Lake Atitlán is Guatemala’s largest lake. Surrounded by volcanoes, it’s a lovely place to spend a few days or longer.
I spent five nights at the lake, moving between lakeside hostels and towns. Here’s what I got up to…
Santa Cruz – Free Cerveza Hostel
Free Cerveza hostel in Santa Cruz was my first stop on Lake Atitlán. On the lake’s shore, it’s very much a destination hostel. It serves its own food (family style dinners), has daily activities and paddle boards/kayaks to use.
I liked its lakeside location and social vibe. A major issue for me was bed bugs! My friend, Maddi, and I ended up sat in the reception area from 4am after both discovering the critters. We moved to a tent for our second night which was thankfully bed bug free.
What irked me was I met three girls three days later in my Panajachel hostel and they’d stayed in the same dorm as Maddi and I, and suffered from bed bugs! I can’t believe the hostel put more people in the room after we’d told them about the problem! It’s not on!
Stay: 2 nights
San Pedro – El Artesano restaurant and Indian Nose hike
After Free Cerveza, we went to San Pedro, one of the busier towns and popular with backpackers.
There were two main things I wanted to do: eat at El Artesano restaurant and watch a sunrise from Indian Nose.
El Artesano
El Artesano is a restaurant in San Juan, San Pedro’s neighbouring town, that specialises in cheese and meat platters. It’s been recommended to me by several fellow travellers!
Note: Although there were plenty of tables when we were there, reservations are needed. You can ring them or book via their website. I used a volunteer’s phone at Free Cerveza hostel to make our booking.
We ordered the cheese platter and white sangria. It was all so yum, especially the cheese platter which was amazingly presented with around 20 different cheeses! I loved it and it was nice to treat ourselves! It reminded me of my cheese and ham platter experience in Cafayate, Argentina at the start of my trip!
Tip: Walk to the entrance of San Pedro to get a tuk tuk for 5Q. From the town itself, they’ll try and charge you 10Q.
Indian Nose hike
Lake Atitlán has some beautiful sunrises. One of the best spots to watch the sunrise is from Indian Nose.
We stayed in San Pedro for the night so we could do the hike early the next morning. Personally, that’s the only real reason I stayed in San Pedro!
Note: I think you can also base yourselves in San Marcos too. There are tours going from there too.
In theory it’s possible to do the hike yourself – it’s not hard. However, you’ll need to get a chicken bus to Santa Maria and then might also get charged various entrance fees on the walk if there’s anyone around. We were also advised not to walk alone at night by our hostel who were most likely erring on the side of caution.
We chose to do a tour which meant we didn’t need to figure out transport and only had to be ready for 4am. We paid 60Q (£6 approx) for transport, guide, tea/coffee and snack at the top and entrance fee.
We left just after 4am and drove to the town of Santa Maria where the trail starts from. Ten minutes from Santa Maria, the bus ran out of fuel (classic!). I don’t quite get why nobody fills up a full tank here, everyone’s always stopping to refill in small amounts!
We walked the rest of the way into town and to the trail. The sky was amazing – brimming with stars!! Beautiful!
The walk up was quick! I was expecting a 45min-1hr uphill climb – it was only 25mins! My 1.5litres of water weren’t necessary! I did remember my head torch this time which was useful for lighting the way.
The view at the top was fab – perfectly placed for the sunrise and we could see Fuego volcano erupt in the distance! Really cool! We sat up there watching dawn arrive and the sun finally appear from behind the mountains. So gorgeous and peaceful!
Note: There is an alternative trail to Indian Nose from San Juan. It’s a longer hike – around 2hrs – and you’ll reach a higher viewpoint. I’m not sure it’s entirely worth it, for more effort the view is pretty much identical!
We were back in San Pedro for 7.30am, in time for the hostel breakfast! It’s always amazing what you can get done early in the morning!
Stay: 1 night
Near Santiago – The Doozy Koala Hostel
I wanted to have one more morning in the sunshine lakeside so I went to the Doozy Koala for the night straight after the sunrise Indian Nose hike. The views are great and I really liked the hostel set up and all the chill places. I spent the morning sat in the sun on the top deck and it was great!
Note: It’s another destination hostel in the sense it’s got its own private jetty and the nearest town, Santiago, is across the water. You’ll need to buy meals there as there’s no shared kitchen. The family style dinner and brownie were really good!
