Lake Atitlán, Guatemala has long been a prominent hangout for hippies, backpackers, expats as well as travellers. And, after living on the lake for two months in early 2015, we can absolutely see why! There’s just something about Lake Atitlán that gets under your skin, as well as eventually makes it extremely tough to leave.

Lago de Atitlán as it’s understood in Spanish, is the deepest lake in all of central America as well as is flanked by three towering volcanoes – Tolimán, San Pedro as well as Atitlán. There are lots of Mayan villages surrounding the lake, however there are truly only a few that you are likely to go to / move to indefinitely.

Please note: We travelled Lake Atitlan on a budget plan as well as this post shows that. If you’re trying to find a lot more upscale lodging as well as tours, inspect out LuxuryLatinAmerica.com.

Panajachel

Let’s begin with the most prominent backpacker village on the lake. Panajachel (Pana for short) is the primary port of entry to the lake, as well as if you’re coming from Mexico, Antigua or Guatemala City, this is most likely where you’ll discover yourself first. It’s a bustling, dirty village, with a extremely hectic primary street. because of the truth that this village is linked to the road to the “outside world”, there is likewise a great deal of web traffic here.

Whether you’re a traveller or somebody who is seeking to online on Lake Atitlán for a few months, Pana will likely be of rate of interest to you, at least for a short time. This is where the greatest grocery store is, in addition to “Sandy’s” supermarket, which offers a plethora of Western goodies. If you’re trying to find excursion agencies, transfers to Antigua as well as beyond, a large variety of hotels, lots of western restaurants, great deals of bars, great nightlife, as well as economical Guatemalan handicrafts, this is the location to discover it.

We do suggest checking out Pana as well as even staying here, however we extremely suggest that you take a lancha (taxi boat) as well as inspect out a few of the lots of (more authentic) villages, surrounding Lake Atitlán.

Location:

Northern end of the lake, the village of Solola is north of Pana, a lot of of the other villages of rate of interest are west of here.

Čo robiť:

Kayaking, bar-hopping, go on day trips to close-by villages, go to Saint Francis Church, take Spanish lessons, go to the market.

Čo očakávať:

Lots of tourists, hectic streets, a mix of people – foreigners, Spanish as well as (beautifully dressed) Maya people. views of all three volcanoes. NOT a extremely clean place for swimming.

Top Tips:

This is one of the few locations where you can take out money from an ATM on the lake, stock up in Pana! the very best grocery stores are here. A dependable excursion company for booking transportation is Xocomil, found ideal near the lancha port.

To get a much better concept of what Panajachel is like, inspect out our video here:

Santa Cruz la Laguna / Paxanax

Just a quick, 10 minute boat trip from Pana as well as you’ll show up here. We resided in a suburb of Santa Cruz called Paxanax for two months as well as absolutely liked it. This is our much-loved village on the lake. It’s true that we may be a bit bias, however without any road access, Santa Cruz handles to retain its secluded, tranquil charm. Rickety, bamboo platforms are increased out of the water on stilts producing a cool kilometre-long pathway along the shoreline.

Now that’s a beer with a view! Paxanax was a fantastic location to online for 2 months.
There’s not a whole great deal to do right here in terms of sight-seeing, however for such a small, secluded village, there’s really a great deal of other activities to enjoy. The swimming in Paxanax is good, the CECAP program is extremely excellent as well as there’s a Spanish institution as well. Check out the actual village of Santa Cruz at the top of the hill (take a tuk-tuk or a strenuous walk) as well as take pleasure in the sensational vistas!

Location:

Just a 10 minute boat trip to the west of Pana, on the northern shore.

Čo robiť:

Go diving diving (the only dive shop on the lake is found here). Hangout at La Iguana Perdida hotel (happy hour, BBQs, backpackers) as well as take pleasure in wholesome food at hotel Isla Verde. go to the Saturday morning market. Go kayaking. Check out CECAP, one of the very best pro-economic programs on the lake.

Čo očakávať:

A extremely quiet, tranquil village. No connected road to Panajachel or roads outside of the lake. lots of regional Mayan people.

Top Tips:

There are no ATMs here, as well as no grocery stores. trčať!

To discover a lot more about Santa Cruz/Paxanax, inspect out our video here:

San Marcos La Laguna

San Marcos is the place to go if you’re into healings, meditation, yoga, massage as well as all things spiritual as well as holistic. however it’s not just a location for spirituality as well as yogis, this is likewise one of the most gorgeous villages on the lake. narrow cement pathways meander with rich trees as well as flowering bushes, as well as the swimming right here is great also – there’s even an area for jumping off the rocks.

The view of San Pedro Volcano from San Marcos Village.
The restaurants in San Marcos are plentiful as well as the food is normally extremely healthy. The only downside is that it’s rather costly compared to the other villages around the lake. There are a couple of little shops right here as well as there are regional vendors selling produce. You can walk from San Marcos to the village of Tzununa in about 15 minutes as well. A boat trip from right here to San Pedro is only 10 minutes.

Location:

On the northwestern shore.

Čo robiť:

Yoga, meditation, massage or reiki. go to a spiritual gathering, go swimming, volunteer, go walking, hiking as well as day-trip to close-by San Pedro.

Čo očakávať:

A tranquil vibe, rich areas, no bars, however lots of great restaurants. views of the towering San Pedro Volcano.

Top Tips:

There’s no ATM maker here. Don’t walk between right here as well as San Pedro as there is a high occurrence of robberies along this route.

San Juan La Laguna

This little village is frequently overlooked by tourists, which is as well bad. Sure, it’s not as hectic as the likes of San Pedro, San Marcos or Pana, however there’s something special about San Juan. The people living right here are extremely friendly, it’s a risk-free village as well as the views are charming as well. This village is tranquil as well as peaceful. There are only a couple of locations to eat as well as to stay, however we suggest hotel Uxlabil for food as well as for a night’s stay.

From San Juan, you can quickly walk to San Pedro, or take a quick tuk-tuk ride, which is what likewise makes this village so great.

Beautiful top level Veranda At Uxlabil Eco Lodge in San Juan.

Location:

West coastline of the lake.

Čo robiť:

Wander around town, go to the church, take a day-trip to San Pedro, relax.

Čo očakávať:

Hardly any type of tourists, friendly locals, an authentic feel.

Top Tips:

There are only a couple of little restaurants. The food at hotel Uxlabil is good, or you can get some little products at the shops as well as cook for yourself at your hotel. The swimming right here is not good. A lancha boat from Pana going to San Pedro will decrease you at the dock in San Juan if you ask. No ATM.

San Pedro La Laguna

This is the budget backpacker hangout on the lake. There’s a direct road out of the lake from right here as well as the vibe is great. This village has a primary road running along the shoreline, which is where you’ll discover all of the backpacker necessities: shops, excursion agencies, restaurants, bars as well as hostels.

Coffee beans drying on the street in San Pedro.
Heading up the extremely steep hill from the road along the lake, you’ll discover what seems to be a separate village, this is where the locals live, as well as is absolutely an area that you’ll want to inspect out.

There are great deals of things to do right here in San Pedro, whether you’re thinking about chilling out in hammocks, going to bars, discovering about coffee, getting extraordinary artisan goods, discovering Spanish or trekking up volcanoes, this is the village to find to.

If you only had time to go to one village, this would most likely be the one that we suggest – it has a bit something for everyone.

Location:

Western shore, at the base of the San Pedro Volcano.

Čo robiť:

Day-trip to San Marcos for swimming, go to the church, go to the regional create market, hangout on decks overlooking the water, go to bars, satisfy other travellers, discover about exactly how the regional coffee is produced. Hike the San Pedro Volcano as well as Indian Nose lookout.

Čo očakávať:

Lots of backpackers, a hectic village, lots of restaurants/cafes/bars, friendly locals, gorgeous views – however not of volcanoes.

