lake atitlan

Really enjoyed the tour de lago visiting three very different villages (San Juan, San Pedro, Santiago) as well as the boat trip itself and the stunning backdrop. The trip is just long enough and well priced at US$15. Highly recommended

We bought at $75 ea. tour to Atitlan and were somewhat disappointed in the day. I had been to Panajachel 20 years ago and loved the lake. Maybe because it was a new experience. This time the tour said we would visit 3 villages across the lake, which takes about 40 minutes to cross. We landed in San Juan, our first village, only to get on a boat minutes later to go to San Pedro, where we took a tuk tuk to a fabric shop and learned about the colors they use in the Guatemalan fabrics. And next to a natural medicine place where they use plants to make shampoos and creams. Then off on another boat to San Atitlan, where we ate lunch and walked by lots and lots of shops selling the same stuff you see being sold everywhere. It was Guatemalan souvenir overload. I didn't think there was anything of real historical value to see at these villages. It is 2 1/2 hours to get to the lake. I don't know if I'd do it again.

We took a coach from Antigua Guatemala. The journey itself was a lovely trip through the countryside. We arrived at a small town at Lake Atitlan, and once there it was pretty easy to find a boat tour on the lakeside. We used a small boat, with just myself and my wife, and the driver. The guy took us to a village, where we got out and explored. He also stopped off at some hot springs at one of the sides of the lake, where we got out of the boat and had a swim. We felt pretty safe as there were other tourists around, and would definitely return.

I've been in Guatemala City many times but this time decided to explore a bit more. Panajachel was an obvious choice been close to the city and Antigua. When we were going down hill towards Atitlan the views were truly magnificent and once you are at the lake viewing the volcanoes it's truly inspiring. This is a MUST for everyone going to Guatemala. Also the towns surrounding the lake are very interesting and all different in their own way. Just as a tip, don't take a VIP boat just travel like the locals using the taxi boats between towns. It is far cheaper and interesting!

Lake Atitlan has many beautiful views from the town of Panajachel. It has several picturesque villages surrounding the shoreline. We took a two hour boat tour to two villages which was very relaxing. I enjoyed my visit to the lake but I wouldn't necessarily want to return for a second visit.

Just look at the photos and decide. Its cheap to travel around the lake on the regular taxi boats, a number of interesting villages. main Panajachel was surprisingly nice, lots of restaurants and shops and flat more touristy. San Pedro hilly, restaurants and bars and more local life, volcano behind but not the best views. San Marcos spiritual.......but the scenery everywhere.......

We crossed Lake Atitlan from Panajachel to San Juan la Laguna, where we visited a women's textile cooperative to view hand weaving and natural dye processing. A shop across the street provided an opportunity to purchase some of the beautiful woven products. We then motored on to the village of Santiago where we visited the home of Maximon - an interesting but slightly disturbing experience. The views along the lake are beautiful.

We stayed in the village San Antonio Palopo two towns away from Panajachel ("Pana-ha-chel"). We really enjoyed the quiet there along with the authenticity of the town. Amazing views to be had of the lake from all areas. We booked a hike from Santa Cruz to San Marcos one day enjoying the countryside and again getting a little more into the real culture. We expected Pana to be busier from the reviews, but it was not to be so with alot of tour shops, restaurants and not alot of tourists. The last day we hiked the Volcano Pacaya. This was a tough 2 1/2 hour ascent with a rewarding vista at the top!! Well worth it.

Boat tour of the lake from Panajachel. Stop in San Juan la Laguna to see art gallery and womens cooperative. Nice to see they are keeping traditions alive. The quality of weaving was good and I purchased scarf as gift. Go to second city on the lake and its steep. See local markets. Last stop is Santiago to shop and have lunch. Eating tip: try the Lake Black Bass - its great!

The views are amazing from Lake Atitlan. The lake is surrounded by enormous dormant volcanoes. Many of the volcanoes have small villages at the base which makes the whole trip worthwhile. We also experienced the indigenous residents washing their clothes at the lake's edge. Try to go early since the lake does start to swell from the wind around mid morning. There are some beautiful homes around this huge lake as well. The lake is rising rapidly. Best to see it now.

The place is beautiful. There are several small towns to visit around the lake. We arrived at Panajachel and took a small boat to visit San Pedro and San Juan. But the road to Panajachel is very windy and its a long trip.Someone mentioned you could drive to Santiago instead and cross by boat the same way and it is a much shorter drive.It is worth the trip, the lake is clean, surrounded by volcanoes, quite a sight.

Lago de Atitlan is a must trip for travelers to Guatemala. I used LAX Tour to arrange this trip for me from Antigua. A van picked me up at 4 am and 3 hours later dropped me off at my hotel in Panajachel. I was a little apprehensive during the bus ride because I left the hotel alone with a driver who does not speak English. Nobody knows about about me or what I supposed to do. The only comfort was that the hotel owner told me that if I bought the tour, someone will come and pick me up as arranged. Well, things worked out as in my schedule (itinerary) so it is worth to use a tour agency to arrange the trip. My boat ride in the lake included the visits to two different cities (villages), a small town of San Juan La Laguna and a bigger town of Santiago Atitlan. I was put in the group with 3 others from the Netherlands so we got the tour guide who speaks English. Alexander, the tour guide, is very knowledgeable of the lake and the town we visited. The boat ride in the lake itself is worth taking, the shopping at the two villages were great. Recommend to have a wind breaker and sun block lotion on hand. If you like buying gifts, San Juan offers better handmade gifts by local coops. Once you are back in Panajachel, go to the lake shores and choose a restaurant of your choice to have good dinner during sun set.

Best part of our trip! Relaxing! Wish we had more time- Panajachel had great shopping and restaurants! Nearby towns and hiking great and interesting. The lake is rapidly rising, so some hotels have sunken "ruins" which are fun to explore.

Whether you want to kayak around it, rent a boat and go to some villages and check out how the various villages ( and they are different) -You will have a lovely time! FYI go earlier in the day because the winds pick up in the afternoon, and it's a bit tough getting out of those boats when they park three across at the dock. So, you have to get out of yours, into the other and so on and these boats are rocking!

Stayed at the Lake for 5 days and it was so beautiful !So much to do, all the different villages around the lake which you can visit by boat, trekking Volcan San Pedro, Paragliding ...We really enjoyed our time spend there .We stayed on a house near Santa Catarina, great location with amazing veas of the 3 volcanos !!!