Our second stop in Guatemala was spent at Lake Atitlán, the deepest lake in Central America.
Guatemala was the fourth country of my Central America backpacking trip. I had started with my partner in Panama, the easternmost point of the trip, before traveling by bus across Costa Rica. We finished our portion together with three stops in Nicaragua from where he flew back to Germany for work and I flew on to Guatemala for the adventures to continue.
I quit my job last July and decided to take what I coined an "adult gap year", given I was taking it aged 28, instead of the typical gap year age of 18. I went back and forth for months on exactly when I would go, which countries I would visit, for how long I wanted to travel, with whom I wanted to go - if anyone...
My Central America trip would turn out to cover five countries in five weeks; the first three (Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua) with my partner Tobi and the last two (Guatemala, Belize) with Ina, a friend from Salzburg.
As with most people who arrive in Guatemala, our first stop in the country was a few days exploring the stunning city of Antigua. It was the perfect first place to explore in Guatemala, and we spent our days wandering the beautiful streets, finding the best food and views. Antigua is also the base for hiking the volcanoes of the region and successfully climbing the Acatenango and Fuego Volcanoes was a highlight of my entire Central America trip. From Antigua, we took a shuttle onward to Lake Atitlán for the next leg of our Guatemalana adventure.
Although it was a lot of work, I made daily vlogs on Instagram reels of every single day of my Central America trip which I branded "the backpacking series".
→ Check out an episode of the Backpacking Series of traveling to Lake Atitlán!
By flight: The closest airport to Lake Atitlán is in Guatemala City. While Antigua is the most common starting point for travelers visiting Guatemala, you can also head straight to the lake from the airport. I recommend booking a shuttle from the airport with GuateGo to your first destination within Guatemala.
By bus: You can travel to Lake Atitlán by bus using "chicken buses" but this is generally not recommended, especially with all your belongings. We never used public buses in Guatemala, therefore you'll need to do your own research here.
By private shuttle: This is my recommended method of transport throughout Guatemala. We arranged our shuttle to Lake Atitlán from Antigua at a local transport company after comparing prices between a few vendors in town; the communication and confirmation then all happened via WhatsApp which is common for Central America. The same happened for our onward shuttle from the lake northward to Flores.
→ Check out my episode of the Backpacking Series of taking the shuttle from Antigua to Lake Atitlán!
→ Check out my episode of the Backpacking Series of taking the shuttle from Lake Atitlán to Flores!
By car: If you have decided to travel through Guatemala or Central America by car, you can also travel to Lake Atitlán with your own wheels. I don't have any experience with driving or parking in Guatemala so please do your own research here.
→ If you don't have your own car, you can rent one in Guatemala City.
On the road from Antigua to Lake Atitlán
Lake Atitlán is surrounded by mountainous landscapes
There are 11 towns around Lake Atitlán, all of which are small and very walkable. If you're looking to get between the towns, there are two main ways to get around Lake Atitlán: either by ferry across the lake or by tuktuk around the lake.
By tuktuk: If you're getting between the small towns around Lake Atitlán, the easiest and cheapest way is by tuktuk. There are loads of these bright red tuktuks to be found literally everywhere around the lake; you won't have to wait more than a few minutes for one. Simply wave them down and let them know where you're going.
Each tuktuk belongs to one of the 11 towns of Lake Atitlán and will have the name of their respective town on their tuktuk. You can only take a tuktuk to the border of its town where you must then transfer to another tuktuk belonging to the next town. For example, we took a tuktuk from San Juan to the edge of San Pedro where we then would either take another tuktuk within San Pedro or walk, depending how far we were going.
We paid a standard rate of 10 Quetzals per person for every trip we took.
A tuktuk in San Juan
By ferry: If you're doing a further distance such as needing to cross the lake, such as between San Juan or San Pedro and Panajachel, then the best way is by ferry. Little lake ferries leave from all the different towns approximately every 10-15 minutes or until the boat is full. There are different prices depending on where you are headed.
