Lake Atitlan- Getting to the lake villages
Surrounded by volcanoes in the western highlands, is the breathtaking Lake Atitlan. As one of Guatemala’s biggest tourist attractions, it draws a crowd, but for this Central American destination that doesn’t mean it’s a tourist trap. Instead, you’ll find the most unique and serene paradise that is sprinkled with locals, ex patriots, and visitors.
My first view of the lake as we drove into town
The lake is surrounded by small villages that are accesible by boat and in some cases a car or tuk tuk. There are plenty of blogs that will help outline the various towns and help you decide which one is right for you. Keep reading for more general lake info.
Getting to Lake Atitlan
I landed in Guatemala just after midnight and grabbed an uber to a nearby hotel, a simple Days Inn in Guatemala City. In the morning my friends and I looked at our options for getting to the lake and were surprised to find out that it was cheapest for us to take an uber. The drive was about 2 1/2 hours and cost $90USD. Most people get dropped in Panajachel to catch a boat, aka la lancha.
Money saving tip-There are shuttle options if you don’t have travel companions to split the price of an uber. Usually they have stops along the way so it’ll take extra time, but you’ll see more interesting things that way!
Keep your eyes open while in transit. You never know what you’ll see!
Navigiating through the towns to make it to Panajachel
As you arrive to the lake be sure to ask your driver to pull over for a photo op
Getting to your Lake Atitlan destination
As soon as you arrive at the docks, you’ll get hassled by many captains trying to convince you to take a private lancha. It’s not that expensive to take the private boat, but when traveling on a dime these decisions add up. It costs $25 Quetzales to take the public lancha, about $3 USD. It’s fun to take the public boat. You hop on and you toss your bag on the roof and climb in. The boat fills up with many locals who are returning home from a shopping trip or work.
You’ll stop at each dock to unload passengers. In some cases, you stop at a town and other times it’s a private dock. Most people get around the lake by boat taxi. There are cars and tuk tuks in certain towns but due to conditions and terrain it makes sense to take the boat.
Docks all around the lake work like bus stations in a city
Sitting on the bow of boat while passengers stuff into the center
I recommend you pick your lake destination before you get on the boat. I think we made our decision in the car on the way to the docks, based on our review of information in our Rough Guide. Let the captain know where you are headed so they can tell you when to get off. Most things aren’t marked well so unless you’ve been there before you won’t know which stop is yours.
As you exit the boat, you’ll give your cash to the captain and grab your bag off the roof. It’s time to find a place to sleep!
A local woman watches the bustle of the city from the sidewalk
