewelry and hammocks. The road follows the lake front and leads further into the pueblo. Along the lake, restaurants share similar menus with views of it and the volcanos. Further in town, cafes serve Guatemalan coffee. Overhead, twinkle lights and banderas crisscross the street as tuk tuks and moto bikes zip by.

Guatemalan Cuisine

Chapín. A local soup made from chile guajillo, tomato and cilantro served with avocado and tortilla.
Pepián. A very traditional Guatemalan stew made from a mixture of peppers, veggies, spices, seeds and meats.
Corn Tortillas. A common base or accompaniment to nearly every dish in Guatemala. The tortillas are often made fresh from yellow, white and sometimes blue corn masa.
Pupusas. A corn masa arepa stuffed with various fillings like black bean and cheese.
Desayuno Typical. A typical breakfast dish comprised of eggs, tortilla, refried beans, sliced avocado, cheese and fried plantains.
Mojarra Frita. A whole fried white fish with a spiky spine found in the lakes, rivers and shores of Central America.
Caldo de Marriscos. A clay pot or bowl of with a base of spicy seafood broth and a range of fish, crustaceans and shellfish.
Choco Fruita. Chocolate dipped fruits like banana, coconut, papaya and watermelon sold by street vendors. They’re popular in San Juan.

Guatemalan Drinks

Ancestral Hot Chocolate. A traditional Mayan method of making hot chocolate from pure cacao mixed with cinnamon and raw sugar then mixed with creamy milk.
Guatemalan Coffee. Guatemala is one of the most prosperous coffee producing regions in the Americas. Locally grown and roasted beans are brewed into a full bodied, rich and chocolaty flavored cups of coffee and espresso at cafes and homes around the country.
Gallo. Guatemala’s national beer, recognizable by its green bottle and the logo of a rooster on its label. It has a class light beer flavor and is sold everywhere across the country.
Michelada. A cocktail made from beer, tomato juice, lime and spices with a salted rim. They’re commonly made with Gallo and sold at bar carts by street vendors.
Quetzalteca. A local spirt sold in small bottles with flavors like tamarind, hibiscus strawberry, pineapple, watermelon and mulberry. It’s often prepared at bars either ice, lime juice and tajin.
Zacapa. Guatemala’s national rum. With our Priority Pass, we visited Casa del Ron, the brand’s lounge at the La Aurora International Airport. For free, we ordered two cocktails, the Zacapa Sour and Zacapa Express as well as a glass of Zacapa XO neat, a blend of 10-25 year aged rum.

Where to Stay

Hotel Tijax. We stayed at boutique hotel in San Juan de La Laguna with balcony views overlooking Lake Atitlán and the tin clad roofs of the pueblo. The rooms are decorated in local products including textiles, paintings, ceramics and candles. One of the best aspects of the hotel was the outdoor kitchen! It’s equipped with a wood burning comal, grill and traditional clay dish-ware. The space is decorated with a colorful tiled backsplash, basket lights and live edge dining table. The owners provide clean drinking water and freshly brewed coffee from Cafe Las Marias up the street. Book on Airbnb.

Getting to Lago Atitlán

We hired a transfer ahead of time from the airport in Guatemala City to bring us to Panajachel. The trip took 4 hours due to traffic. We hired the same company to transfer us from San Juan back to the airport. The trip took 3 hours. We booked on Viator.

Getting Around Lago Atitlán

Public Ferries (Lanchas). Public ferries are an enjoyable way to sightsee and happen to be the most affordable method to visit towns along Lake Atitlán. Ferries operate from docks in town, starting at 6:30am until 5:30pm. They travel in a circuit around the lake stopping at most towns between Panajachal and San Pedro, including Santa Cruz, Jaibalito, Tsununa, San Marcos, San Pablo and San Juan.

Ferry Prices. Tickets cost 15-25Q per person depending on the distance between towns. There is typically an authorized price chart at the ferry dock with the latest prices. Anything more than what’s listed is a scam.

Beware of Scammers. People at the docks can be scammy telling you there are no public ferries to your destination and the only option is a private boat. This is not true if traveling between the hours of 6:30am to 5:30pm. Ignore them and keep asking around for the public ferry.

Good to Know. Ferries don’t depart until there are at least a dozen passengers on board. We never waited longer than 15 minutes. The water gets increasingly bumpy and wavy in the afternoon due to wind.

Tuk-Tuks. Tuk-tuks are readily available to get around town at all hours. Prices typically cost between 5-10Q per person. Tuk-tuks can travel between towns but drop off on the edge of the next town. The price varies depending on the distance between towns.

On Foot. If you’re okay walking uphill, most of the towns are easily walkable. It’s a great way to see the local culture, murals and views of the lake.

Location Specifics

Fireworks. Fireworks are regularly set off in all pueblos of Lake Atitlán, day and night. The echos sound lake a volcanic eruption!

Safety. We felt safe in all of the cities we visited along Lake Atitlán and kept aware of our surroundings. We followed common recomendations like hiring a guide when hiking and didn’t walk between towns, especially at night.

Toilets. Like most places in Central and South America, used toilet paper is thrown in the bin, not the toilet.

Drinking Water. Tap water is unsafe to drink in Guatemala due to contamination. Stick to bottled or purified water.

Cash vs Card. Most businesses only accept cash. Carry enough for the day. There is at least one ATM or currency exchange in all of the major towns around the lake.

Stray Dogs. Stray dogs are common around the pueblos of Lake Atitlán. They’re rarely aggressive but best left alone.

Elsewhere in Guatemala

Explore our guides elsewhere in Guatemala. For cultural experiences, ancient ruins and jungle landscapes, visit The Mayan Jungle. For volcanic hikes, colonial sights and crumbling ruins, visit Antigua, Guatemala.

For Next Time…

Having been to Guatemala three times, we’re certain to return! There are few things high on our list next time we visit this magical country

Flores. A colorful colonial island town on one of Guatemala’s mountainous lakes. We were teased seeing the city from above on a layover from Belize to Guatemala City.

Tikal Sunrise Hike. An early morning hike in Tikal to watch the sunrise from the top of the famed pyramids. We saw photos of the colorful sunrise, layers of morning mist and dramatic ruins peak from jungleous canopy below.

Chichicastenango. Latin America’s largest outdoor market known for its handicrafts, textiles and jewelry. If we make it back to Lake Atitlán, we’ll take a day trip here from Panajachel

Lago Atitlán, Guatemala