I have to admit, the ferry ride we did between San Pedro and Panajachel on our last day was my favourite activity at Lake Atitlán and I really wish we had spent more time on the water instead of in the towns.
→ Check out my episode of the Backpacking Series of taking a ferry across Lake Atitlán!
Ferry terminal in San Juan
A Lake Atitlán ferry
Ferry terminal in San Pedro
Ferry terminal in Panajachel
There are 11 towns around Lake Atitlán where you could stay. We only visited three: San Juan, San Pedro and Panajachel and so I cannot give advice on staying elsewhere.
In San Juan, we stayed at the 4 Elementos Hostal, a small hostel run by a lovely host, Majo. It's the perfect location in the quiet town of San Juan and there are plenty of activities on offer such as weaving, cooking class and macrame lessons.
4 Elementos Hostal in San Juan
In Panajachel, we stayed at the Socialtel. It's a larger hostel with a big emphasis on the social vibes. We didn't love Panajachel and I wouldn't recommend staying in this town, but we had a 5am shuttle from here heading northward and needed to stay the night so it's a good option if you have a late arrival or early start at the lake.
Socialtel Panajachel
If I visited Lake Atitlán again, I'd opt to stay closer to the water instead of in a town. We took the ferry past La Casa del Mundo which is quite well-known on Instagram and I think I would personally want to stay there next time!
→ Book your stay at La Casa del Mundo.
→ Check out other places to stay to suit your budget and accommmodation type.
La Casa del Mundo
There are 11 towns around Lake Atitlán of which we visited three: San Juan, San Pedro and Panajachel. I cannot give advice on eating in any of the other towns!
Nativo Coffee Shop
San Juan
I absolutely loved this spot for a mouthwatering brunch. It is definitely on the pricier side compared to other options but it's really worth it. The menu is full of yummy and colourful smoothie bowls, oatmeals, toasts and more.
Café El Pajarero
San Juan
We stopped here for a refreshing mango banana smoothie with a view. It's on the edge of town and there was no one else when we visited so it did feel a bit ghostly but the smoothies were great all the same!
Chicharronera La Barra
San Juan
Honestly, this was the best dinner spot in San Juan. They don't speak any English and they have a tiny menu but my goodness are the veggie quesadillas good. We came every single night!
Forbidden Fruit
San Pedro
In my opinion, this was the best breakfast in San Pedro featuring a delicious menu of smoothie bowls and overnight oats. I came twice for breakfast!
Tornado's Coffee
San Pedro
This delightful spot is very unassuming from the streetfront but actually features a huge garden in the back where you can cozy up and work, hang out and snack on yummy cakes and chai lattes for a while.
Tacoyaki Japan Ramen
San Pedro
Oh. My. Word. The most wonderful Japanese man has set up a small ramen shop in San Pedro with his dog where he serves just ten bowls of ramen a day, plus up to eight for a pre-booked dinner reservation. If you get lucky, you MUST go here. The best ramen I've ever had and the loveliest experience, as if you were just in his home with his pup. You'll see why he has a five-star rating on Google!
Cafe Loco
Panajachel
We stopped in for delicious iced coffees at this cute little Korean café while wandering through Panajachel on our last day at Lake Atitlán. They're also a coffee roastery so you can pick up Guatemalan beans while you're here which are considered some of the best in the world.
Pizzeria Florencia
Panajachel
I don't have any photos of it, but I can highly recommend this pizzeria in Panajachel. Pizza seems to be super popular at Lake Atitlán - our hostel even offered a pizza-making class - and Pizzeria Florencia is the best one in town.
There are 11 towns around Lake Atitlán of which we visited three: San Juan, San Pedro and Panajachel.
Here is my guide to the best things to do while in San Juan:
Wander the main shopping street
While I did feel that most of the shops in San Juan were either art galleries, clothes shop or coffee shop and each of them seemed to sell the exact same thing as each other, it was still cool to wander the main street of San Juan and see all the colourful wares for sale.