Stay: 1 night
Panajachel for the Chichi Market
I got an early morning boat to Panajachel so I could go to the Chichi Market, Central America’s largest market. On a Thursday and a Sunday, the streets of Chichicastenango fill up with stalls selling handicrafts, fruit and vegetables and random stuff!
I wasn’t originally going to go, but I’m really glad I did! Browsing the stalls was fun and I bought a few things! I love Guatemala’s colourful prints!
Tip: Sounds obvious but do keep an eye on your belongings. There’s lots of people brushing past each other, a great opportunity for sneaky pickpockets! I wore my backpack on my front and kept nothing in my pockets.
After 2.5hrs I was ready to return to the lake. I hopped back on a chicken bus and got back to Panajachel just before 2pm.
Stay: 1 night
How to get to the Chichi Market
You can get to the Chichi Market by chicken bus or shuttle. Shuttles leave Panajachel at 8am and leave the market at 2pm. They cost around 100Q (£10 approx).
The more adventurous way is by chicken bus which takes around 1.5hrs. There are three buses to get which may sound complicated, but having done it I can say it’s really straightforward.
There’s no walking around to find the next bus, it leaves from where you’re dropped off and there’s always someone asking where you’re going to direct you. Your chicken bus journey will look like this:
- Panajachel to Solola – it costs 3Q and takes 15mins. I hopped on a bus straight away near the Texaco gas station.
- Solola to Los Encuentros – it costs 3Q and takes half an hour. The bus left a few minutes after I got on – the changes are quick! Also, the return journey from Los Encuentros to Solola costs 2.5Q. Not sure why!
- Los Encuentros to Chichicastenango – it costs 5Q in minivan or chicken bus and takes 40mins. You made it!! Enjoy the market!
For the return journey, repeat the three steps in reverse. I noticed two things:
- On my wanderings around the market, I passed the minivans/chicken buses and there was a chicken bus leaving for Panajachel. I can’t say how frequent they leave or if it was just a one off bus. When I came to leave, there wasn’t one and I repeated my route back which is probably just as speedy.
- The bus from Los Encuentros to Solola costs 2.5Q, instead of the 3Q on the way there. No idea why!
I recommend taking the chicken buses which are easy, fun and cost a quarter of the shuttle. There was also the added bonus of I could leave whenever I fancied. All on my own time frame!
How to get to Lake Atitlán
Lake Atitlán is around 3hrs west of Antigua. To reach the lake you can either take several chicken buses (I’ve been told three) or a direct shuttle.
The chicken bus route is from Antigua to Chimaltenango, then Chimaltenango to Los Encuentros, and lastly Los Encuentros to Panajachel*. By chicken bus, the journey may cost around Q.35 (£4 approx). *There may be an additional change – Los Encuentros to Solola and then on to Panajachel.
I’ve also heard there’s a direct chicken bus to Panajachel from Antigua’s market at 7am and costs Q.35.
Shuttles leave Antigua for Atitlán’s Panajachel at 8am and 12.30pm. I paid Q.75 (£8 approx) for mine, booking through my hostel. If you speak to some of the travel agencies in Antigua, I think you could get it for slightly less. I did consider going by chicken bus, but after seeing it was only half the price, I decided a shuttle was much easier for me and my big rucksack.
Tip: If you’re staying in one of Atitlán’s lakeside towns, such as San Pedro and San Marcos, I recommend first going to Panajachel, the lake’s main transport hub, and from there taking a boat to your respective town. The roads around the lake aren’t good and can add hours to your journey. The boat’s much faster and you can expect to pay Q.10-30 depending on where you’re going on the lake and your negotiation skills.
If you’re coming from Semuc Champey, your best bet is again the shuttle. They leave in the morning and take 10/11hrs.
Final thoughts
I really liked Lake Atitlán – it’s a beautiful lake where you can relax, explore towns, watch gorgeous sunrises, visit markets from…
It’s definitely worth a few days stay or longer in different towns!
I didn’t visit San Marcos, known as the hippy town, but I’ve heard good things!
I’m now getting a long 10hr shuttle to Lanquin for Semuc Champey, lovely turquoise pools!
P.S. I’m pretty sure I’m in the clear with the bed bugs, but am feeling quite paranoid about any bite!
