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Hola from Lake Atitlan, Guatemala! Lake Atitlan was my 3rd & final stop on a 8 day trip to Guatemala. My friend Bri and I first flew into Guatemala City and spent several days exploring the beautiful, charming, and historic town of Antigua, before setting off on the adventure of a lifetime to hike Volan Acatenango! You can read about both destinations in detail in my latest travel guides. As for this one? I’m going to cover literally everything you need to know about visiting Lake Atitlan in Guatemala. It’s common for backpackers to travel from Antigua to Lake Atitlan for a few days, and then back to Antigua (or right to Guatemala City!) before flying out. Let’s dive into how to get there, where to stay, what to do, and my top travel tips.
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Where Is Lake Atitlán? What Is It Famous For?
Lake Atitlan is located in the Sololá district of Guatemala, in the country’s western highlands. It’s about 90 miles west of Guatemala City, or about 3 hours from Antigua and Guatemala City by shuttle — the most common way to travel around the country.
This lake is in a crater that was created by a massive volcanic eruption. It’s still surrounded by a few other volcanoes today and is known for its 10 villages. The villages are only accessibly by boat or Tuk Tuk, as the roads around the lake aren’t fully developed.
The lake is surrounded by small towns and 3 volcanoes, including Atitlán, which shares the same name as the lake. The lake is also famous for being the deepest lake in Central America… 341 meters! The majority of people who live in the area are descendants of Maya people. The area has also become a popular backpacking destination in more recent years.
Pro-tip: You would be seriously missing out to not add a stop here to your Guatemala itinerary. I recommend staying for at least 3 nights, as there are many towns to explore. Plus, traveling from Antigua to Lake Atitlan is easy!
Best Time To Visit Lake Atitlán
The best time to visit Lake Atitlan is during the dry season, which is from November to April. This time of year has minimal rain which is ideal to enjoy all of the outdoor activities the area offers — including kayaking, hiking, and exploring the lake’s villages. However, my friend Bri and I visited at the end of May / early June and didn’t experience much rain!
It stays pretty warm in this region. You can expect high 70s and to spend a lot of time outside. Pack accordingly — bathing suits, shorts, hats, sunscreen, and maybe a light rain coat.
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How To Get From Antigua To Lake Atitlán
As mentioned above and in my other Guatemala articles, the best way to travel around the country (as a tourist) is by shuttle. There are many shared shuttles from Antigua to Lake Atitlan — most of which are organized by the hostels, to travel between cities and regions. The shuttles run regularly throughout the day and depart Antigua several times each day. These are affordable, safe, and reliable. I don’t recommend an expensive taxi, and also don’t recommend the local “chicken buses”, aka converted school buses that the locals use to travel around the country.
A shared shuttle will cost you around $20 USD for the 3 hour, one way ride. Not bad at all!
The shuttle from Antigua to Lake Atitlan takes between 3-4 hours and can be pre-booked. We booked it from our hostel in Antigua to Panajachel, which is the transportation hub and largest town on the lake. Whether you are just arriving at the lake or are departing, this is the town you will begin and end your journey at.
Pro-tip: If you don’t want to stay in Lake Atitlan, you can also book this round-trip tour from Antigua. It will be a long day, but this tour is a top-rated experience in Guatemala and will ensure you see all the highlights!
How To Get Around Lake Atitlán
As mentioned above, once the shuttle brings you to Panajachel, you probably won’t be in the car or bus during your stay around the lake. The roads here aren’t great, so if you want to visit the villages (you must!), you’ll want to ride in a boat or a Tuk Tuk. I rode in a Tuk Tuk to get from sight to sight within one village (more on this below), but the boats are key for village hoping.
Pro-tip: You could use a Tuk Tuk to travel between adjacent villages, but they won’t go too far. You can negotiate these rides. Never pay more than like 10Q ($1.50 USD) for a ride.
The best way to get around the lake is by “lanchas” which are basically Guatemalan water taxis. If you’re a tourist or backpacker, expect to pay 25Q per ride (about $3 USD). You’ll need cash for each ride — although most drivers will have change for you.
