4 Days in Lake Atitlan
Lake Atitlan is known for being a massive lake surrounded by volcanoes, mountain ranges, and Mayan towns. It is about 3 hours North of Guatemala City, but is certainly worth the trek.
Where We Stayed
We stayed in an Airbnb and it was exactly as it was described! The views were beautiful, the host was great, and we could book excursions and drivers through him.
Views from our Airbnb
Our entire stay was around $950 for 3 people for 4 nights. They included laundry and housekeeping, which was really nice. Overall, I think it was worth it!
My only 2 complaints are the lack of air conditioning (which isn’t uncommon in this area, but there are also no ceiling fans and only one box fan. It does get hot during the day, but you also can’t keep windows open at night because of bugs :/ Also, the bed was so incredibly uncomfortable. Other than that, it was a great experience!
Our host sent us Tuk-tuk driver numbers, restaurant recommendations, and answered a ton of questions.
We booked a driver from the airport to the airbnb ($140), breakfast ($35), and massages ($50/pp) through him.
What Towns We Visited
We stayed in Santa Catarina… though we did not really explore the town. We were very close to Panajachel, which is the main town, and ate there mostly.
San Juan La Laguna
We visited San Juan the most. This is their main shopping town in my opinion. They offer cultural tours, but they do push you to make purchases at each place pretty intensely. San Juan is home to textile communes, honey farms, chocolate making, coffee plantations, and a lot more. We got lunch at Qaas Utz twice and it was so fresh and delicious. I also got a latte from Flor de Cafe 3 days in a row.
San Pedro was not my vibe. I think this is where the most hostels are, at least where we visited. It seemed pretty gritty. We didn’t do much here besides walk almost the entirety of the town.
San Marcos nature reserve
San Marcos was my mom’s favorite. It is a yogi/hippie haven. It is home to a massive nature reserve where my sister and I cliff jumped. There are a TON of flies here though and I maintain it is because no one in this town showers :)
We also visited La Casa del Mundo, which isn’t a town, but a beautiful hotel/hostel with restaurant and gorgeous grounds. We ate here twice (once for a quick snack, and another breakfast) and I swam here.
Things to Do
I feel like we honestly didn’t do a TON, but then I look at my photos and realized we did do quite a bit! In order of my favorites:
Paragliding - This was the one thing I really wanted to try. I’ve gone parasailing, but never paragliding. I had been planning to do this on the Sunday we were there, but we then decided to leave on Sunday to Antigua. Thankfully, my mom and sister were flexible and were open to leaving for Antigua later than anticipated so I could paraglide. It was $90, but honestly I would’ve paid way more for it. I had a professional attached to my back and we listened to music in the sky and just flew. It was such a calming and beautiful experience. I highly recommend Real World Paragliding. They were extremely professional and kind.
Cliff diving platform in San Marcos
Cliff diving - I will never do this again. I was very excited about this, and I’m not actually very scared of heights… Though when I had convinced my sister to do it with me and we made it to the jumping platform, I made the mistake of looking over the ledge… I then became VERY scared of heights. My sister did jump first, and after much bullying from strangers, I jumped, too. It was 16 meters (52 feet) high and I felt like I was falling for a good 30 minutes.
Boat Tours - I wish we had visited more towns, but I just love being on a boat. I think I live my life just waiting for the next time I’m on a boat. The first day we got a private boat, we paid $50 per person and thought that was a good deal since it would be more expensive in America. Once we met other Americans, they quickly let us know we had been grossly overpaying. We then joined them the next day and it was 200Q ($25) per person. We then got another private boat the next day just us 3 again and kept it at 200Q.
Hiking - We did not go hiking because a) my mom had a heart attack last year, b) Cameron was sick the entire trip, and c) the altitude got me BAD. However, there are tons of hiking trails and routes. I suggest hiking Indian Nose.
Yoga - There are pleeeenty of opportunities to do yoga around the lake. Any of the towns offer yoga classes or retreats. I was open to doing this, but didn’t care thaaat much to do it.
Swimming - I went swimming at La Casa del Mundo and after cliff jumping in San Marcos. Only certain towns allow swimming because they do dump the sewage into the lake…. So keep that in mind :/
Where We Ate and Drank
El Rincon de Chef (Santa Catarina)- This was our first meal (besides McDonalds) and it was amazing. The menu changes daily based on what is fresh and the chef is also the waiter. He makes everything as you order it so you do have to wait a moment, but it is completely worth it. I got the Shrimp Pendant… which is a shrimp skewer hanging above tequila and butter soaked potatoes and vegetables. They were incredible. My sister got steak with a twice-baked potato, my mom got a chicken stuffed with cheese and spinach, and then we all munched on a breaded tilapia because everything sounded amazing.
Tuscani - I got the pesto pasta here and it was so fresh! I also got a limonada con soda with tequila :)
Atlantis Bar - We came here after Tuscani for birthday drinks for Cameron! They offer Salsa dancing lessons and a wide variety of drinks! While walking here, I heard some Americans, so naturally I yell, “hey! Come drink with us! We’re Americans, too!” So they joined and it turned out one of their birthdays was the next day! So they all partook in birthday shots. I did force Cameron to get a pina colada in a pineapple, and it was worth it!
Guajimbo - We ate here and this was really good, too! I got the chicken parmesan, but I did have a little sea legs here so I didn’t eat much. It was delicious though.
Domino’s - Why not?! We got this the last night when we were packing up. I went into town and picked it up and it was honestly way better than any Domino’s I’ve had in America.
La Casa del Mundo breakfast views
La Casa del Mundo - We came here for breakfast and it was probably my favorite. The view is unmatched, the breakfast is vegetarian but everything tasted so fresh and good. I got the whole wheat pancakes and fruit. Then I went for a little swim after and it was just glorious.
El Flor de Cafe - I got a latte here 3 days in a row and it was so good!
Qaas Utz (San Juan) - We ate here twice in San Juan both times on the roof. We got the crepes, chicken tacos, and pesto pasta. the guacamole was so fresh, and they give you fresh, homemade tortillas for the table. What a dream!
What I Packed
I packed in a carry-on only, and still definitely overpacked. Every day we ventured on the boat, I wore these linen-blend shorts from Target, and a linen button-up from Abercrombie over a crop or bathing suit top to protect my back and shoulders from the sun and it was perfect.
I wore leggings when I went paragliding and on the ATV tour in Antigua, along with my walking shoes.
I also wore a dress and wide leg pants with a crop top for cute outfits.
You absolutely need sunscreen. They have pharmacies everywhere where you can buy some, but you are very close to the equator, so please remember your SPF!
Other Guatemala posts: