Updated August 2024

I have been living around the lake for almost 4 years now, and I am very excited to share about this magical land that feels so close to my heart.

I’ll share separate sections for different villages around the lake, but first I’ll tell you a little about the lake itself.

Lake Atitlan is the deepest lake in Central America and has been called the most beautiful Lake in the World by many, including British author Aldous Huxley.   

The lake is surrounded by 3 volcanoes: Atitlan, Toliman and San Pedro, which make for incredible yet very different views, depending on where you are looking out from.

There are 12 towns on the shores of the lake: Panajachel, Jaibalito, Santa Cruz, Tzununa, San Marcos, San Pablo, San Juan (my current home), San Pedro, Santiago, San Lucas Toliman, San Antonio and Santa Catarina (my previous home). I have visited all of them, but some so briefly that I don’t have much to say, so I’ll focus on the 8 I can say are worth visiting from experience.

In terms of transport, the public lanchas (boats) tend to be the best option and cost between 15 and 25 Quetzales, depending on where you are coming from and going to. However, if you are exploring a neighbouring town, a Tuc tuc ride may be another good option.

Panajachel

Panajachel, referred to as ‘Pana’, is considered as the main town. If you are arriving to the lake from Antigua or Guatemala City by chicken bus this is most probably where you will arrive. Shuttles do go to San Pedro and San Juan directly.

Panajachel feels a little like a small harbor town at times, with the boat captains yelling the name of the towns they will be stopping at. From the main embarcadero you can get a boat to most of the other villages around the Lake. The public boat services run from 7am to 8pm but you can get private boats outside those hours if you are willing to pay considerably more.

Pana is often tourists’ least favourite but I’ve really grown to like it. This was my first home around the lake.

If you want to buy local artesania, stroll through the Santander – the main shopping street, you’ll most certainly find special souvenirs to take home from clothes and jewellery to cacao, wooden toys and even stones and crystals. I recommend buying from the street vendors as much as possible as they tend to be the most in need.

Food recommendations

For a local experience you can go to the market and eat ‘inside’. You’ll find benches belonging to different puestos and you can get tostadas, chuchitos and other local dishes as well as atol (a hot beverage that can be with rice, plantain or corn).

If you are looking for a more comfortable but also slightly more expensive option I recommend Deli Jasmin – a restaurant with a beautiful garden and a great menu with good veggie options, juices and deserts.

Las Chinitas is not locally owned but has a nice atmosphere, the food is great and all the people working there are local. Oh and it has a variety of foods but the vegetable gyozas and the tofu fried rice is delicious!

Circus is my favourite Italian restaurant around the Lake but also not a very local experience.

Tzununa

Tzununa is the next town I’ve been to on the way to San Pedro, the last stop on one of the 2 boat circuits.

Tzununa is quieter than other towns like San Pedro and San Marcos but has a few good spots that make it worth visiting in my opinion, mostly the waterfalls!

Gaia Dance Temple is a beautiful space that hosts Ecstatic Dance on Sundays 4-8pm and other events throughout the year.

Fungi Academy is also worth a visit if you want to learn more about our fungi friends.

Restaurant recommendations

I’ve also heard they do a great sourdough pizza on Fridays but I haven’t tried it myself.

San Marcos

San Marcos is known as ‘the hippie town’ – A Spiritual Mecca for many travellers.

If you are planning on staying in San Marcos I recommend Hostel La Paz – a very green Guatemalan owned hostel in the middle of town or Casa Jaguar – an Air B&B run by a young spirited British man, or Venga – another Air B&B run by a lovely expat couple. To find these you can search on Air B&B and if you can’t find anything, which does happen during high season (December to April) walking around town and asking for vacancies is an option although there is no guarantee so it is best to book ahead.

While visiting San Marcos I also recommend checking out the iconic Eagle’s Nest, even if just for the view. They offer numerous weekly events (yoga, ecstatic dance, cacao ceremonies and even festivals). Eagle’s Nest is also a hotel and restaurant and which seems to be open to the public any time (the kitchen is closed on Sundays) and Fridays they have a Community Day when their sauna is open to All. The views and the food are equally wonderful. 

Restaurant recommendations

For a more local experience, I recommend eating at  Konojel, a lovely little restaurant with great local food, vegan and vegetarian options and good prices. And just in case you need some more convincing they work closely with the local community to fight malnutrition.

For smoothies, coffee and breakfast in a quieter part of town, check out my friend’s new adorable little garden cafe: The Hidden Garden.

Moonfish also has great vegetarian options (try the tempeh burrito), juices and cacao and is located in a comfortable garden, though a little less secluded.

Cafe Nectar is a nice little cafe to hang out, read a book and have a tea or Cacao (ask for Keith’s Cacao).

If you are looking for a place to relax and enjoy a juice, Emporium is a great option and they have a market every Saturday.

For another good cacao with a view, Vida is on the shore of the lake and has many other things to drink and eat. The Guacamol is delicious and comes with blue corn chips.

My favourite lunch spot is Il Giardino, the food is outstanding and the restaurant is set in a luscious garden which makes it very pleasant. I recommend the fresh lemongrass tea and the scrambled tofu. They also have ridiculous vegan deserts.

If you are interested in events, there are tons every week but the time and place change so I recommend joining the San Marcos Facebook group to find out about all the offerings available when you are visiting. The community is very friendly and helpful.

You can also find posters of the many offerings available from family constellations to reiki and massages on the walls of Emporium, Il Giardino and Floresta shop.

Healing

There are many healers and beautiful offerings in San Marcos, there are also people who are still at the early stages of their own journey so be mindful of this when looking for support.

If you want to practice Yoga, Ati Hostel (previously named Hostel del Lago) and La Paz have daily classes. I teach Hatha Yoga at Hostel del Lago on Fridays 9-10.30am, All levels Welcome 🙂

If you are looking for Kirtan, Shamana have regular ones too but I encourage you to confirm dates and times on the Facebook community group.

San Juan

I have now been living in San Juan for 2 years and I Love it here 🙂

San Juan also has a beautiful museum: The Museo de trajes tipicos, which exhibits copies of many Traditional Guatemalan attires, which vary depending on the region and even the town. It’s small but free and definitely worth a visit. 

San Juan is decorated with beautiful murals especially near the basket ball court. You can walk around or ask a tuctuc to take you to Calle de Los sombreros.  

For coffee lovers, San Juan is surrounded by coffee plants and I’ve heard you can find great coffee at Cafe Nativo, a locally owned coffee shop. There is also a lovely cafe near the dock on the right when you are looking away from the lake – this shop also sells ceramics so it’s easy to recognise. 

For athletic travellers, Rostro Maya (Mayan Face), often incorrectly referred to as ‘Indian Nose’, is quite a hike, though not comparable to the Volcanos. I recommend going with a guide and can recommend Efrain who is from San Marcos and is a good friend.

If you want to stay in San Juan, I recommend Eco Hotel Mayachik. I haven’t staid there myself but my cousin did and said it was very peaceful, with a luscious garden.

On that note, my partner and I guide donation based Sound Journeys at Mayachik on Full Moons. To confirm the next date and time you can write to me via WhatsApp +44797 031 2628.

I also offer Healing Services specifically for women. Please reach out if you have any questions or would like to book a session.

Tattoos

If you feel inspired to get an intentional tattoo with a view, while you are in San Juan, I highly recommend my dear boyfriend Keber. He is Guatemalan, is very intentional and talented and here you can see a few of his recent jobs. You can find him on instagram as tucur_abaj and can write to him via WhatsApp on +502 5485 9145 to book an appointment and visit our little home studio, near the mountains.

San Pedro

When I first came to the lake 6 years ago, I stayed in San Pedro and it was known as ‘the party town’ and I think it still is.

Another common activity in San Pedro is climbing the volcano. I have not done this myself but I have heard it is important to book a tour with a guide as mugging is not uncommon for unaccompanied visitors.

You can also rent kayaks and SUPs from different places on the shores of the lake. Just be aware that the wind can picky up and the water can get a little rough, especially in the afternoons so best to go in the morning.

Food recommendations

The Main Street is full of artisans selling varied jewellery and there are many restaurants to pick from including the Japanese restaurant, which I Love for their amazing and fresh food, the kind owners and the view.

If you get lucky you may find Marshall, a Korean expat who sells asian food on the street. His food is always delicious and cheap.

For a more local experience go to the market and find the women selling the usual tostadas and Chuchitos near the basketball court.

Jaime’s bakery is the best but I’m not sure of how to explain, it’s near the dock for Santiago, you’re lucky if you find it 🙂

My new favourite is Ayurvedic Restaurant Anafres. The chef is Guatemalan and cooks incredible authentic Indian Food.

For a good falafel with a view go to Pita Sabij.

Museum

The museum Tzunun’ya is small but only 35Q and def worth a visit if you’re curious about what the lake may have looked like in the 1940s.

Santiago

Santiago is one of the less visited towns by foreign tourism, yet it is definitely worth a detour.

To go to Santiago you can get a public boat from Panajachel, the same dock as where you can go to the other towns, but it is important to specify that you are going to Santiago, otherwise you could end up in another town. You can also go directly to Santiago from San Pedro, Santiago dock.

San Antonio Palopo

Here are some beautiful photos of San Antonio Palopo taken by the very talented Ver Za who kindly gave me permission to use his photos for this article.

San Antonio Palopo is hardly visited by foreign tourists despite being very charming.

I’m not sure how to access it by boat but you can get a colectivo – pick up truck from the bridge in Panajachel for 5Q. Ask a tuc tuc to take you to El puente de Jucanya and just before going on the bridge you’ll see pick ups trucks parked that leave when they are full.  

San Antonio’s main attraction is the ceramic factory, which you can visit for free and buy anything you think you’ll be able to bring back in one piece, for a much better price than anywhere else on the lake.  

Santa Catarina Palopo

I lived there for 9 months in a local home and I fell in Love with this little village.  

Santa Catarina is also a pick up ride away from Panajachel and its main attribute is that the town is painted in turquoise.  There isn’t much to do but there are a few vendors on the single street that goes from the ‘main road’ to the edge of the lake and they are very grateful for any purchases as they are one of the less visited towns.

The town has thermal waters on the edge but this is where some locals bathe so I won’t reveal their exact location as I wouldn’t want to spoil it for them.  If you discover the secret thermal water spot, I recommend going back for sunrise before the boats start making waves and please don’t take your bikini off as this is very uncommon for Guatemalan culture.  

My favourite restaurant in Santa Catarina is at the very entrance of the town and is called El Mirador. The pupusas are delicious and the view is one of my favourite around the Lake but I’m biased. 

Bonus – El Castillo & Lavender Fields

El Castillo is a community, partly owned by a friend and her family, located at the top of the mountain overlooking the lake. They offer hostel services and you can even sleep in a glamping tent right on the edge of the mountain. Ideal to spend a few nights away from the hustle and bustle of the lake towns.

The Lavender Fields

While being up there you can visit the Lavender Fields that are not so far from El Castillo. To visit you must book in advance. This is not such a local experience but if you like lavender you’ll most probably love the experience, from walking through the fields to drinking fresh lavender tea on the porch. 

While you are around there I also recommend checking out the mirador which offers one of the highest views around the lake. 

I have left out Jaibalito, Santa Cruz, San Pablo and San Lucas because I have spent very little time in these towns and I wouldn’t be able to speak from personal experience, but I believe every town has its magic so if you have plenty of time around the lake I’m sure you could enjoy each one of them.

I am sure there is A Lot more to see and do around the Lake but this is a good start 🙂

I hope you find this article useful and if you discover any spots and/or activities worth mentioning here please feel free to write to me and I will happily include them and tag you. 

Yoga Teacher Training

Last but not least, if you happen to be interested in completing a 200hour Yoga Teacher Training we offer one every November at Arco Isis. You can find dates for the next training on our website.

You can also find testimonials of our alumni on our Youtube channel, and reviews on google and you can write to us to book a discovery call hello@breathbodyearth.org.

Thank you for reading and for visiting Guatemaya

With Love,

Melissa