Day Trip to Lake Atitlan from Antigua Guatemala. Lake Atitlan day trip from Antigua Guatemala. Lake Atitlan from Guatemala City.
Lake Atitlan, one of the top tourist attractions in Guatemala and the most beautiful lakes in the world, is located in the southern part of the country at an altitude of 1563 meters above sea level. Guatemala City, the capital of the country, is 110 km away from Lake Atitlan, and Antigua - the most popular place to visit Guatemala - is 80 km away. The short distance makes Lake Atitlan a perfect day trip destination from Antigua.
Not only is the lake beautiful, but the landscape surrounding it is simply stunning, with three volcanoes dominating the area. Lake Atitlan is also home to the indigenous Mayan population, where you can observe and learn about their history, culture, and customs.
All the tours to Lake Atitlan from Antigua look more or less the same: you are picked up from your accommodation and taken by shuttle to Panajachel, where you start the main part of the tour with the sightseeing around. Breakfast is included with the trip. Usually, you visit a few villages. In the evening, you are back in Antigua, dropped off at your accommodation or in the central part of the town.
My tour from Antigua to Lake Atitlan was the same. I was picked up by the 5 a.m. shuttle to Panajachel. After arriving, it was time for breakfast in the local restaurant (included in the tour price).
After a walk through Panajachel and a short introduction to Lake Atitlan, we took a boat across the lake to the first stop - San Juan La Laguna. I loved this place and all its colors! The views of the lake, the streets lined with hanging umbrellas, the street art around - it was all perfect.
In San Juan La Laguna, we also had two stops: in the chocolate and textile factories. I have never seen how chocolate is made, and I’ve never tried cocoa seeds, so I enjoyed this part of the tour much more than I expected. Of course, after the presentation you could do some shopping, but no one was pushy and forced you to spend money there.
After exploring San Juan La Laguna with a guide, we had some free time and then took a boat to another town - San Pedro La Laguna. Even if these two towns are located very close to each other, they are completely different. San Pedro La Laguna is more laid-back, a true backpacker destination.
Here, everyone had two choices: visiting the local church with the guide or having free time to explore the town independently. I chose the first one.
The last stop of the tour was Santiago Atitlan, where, after arriving by boat, it was time for a lunch break and then a bit of exploring.
This town was again different from the two previous ones. Home to the largest indigenous population of Mayans, you could feel it’s more of a regular place to live, not a tourist destination.
We wandered around a bit, learned more about the town, and saw a local Mayan woman wrap a tocoyal around her head. The last stop in Santiago Atitlan was visiting the Catholic church, one of the oldest in the area, from the second half of the 16th century. Then, it was time for a bumpy boat ride back to Panajachel and to catch the shuttle back to Antigua.
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Volcan Acatenango Hike
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• Acatenango Volcano Hik...
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