Hello! Lake Atitlan is a beautiful lake surrounded by picturesque Mayan villages. It is located in the mountains of Guatemala, about a 3 hour drive from Guatemala City, the county’s capital. In this post I will be sharing all of the best things to do in Lake Atitlan and the surrounding areas!
Welcome to your go-to Lake Atitlan guide and itinerary!
For many reasons, Lake Atitlan is one of my absolute favorite destinations. The lake, and the surrounding towns, are incredibly safe, super budget friendly, and an amazing place to take a trip as a solo traveler or with friends.
When I visited, I flew on Spirit Airlines from NYC to Guatemala City (with a short stop in Fort Lauderdale). Normally, you can find connecting flights for $150+, and nonstop flights for $200+.
The flight to Guatemala City, the drive to Lake Atitlan, and the boat to your hotel (depending on what town you’re staying in) will take about 10 hours total (if you’re traveling from the USA), so I definitely recommend spending at least a week exploring the area.
Lake Atitlan is an incredible destination, especially if you’re looking for a budget friendly, but beautiful, location!
Let’s get right into the best things to do in Lake Atitlan, Guatemala!
The Best Things to do in Lake Atitlan
Sleep – Amazing Hotels in Lake Atitlan
Laguna Lodge
For my trip, I chose to stay at the eco-friendly Laguna Lodge, and it is a fantastic place to spend a few nights.
The hotel is wellness focused and serves all fresh, vegetarian food. The hotel is located in a nature reserve which allows for beautiful hikes, calming walks and yoga with great views.
The only downside to this hotel is that, due to its location, it is not very easy to access the other towns around the lake.
The hotel itself is located about 30 minutes walking (on rough terrain) to the nearest town, Santa Cruz. This means you will either need to hire a private hotel boat to bring you around the lake (very expensive), flag down a local boat from the dock (very cheap but less reliable), or hire a tour-guide.
Many hotels on Lake Atitlan are accessible by car, but Laguna Lodge is very secluded and therefore, is not. That being said, the hotel is fantastic about providing transportation (car + boat) to and from the airport, and they also provide transportation for day trips at an additional cost.
I would recommend spending a night or two at Laguna Lodge to enjoy all the relaxing amenities the resort has to offer, and then moving on to another hotel in more bustling town like Panajachel or San Pedro.
Laguna Lodge from the lake 
Our beautiful hotel room
Isla Verde
Another wonderful hotel option, that is very reasonably priced, at around $70+ per night, is Isla Verde.
I had dinner at Isla Verde and it was a wonderful experience. The hotel staff was nice enough to show us around the property, and on another trip to Lake Atitlan I would definitely consider staying here.
Additionally, the hotel restaurant is delicious, and they also have a patio bar overlooking the lake!
Isla Verde, like Laguna Lodge, is located in the small town of Santa Cruz, but it is much more central and you are able to walk to restaurants and tourist sights nearby.
Outdoor patio 
Cozy lobby area
La Casa del Mundo Hotel
While exploring the town of Santa Cruz, I met another pair of travelers from NYC who were staying at La Casa del Mundo Hotel in the town of Jaibalito.
I decided to hike with them from Santa Cruz to Jaibalito and was able to visit their beautiful hotel. La Casa del Mundo Hotel is picturesque, located on a hillside and filled with gorgeous gardens.
Although there is not much to do in the small town of Jaibalito, this hotel is only about a 25 minute hike to Santa Cruz, or you can easily flag down local boats that will take you to the lake’s surrounding towns for about $1-2 a person.
A private room for two people at La Casa del Mundo Hotel is around $70 per night, and a private room with a shared bathroom is around $45.
Like with Laguna Lodge, I would recommend spending a night or two at La Casa del Mundo Hotel before moving on to other towns.
Beautiful garden area 
San Pedro Town
Next time I visit Lake Atitlan I will definitely try to stay in the town of San Pedro, this is one of the largest towns on the lake and there is a ton going on! It also has awesome relaxed, hippie vibes and is accessible by car.
You can choose to stay in a hotel, hostel or AirBnb, and there are tons of great options to choose from.
