Lake Atitlán, Guatemala has long been a prominent hangout for hippies, backpackers, expats as well as travellers. And, after living on the lake for two months in early 2015, we can absolutely see why! There’s just something about Lake Atitlán that gets under your skin, as well as eventually makes it extremely tough to leave.
Lago de Atitlán as it’s understood in Spanish, is the deepest lake in all of central America as well as is flanked by three towering volcanoes – Tolimán, San Pedro as well as Atitlán. There are lots of Mayan villages surrounding the lake, however there are truly only a few that you are likely to go to / move to indefinitely.
Please note: We travelled Lake Atitlan on a budget plan as well as this post shows that. If you’re trying to find a lot more upscale lodging as well as tours, inspect out LuxuryLatinAmerica.com.
Panajachel
Let’s begin with the most prominent backpacker village on the lake. Panajachel (Pana for short) is the primary port of entry to the lake, as well as if you’re coming from Mexico, Antigua or Guatemala City, this is most likely where you’ll discover yourself first. It’s a bustling, dirty village, with a extremely hectic primary street. because of the truth that this village is linked to the road to the “outside world”, there is likewise a great deal of web traffic here.
Whether you’re a traveller or somebody who is seeking to online on Lake Atitlán for a few months, Pana will likely be of rate of interest to you, at least for a short time. This is where the greatest grocery store is, in addition to “Sandy’s” supermarket, which offers a plethora of Western goodies. If you’re trying to find excursion agencies, transfers to Antigua as well as beyond, a large variety of hotels, lots of western restaurants, great deals of bars, great nightlife, as well as economical Guatemalan handicrafts, this is the location to discover den.
We do suggest checking out Pana as well as even staying here, however we extremely suggest that you take a lancha (taxi boat) as well as inspect out a few of the lots of (more authentic) villages, surrounding Lake Atitlán.
Plassering:
Northern end of the lake, the village of Solola is north of Pana, a lot of of the other villages of rate of interest are west of here.
Hva å gjøre:
Kayaking, bar-hopping, go on day trips to close-by villages, go to Saint Francis Church, take Spanish lessons, go to the market.
Hva å forvente:
Lots of tourists, hectic streets, a mix of people – foreigners, Spanish as well as (beautifully dressed) Maya people. views of all three volcanoes. NOT a extremely clean place for swimming.
Top Tips:
This is one of the few locations where you can take out money from an ATM on the lake, stock up in Pana! the very best grocery stores are here. A dependable excursion company for booking transportation is Xocomil, found ideal near the lancha port.
To get a much better concept of what Panajachel is like, inspect out our video here:
Santa Cruz la Laguna / Paxanax
Just a quick, 10 minute boat trip from Pana as well as you’ll show up here. We resided in a suburb of Santa Cruz called Paxanax for two months as well as absolutely liked it. This is our much-loved village on the lake. It’s true that we may be a bit bias, however without any road access, Santa Cruz handles to retain its secluded, tranquil charm. Rickety, bamboo platforms are increased out of the water on stilts producing a cool kilometre-long pathway along the shoreline.
Now that’s a beer with a view! Paxanax was a fantastic location to online for 2 months.
There’s not a whole great deal to do right here in terms of sight-seeing, however for such a small, secluded village, there’s really a great deal of other activities to enjoy. The swimming in Paxanax is good, the CECAP program is extremely excellent as well as there’s a Spanish institution as well. Check out the actual village of Santa Cruz at the top of the hill (take a tuk-tuk or a strenuous walk) as well as take pleasure in the sensational vistas!
Plassering:
Just a 10 minute boat trip to the west of Pana, on the northern shore.
Hva å gjøre:
Go diving diving (the only dive shop on the lake is found here). Hangout at La Iguana Perdida hotel (happy hour, BBQs, backpackers) as well as take pleasure in wholesome food at hotel Isla Verde. go to the Saturday morning market. Go kayaking. Check out CECAP, one of the very best pro-economic programs on the lake.