Spot all the town doggos
While I saw countless dogs throughout every country I visited in Central America, Guatemala and specifically Lake Atitlán seemed to just be a haven. Even though many looked to be street dogs, they all seemed to be well-fed and likely looked after. We also met a woman who runs a rescue centre in San Juan for abandoned animals, which was great to see.
Walk along the lakefront
San Juan is still very much in development and we found the infrastructure quite lacking, but it was still nice to wander along the lake front and spot the little ferries coming in and out of the terminal.
Explore the colourful streets
San Juan is painted in so many bright colours with many murals adorning the streets. The most famous street is Calle des Arts with all its upside down umbrellas.
La Calle de los Sombreros
Take a weaving class
Arranged through our hostel, 4 Elementos, we took a wonderful weaving class with Centro Tina. Her family has been weaving for generations in the traditional Mayan way and it was so special to learn from her; we even got to make our own bracelets to take home! Doña Micaela told us “It is not just my work, but my passion.”
Take a Mayan cooking class
Arranged through our hostel, 4 Elementos, we took a traditional Mayan cooking class to witness how generations of Mayans have been preparing local foods. We then shared the meal with everyone from our hostel and listened to traditional music.
Hike to the Mirador Kaqasiiwaan
This wonderful viewpoint is on the edge of San Juan and hiking up to the top provides a panoramic view over the entire town and up much of Lake Atitlán. This was my favourite activity in San Juan!
→ Check out my complete guide to hiking to the Mirador Kaqasiiwaan!
There are 11 towns around Lake Atitlán of which we visited three: San Juan, San Pedro and Panajachel.
→ Check out my episode of the Backpacking Series from San Pedro!
Here is my guide to the best things to do while in San Pedro:
Enjoy the view over Lake Atitlán
I found that the view over Lake Atitlán was the best from San Pedro. The main road has lots of little moments where you can see the lake. Many restaurants have lake views, too. You might even spot local Mayan ladies doing laundry in the lake's waters.
Hang out at Zoola
We spent a delightful few hours lazing poolside at Zoola. It's free to enter but they do charge to swim in the pool. You can also buy food and drink from the restaurant on-site and just hang out all day. There is also accommodation available at Zoola if you'd like to stay in San Pedro!
Get a massage
Since we had just arrived at Lake Atitlán after our grueling overnight hike to the Acatenango and Fuego Volcanoes near Antigua, our bodies were very much aching and in need of some TLC. I had a one-hour full body massage at the San Pedro Massage - which we booked simply by walking in and had no wait - and can honestly say the masseuse was incredible. Highly recommend!
Spend a day at the Sababa Resort
While this is a hotel and you can choose to stay here, it's pretty expensive for Guatemalan standards. Instead, I can recommend getting a day pass for just 50 Quetzals (just ~€5.70 at the time of writing!) and you can spend the whole day hanging out at the pool, swimming, suntanning, listening to their live music and buying snacks and drinks from their bar.
We spent 10 days exploring Gustemala as part of a backpacking trip through Central America. I wrote a complete guide on how to visit Guatemala, including:
- where to go in Guatemala
- how to get around
- where to stay
- where to eat
- all the best things to see and do in Guatemala
→ Check out my complete guide on how to spend 10 days in Guatemala!
Antigua
Acatenango and Fuego Volcano Hike
Flores
Tikal
BOOK AN EXPERIENCE AT LAKE ATITLÁN!
PIN THIS POST TO REFER BACK TO LATER!
GET READY TO TRAVEL!
— Book tours and experiences - with GetYourGuide
— Get all the gear you need for your trip - with Amazon (North America)
— Get all the gear you need for your trip - with Amazon (Europe)
— Find a place to stay - with Booking.com
— Choose a hostel to stay at - with Hostelworld
— Purchase global travel insurance - with World Nomads
— Load an international eSim on your phone - with AirAlo
— Start your own travel blog - with Hostinger
— Join the GetYourGuide Travel Creator Community - with GetYourGuide
Hi! I’m Jana, a Dutch-German-British-Canadian with a dream of seeing every country in the world. I am a storyteller, photographer and adventurer passionate about documenting and sharing my travels.