Hotel Recommendations in San Pedro:
- Shanti Shanti Hotel – San Pedro
- Sababa Resort – San Pedro
Eat – Delicious Lake Atitlan Restaurants
Café Sabor Cruceño
Café Sabor Cruceño in Santa Cruz is a delicious rooftop restaurant with wonderful views of the lake. The restaurant is open from 8am-5pm, so I recommend stopping by for breakfast, lunch or an afternoon snack.
In addition to having delicious, inexpensive food, the restaurant’s mission and initiatives are fantastic for the community. The restaurant empowers local indigenous community members by helping them build the skills needed to allow their communities to prosper, and by ensuring that children are able to stay in school, instead of dropping out to work.
In the same building as the restaurant, there is also a beautiful shop featuring handmade artisan goods made by local residents in Santa Cruz. This restaurant and artisanal store are must visits while at Lake Atitlan – and they’re definitely worth the hike up the hill to Santa Cruz.
Te Quiero
Stop by Te Quiero in Panajachel for super yummy coffee, breakfast and sweets! They have delicious iced coffee and the little cafe is absolutely adorable
Shanti Shanti
If you’re in San Pedro definitely have lunch or dinner at Shanti Shanti. Shanti Shanti offers super yummy Israeli food with an incredible view of the lake.
The prices are also unbeatable. For less than $10 you can get two full meals. I highly recommend the falafel, hummus and pita, they were so delicious!
Isla Verde
During your trip to Lake Atitlan, I highly recommend having dinner at Isla Verde in Santa Cruz!
The food is amazing and for $12 you get a three course meal + coffee and tea! You honestly cannot beat this deal for the amazing quality of the food.
Additionally, for a small fee (about $12 total), Isla Verde will arrange a boat transfer for you back to your hotel, and they will add it on to your dinner bill so you don’t have to worry about paying the boat driver in cash.
Finally, this restaurant takes credit cards, which is also an added bonus! For more information about their daily breakfast, lunch and dinner menus, and to make a reservation via email, click here.
carrot soup
Zotz
Even if you aren’t staying at Laguna Lodge in Santa Cruz, I highly recommend visiting for dinner and eating at Zotz restaurant.
You will need to hire boat transfers to take you to and from the hotel, but it is well worth it.
The all-vegetarian food was absolutely delicious, and each night there is a three course set menu. You can contact the hotel via email and get the menu in advance before booking dinner. The restaurant at Laguna Lodge is a little pricy, at $40 a person for dinner, but the food is delicious, super-fresh and definitely worth the splurge.
Adventures – Fun Things to do in Lake Atitlan
Go for a Hike
One of my absolute favorite parts of my trip was taking a sunrise hike up Indian Nose mountain. Through Trip Advisor/Vaitor we found Salvador, a local hiking guide, and the entire experience was amazing. Salvador picks you up at your hotel around 4am, either by boat (for an extra fee), or by car if you are in an accessible town, and drives you to Indian Nose mountain for an incredible morning hike.
This early morning hike would not have been possible without a tour guide, for safety and logistical reasons – so definitely check out Salvador’s tour. Salvador was great, and for $51 a person we think it’s a great deal!
The hike is only about 30 minutes each way (but it’s pretty steep). Once at the top you will have the most incredible views of the lake. In total, this adventure lasts around 5 hours, you’re picked up around 3:45/4am, and you’ll return to your hotel around 9am – just in time to have breakfast and enjoy a day of exploring!
The top of Indian Nose 
Sunrise with Salvador 
Take a Private Boat Tour of the Lake
I highly recommend hiring a private boat tour in order to visit many of the small towns around the lake. Each town on the lake is unique, and I think that they are all worth a visit. In the towns you will find restaurants, shops, churches, and tons of photo worthy scenery!
While in Panajachel, the main tourist town on the lake, I was approached by a local man who offered us a half-day boat tour to the towns around the lake. This sounds super sketchy, I know, but it’s very common and it was totally fine! We were able to negotiate the price with him, and for about $100 we had a six hour tour around the lake.
During this tour, we were able to visit five towns – Panajachel, Santa Caterina, San Antonio, San Juan and San Pedro.
The tour was fantastic and definitely worth the money, as in addition to transportation, our guide, Miguel, accompanied us around each town and showed us all of the major tourist sites. Furthermore, after the tour he brought us back to Laguna Lodge (our hotel), so we did not have to call for a hotel transfer from Panajachel.