Pro-tip: The lake is most calm in the early mornings. If you want to kayak or take a boat to another town, plan to get up early and explore in the AM. Once the late afternoon hits, the lake gets super choppy…. everyday. Not sure why this is, but it is ROUGH. We rode one lancha one afternoon out of necessity and all locals had life jackets on and I got air off my bench.
Where To Stay In Lake Atitlán
Now for the fun part — where to stay in Lake Atitlan. This may be a bit of an overwhelming decision since there are 10 villages that surround the lake and many popular backpacker hostels among them. Here’s some essential information (plus my personal recommendation!) to help make your choice a bit more clear. Let’s discuss the villages.
San Pedro La Laguna
San Pedro is where all the backpackers stay! Well, not all of them… but most. I didn’t stay here, so I don’t have a personal recommendation, however, this village does have the most hostels and bars. Meaning, if you choose to stay in this area, you’ll be able to hop around to different bars and meet a ton of people.
Pro-tip: There’s not actually a lot to do in this village. There’s no “sightseeing”. Aka, as someone who didn’t stay here — there was no reason to visit. If you stay here, it’s a good hub but you will be taking a boat to the other villages for most activities.
San Juan La Laguna
San Juan is 10 minutes on Tuk Tuk or 5 min by lanchas from San Pedro. It has a lot to see. This is where my friend Bri and I spent most of our time. So, if you stay in San Pedro, you’ll be near here. There are a few hotels here, but if you want to stay in this part of the lake — I actually recommend basing yourself in San Pedro and coming over to San Juan for the sights, since they are adjacent.
I will cover the specific sights to see below so you feel prepared for your trip from Antigua to Lake Atitlan.
San Marcos La Laguna
San Marcos is across the way from San Juan + San Pedro. This place is a vibe. If you are a bit more boho, into wellness, and loved yoga… this is the village for you. San Marcos is full of vegan restaurants, coffee shops, yoga studios, and is known as the “hippie” town. Many people here were walking around barefoot. If you’re on a yoga retreat in Guatemala, this is probably where you would stay.
Pro-tip: San Marcos is also home to the most popular swimming spot in Lake Atitlan. There is a cliff jump here that many backpackers use. I recommend staying in another area, but you’ll probably find yourself in this area for a few hours one day.
Panajachel
As mentioned above, Panajachel is the largest town and main transportation hub for the lake. When traveling from Antigua to Lake Atitlan, this is where you’ll begin your adventure. Since our shuttle from Lake Atitlan back to Antigua was quite early on our last morning, we chose to stay in Panajachel for our final night on the lake.
I don’t recommend staying in this town the whole time, but if you want to stay for a night or so, I recommend Dreamboat Hostel! There’s a rooftop terrace, bar, and small pool that everyone hangs out at. This hostel is quite social but if you don’t feel like socializing, I found the private rooms to be clean, cozy, and private.
Plus, the location here is really great. You’ll be walkable to the vendors in the street market, nearby cafes, and shops.
Pro-tip: Want to explore the villages on a tour? This tour leaves from Panajachel and will bring you to a few of the main villages by boat with a tour guide so you can learn all key information and see the sights!
Where To Stay In Lake Atitlán: Casa Del Mundo
Now for my top recommendation on where to stay in Lake Atitlan… La Casa Del Mundo! You may have heard of this place from social media. It’s “TikTok famous”.
Lake Atitlan is known as the “Lake Como of Central America” and this hotel definitely fits the vibes. It is absolutely beautiful. The whole hotel is covered in beautiful tiles, exotic plants, and terracotta roofs. It actually isn’t in one of the villages — it stands on its own so you’ll have to take a lancha every time you want to leave, but there is a lot to do here so I never felt isolated. Here are a few pros and cons about staying here:
Pros:
- Hammocks everywhere to hang. So many little nooks to explore + relax in.
- Kayak rentals on site — fun AM activity!