Hva å forvente:
A extremely quiet, tranquil village. No connected road to Panajachel or roads outside of the lake. lots of rEgional Maya -folk.
Topptips:
Det er ingen minibanker her, så vel som ingen dagligvarebutikker. hamstre!
For å oppdage mye mer om Santa Cruz/Paxanax, inspiser videoen vår her:
San Marcos La Laguna
San Marcos er stedet å dra hvis du er i helbredelser, meditasjon, yoga, massasje så vel som alle ting åndelige så vel som helhetlige. Imidlertid er det ikke bare et sted for spiritualitet så vel som yogier, dette er også en av de vakreste landsbyene på sjøen. Smale sementveier slynger seg med rike trær så vel som blomstrende busker, så vel som svømming her er også bra – det er til og med et område for å hoppe av steinene.
Utsikten over Volcano i San Pedro fra landsbyen San Marcos.
Restaurantene i San Marcos er rikelig, så vel som maten er normalt ekstremt sunn. Den eneste ulempen er at det er ganske kostbart sammenlignet med de andre landsbyene rundt innsjøen. Det er et par små butikker her i tillegg til at det er regionale leverandører som selger produkter. Du kan gå fra San Marcos til landsbyen Tzununa på omtrent 15 minutter også. En båttur fra her til San Pedro er bare 10 minutter.
Plassering:
På den nordvestlige bredden.
Hva å gjøre:
Yoga, meditasjon, massasje eller reiki. Gå til en åndelig samling, gå på svømming, frivillig, gå turgåing, fotturer samt dagstur til nær San Pedro.
Hva å forvente:
En rolig stemning, rike områder, ingen barer, men mange gode restauranter. Utsikt over den ruvende vulkanen San Pedro.
Topptips:
Det er ingen minibankprodusent her. Ikke gå mellom akkurat her så vel som San Pedro, da det er en høy forekomst av ran langs denne ruten.
San Juan La Laguna
Denne lille landsbyen blir ofte oversett av turister, som er like dårlig. Jada, det er ikke så hektisk som San Pedro, San Marcos eller Pana, men det er noe spesielt med San Juan. Menneskene som bor her er ekstremt vennlige, det er en risikofri landsby så vel som utsikten også er sjarmerende. Denne landsbyen er rolig så vel som fredelig. Det er bare et par steder å spise, så vel som å bo, men vi foreslår hotell uxlabil for mat så vel som for et nattopphold.
Fra San Juan kan du raskt gå til San Pedro, eller ta en rask tuk-tuk-tur, som på samme måte gjør denne landsbyen så flott.
Vakker toppnivå veranda på Uxlabil Eco Lodge i San Juan.
Plassering:
Vestkysten av innsjøen.
Hva å gjøre:
Vandre rundt i byen, gå til kirken, ta en dagstur til San Pedro, slapp av.
Hva å forvente:
Knapt noen form for turister, vennlige lokale, en autentisk følelse.
Topptips:
Det er bare et par små restauranter. Maten på Hotel Uxlabil er god, eller du kan få noen små produkter i butikkene i tillegg til å lage mat på hotellet ditt. Svømmingen her er ikke bra. En Lancha -båt fra Pana som skal til San Pedro vil redusere deg ved kaien i San Juan hvis du spør. Ingen minibank.
San Pedro La Laguna
Dette er Budget Backpacker Hangout på sjøen. Det er en direkte vei ut av innsjøen fra her, så vel som stemningen er flott. Denne landsbyen har en primær vei som går langs strandlinjen, og det er her du vil oppdage alle backpacker -nødvendighetene: butikker, utfluktbyråer, restauranter, barer samt vandrerhjem.
Kaffebønner som tørker på gaten i San Pedro.