Najlepšie tipy:

Plávanie tu nie je dobré, choďte do San Marcos. Existuje niekoľko úctyhodných obchodov s potravinami priamo na vlastné stravovanie. Je tu bankomat.

Ak chcete objaviť oveľa viac o chladnej dedine San Pedro, skontrolujte naše video tu:

Jaibalito

Aj keď tu nie je veľa cestujúcich, táto dedina by mala mať osobitnú zmienku. Jaibalito sa nachádza len pár minút západne od Santa Cruz. V skutočnosti tam môžete skutočne chodiť po vysokej horskej ceste, alebo je to rýchla jazda na lodi. Sotva tu žijú ľudia, ktorí tu žijú alebo turisti, ktorí tu zostávajú, existuje však niekoľko vysťahovalcov, ako aj priateľskí miestni obyvatelia. Existuje tiež niekoľko hotelov, ktorí by mohli zostať. Skontrolujte stredu trhu Jaibalito, ako aj Le Casa del Mundo na nápoj na nádhernej terase.

Santiago Atitlán

Santiago Atitlán je najľudnatejšou dedinou pri jazere, pričom väčšina ľudí je Tz’utujil Maya. Nachádza sa na extrémne južne od jazera, na vstupe medzi Tolimán a sopky San Pedro. Je to mimoriadne tradičná, autentická dedina, ktorú musí každý návštevník vidieť počas svojho pobytu. Piatok aj nedeľa sú primárnymi trhovými dňami, avšak kontrola akéhokoľvek typu dňa v týždni by bolo dobré.

Potraviny na predaj na trhu Jaibalito.
Choď!

V podstate, bez ohľadu na to, do ktorej dediny sa rozhodnete cestovať po jazere Atitlán, budete ohromení. Okolité sopky, regionálni mayskí ľudia a nádherné jazero sú tým, čo robí túto oblasť tak mimoriadnou a jedinečnou. Môže to vyzerať ako skľučujúca úloha, keď sa snažíte zistiť, ktorá dedina je najlepšia, takže v ideálnom prípade vám tento sprievodca poskytol veľké zrútenie toho, čo môžete očakávať od každej dediny?

Poznámky cestujúceho

Náklady na primárne jazdy na lodi:

Panajachel do Santa Cruz – 10q (1,67 USD)

Panajachel pre San Marcos – 15q (2,50 dolárov)

Panajachel do San Pedro – 25q ($ 4)

San Pedro do San Marcos – 10Q (1,67 USD)

San Pedro do Santa Cruz – 15q (2,50 dolárov)

Nebezpečenstvo:

Niektoré oblasti nie sú na chôdzu bez rizika, požiadajú o radu s regiónom pred trekingom medzi akýmikoľvek typmi dedín. Normálne je každá dedina počas dňa bez rizika, ale cesty medzi nimi sú známe pre lúpeže a muggingy.

Ak ste verili, že ľudia sú jedinými davmi, ktoré v noci trápia turistov, mýlili by ste sa. Balenie túlavých psov sa chápe, že napadnú nič netušiacich ľudí, najmä neskoro v noci. Vždy cestujte s oveľa viac ako jednou osobou po zotmení a premýšľajte o prinášaní korenia.

Nepríjemnosti:

Motoristi lodí majú „oficiálnu“ dovolenkovú sadzbu pre jazdy lodí. Môžete objaviť indikáciu špecifikáciu primárnych trás v San Pedro, avšak ak nerozumiete cenám, pravdepodobne sa vás pokúsia vytrhnúť. Využívajte vyššie uvedenú príručku nákladov a neplatíte žiadny typ viac.

Páči sa mi tento článok? Pripnúť ?

Pre oveľa viac informácií o jazere Atitlán skontrolujte naše články:

Základné nápady a informácie: hraničný prechod zo San Cristobal po jazero Atitlán

Náš digitálny kočovný život na jazere Atitlán, Guatemala

Výdavky na bývanie na jazere Atitlán v Guatemale

Už ste predtým cestovali do jazera Atitlán? Ktorá dedina si myslíte, že je najlepšia?

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