- Friendly staff
- Amazing vibes
- All water here is filtered, so you can feel safe as a tourist.
- The restaurant is safe to eat in for tourists. You’ll end up eating most dinners in here since the lanchas don’t run late at night.
Cons:
- WiFi is slow. It’s there, but really only works well in the restaurant area.
- Communal bathrooms, although the rooms are private and this was never an issue for us!
- No credit cards accepted, so you’ll need cash to pay for all meals and even your room.
- It has about 100,000 stairs. Someone can help bring your luggage to + from your room, but this hotel perched on a secluded cliff so get ready to hike a bit.
- There are some scorpions and spiders in the area…
A private room here will cost about $65 USD a night (split between 2 people). It’s definitely pricier than booking a bunkbed in a hostel in San Pedro, but I think this was worth it. Having our own room was really nice and the hotel really is so beautiful. It’s known as “Guatemala’s most magical hotel”, and as long as you’re ok being a little isolated, it’s a great place to stay!
Pro-tip: Although the hotel isn’t right in one of the villages, it is located centrally on the lake. I felt it was pretty easy to get to all of the villages mentioned above. Each lanchas ride was about 20 minutes long, and they were scenic!
Can You Swim In Lake Atitlán?
I thought this travel tip deserved its own section. Because no — it is not recommended to swim in Lake Atitlan. I know what you must be thinking… it’s a trip… on a lake?! Yes, but I wouldn’t get in the water.
We enjoyed many walks + viewpoints around the lake and also loved kayaking. I did see many backpackers jumping from the cliff I mentioned above in San Marcos (cleanest part of the lake), but it’s generally recommended not to swim in Lake Atitlan.
The lake has been contaminated with untreated wastewater, runoff, etc. There are often bacteria outbreaks that cloud the water.
With that being said, unfortunately, many backpackers get food poisoning here too from drinking tap water or eating foods that were prepared with the lake water. To avoid this, I recommend eating cooked foods only. For example, I ate avocado toast a lot at cafes or ordered pasta at dinner and felt totally fine!
What To See In Lake Atitlán
I covered the main villages to see above, in addition to some of the top activities to do — ride the lanchas, take a hike, go kayaking, etc. However, here are a few more sights to see in San Juan, which is the village with the most sights to see. I would plan to spend at least a half day here.
La Calle De Las Sombrillas
This is the main road in San Juan. Here you’ll see many galleries, markets, and cafes. I would spend a few hours walking up and down this street. It’s also very colorful, so you must get photos / a video of the Tuk Tuks traveling up + down here.
This road also translates to “the street of the umbrellas”. It’s a beautiful photo-op!
Mirador San Juan La Laguna
This is the main viewpoint in San Juan and is the best way to see some of the villages, surrounding volcanoes, and lake from up above. It costs 30Q pp ($3.83 USD) to visit and will take about 10-15 minutes to climb up. There are many stairs, but also several vendors selling drinks and snacks along the way.
Once you’re at the top, I recommend hanging out for awhile and soaking in the views… you really feel like you’re on top of the world!
Pro-tip: You can also do the famous “Indian Nose” hike in San Juan. It’s amazing at sunrise! We didn’t do this, but this hike offers panoramic views of the volcanoes and lake. It’s very steep.
Honorable Mentions
- Atitlan Nature Reserve: A peaceful nature reserve with a waterfall, butterfly exhibit, and scenic lake views.
- San Antonio Palopo: A town with textile stores where you can see people weaving.
- Mr. Tattoo: A well-known tattoo artist among backpackers in Panajachel. My friend Bri got a tattoo here!
- Aside from yoga and meditation centers, there’s also many Spanish schools that surround the lake!
That brings us to the end of this guide about Antigua to Lake Atitlan! This covered literally everything I could share about visiting Lake Atitlan. I hope all your questions are answered and you feel comfortable and excited about planning your own trip here. That also concludes my Guatemala series — be sure to check out my complete guides for exploring Antigua and conquering the Volcan Acatenango hike.
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