På vei opp den ekstremt bratte bakken fra veien langs innsjøen, vil du oppdage hva som ser ut til å være en egen landsby, det er her lokalbefolkningen bor, så vel som absolutt et område du vil inspisere.
Det er mange ting å gjøre her i San Pedro, enten du tenker på å slappe av i hengekøyer, gå på barer, oppdage om kaffe, få ekstraordinære håndverkervarer, oppdage spansk eller vandrer opp vulkaner, dette er landsbyen til finn til.
Hvis du bare hadde tid til å dra til en landsby, ville dette mest sannsynlig være den vi foreslår – det har litt noe for enhver smak.
Plassering:
Western shore, at the base of the San Pedro Volcano.
Hva å gjøre:
Day-trip to San Marcos for swimming, go to the church, go to the regional create market, hangout on decks overlooking the water, go to bars, satisfy other travellers, discover about exactly how the regional coffee is produced. Hike the San Pedro Volcano as well as Indian Nose lookout.
Hva å forvente:
Lots of backpackers, a hectic village, lots of restaurants/cafes/bars, friendly locals, gorgeous views – however not of volcanoes.
Topptips:
The swimming right here isn’t good, head to San Marcos. There are a couple of respectable grocery stores right here for self-catering. There’s an ATM.
To discover a lot more about the cool village of San Pedro, inspect out our video here:
Jaibalito
Although not lots of travellers stay here, this village should have a special mention as well. Jaibalito is found just a few minutes west of Santa Cruz. In fact, you can really walk there on a high mountain trail, or, it’s a quick boat ride. There are barely any type of people living right here or tourists staying here, however there are a few expats as well as friendly locals. There are likewise a couple of hotels to stay in. inspect out the Wednesday Jaibalito Market as well as Le Casa del Mundo for a drink on a gorgeous patio.
Santiago Atitlán
Santiago Atitlán is the most populated village on the lake, with the majority of the people being Tz’utujil Maya. found on the extremely south of the lake, on an inlet between the Tolimán as well as San Pedro Volcanoes. This is a extremely traditional, authentic village, one that every visitor must see during their stay. Friday as well as Sunday are the primary market days, however checking out any type of day of the week would be good.
Food up for sale at the Jaibalito Market.
Gå!
Basically, no matter which village you choose to travel to on Lake Atitlán, you’ll be impressed. The surrounding volcanoes, regional Mayan people as well as gorgeous lake are what makes this area so extraordinary as well as unique. It can seem like a daunting task when trying to figure out which village is the best, so ideally this guide provided you a great breakdown of what to expect from each village ?
Traveller’s Notes
Cost Of primary boat Rides:
Panajachel to Santa Cruz – 10Q ($1.67)
Panajachel to San Marcos – 15Q ($2.50)
Panajachel to San Pedro – 25Q ($4)
San Pedro to San Marcos – 10Q ($1.67)
San Pedro to Santa Cruz – 15Q ($2.50)
Dangers:
Some areas are not risk-free for walking, seek advice from with a regional before trekking between any type of of the villages. normally each village is risk-free during the day, however the paths between them are notorious for robberies as well as muggings.
If you believed humans are the only mobs bothering tourists at night, you’d be wrong. Packs of stray dogs have been understood to assault unsuspecting people, particularly late at night. always travel with a lot more than one person after dark as well as think about bring pepper spray.
Annoyances:
The boat motorists have an “official” vacationer rate for boat rides. You can discover a indication specifying the primary routes in San Pedro, however if you don’t understand the prices, they’ll most likely try to rip you off. utilize the cost guide above as well as don’t pay any type of more.
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For a lot more info on Lake Atitlán, inspect out our articles:
Essential ideas & Information: border crossing from San Cristobal to Lake Atitlán
Our digital Nomad Life on Lake Atitlán, Guatemala
The expense of Living on Lake Atitlán, Guatemala
Have you travelled to Lake Atitlán before? Which village do you believe is the best?
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