I highly recommend taking a day tour of the towns around the lake, it is a great way to get to know the area and to explore all that the lake has to offer. If you are not comfortable finding a guide on the street, there are tons of tourist offices around Panajachel that will arrange a tour for you. These offices can also help you arrange day trips to other cities!
If you would prefer to book your lake tour in advance, below are two great options to choose from!
Ready for our boat tour!
Take a Day Trip to Chichicastenango Market
From Lake Atitlan taking a day trip to Chichicastenango Market is an absolute must!
This is a full day excursion, as the market is a 2.5 hour drive each way. Additionally, the market is open on Thursdays and Sundays, so be sure to plan accordingly.
In Chichi you will be able to find incredible artisan goods while wandering through the crowded streets of the market. The market is packed, but it’s so much fun and such a great way to find handmade items (+ lots of art!) to bring back home. I bought beautiful handmade pillowcases and they are definitely some of my all time favorite souvenirs.
Although there are local, public buses that go from Lake Atitlan (mostly from the town of San Pedro) to Chichi, I recommend hiring a driver. As a young, female traveler I was urged not to take the public bus (chicken bus), as it may not have been the safest option.
Instead, I booked a day tour through our hotel (Laguna Lodge) but there are also tons of other tours/drivers who will pick you up at your hotel, accompany you around the market, and then bring you back to the lake.
There are also shuttles that will take you to and from the market for a reasonable price. You can also book airport pick ups/drop offs as well as shuttles to and from Antigua!
Wooden sculptures
Chicken buses to Chichi, Antigua and Guatemala City
Visit Antigua
Either before or after visiting Lake Atitlan, be sure to spend a couple days in Antigua.
Antigua is a Spanish Colonial city located in between Guatemala City and Lake Atitlan. Antigua is about one hour from the airport in Guatemala City and about 2.5 hours from the lake.
Definitely visit Antigua either on your way to the lake, or on your way back before flying home. I did not do this, and instead I went from the lake to Antigua for the day, back to the lake for the night, and to the airport the next day.
This was a horrible decision and added on tons of hours of extra driving. Learn from me and plan accordingly! You can book shuttle services to/from Antigua here or here.
Antigua is probably one of the prettiest cities I’ve ever visited, and I wish we would have had at least two days to explore.
Antigua is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and there are tons and tons of beautiful churches, parks, shops and restaurants to visit. You can spend hours simply taking photos of the beautiful buildings. There are also tons of chocolate shops (a local specialty) as well as delicious coffee available in tons of adorable stores all around the small city.
Additionally, Antigua felt super safe, and it is an incredible option for travelers of any age. It is a very small and walkable city, and there is also tons to do and see.
Traditional candy store
Thanks so much for reading my guide to fun things to do in Lake Atitlan, Guatemala!
If you have any questions, or anything you’d like to add to this post, let me know in the comments below!
For more information about Lake Atitlan, be sure to check out my top tips and advice for visiting the lake!
Lastly, we appreciate you sharing this post with someone you know who would love a Lake Atitlan adventure!
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♡Kate
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My son has visited Guatemala and would love to also. Lake Atitlan is a beautiful lake so will definitely add to my itinerary.
Antigua is definitely on our list in the next two years. We will add Lake Atitlan as well.
Antigua is definitely on our list in the next two years. As budget travelers, you definitely made a case for Lake Atitlan. We will definitely add it on.
Guatemala is very high on my list, it looks like such a wonderful country as does Lake Atitlan! Thank you for all the tips! Saved for when I finally get to visit!
What a fantastic guide and photos! I would love to visit one day – the food looks incredible! I can’t believe how dreamy that hotel looks (and the price!!).
wow! I can’t decide what I would like to do first! I definitely need to visit Lake Atitlan!
Yes to everything! I’ve never heard of Lake Atitlan before and now its very much on my radar! I’d love nothing more than to go to the Chichicastenango (you don’t want to say that 5 times fast) Market and buy pretty much everything available.
I have never heard of Lake Atitlan but now it is on my radar. I appreciate all of the tips your shared on places to stay and getting around. It looks as though it was ana amazing adventure.
I’d love to visit Antigua – it is so so pretty! Great tip on not returning to Lake Atitlan before going back to the airport 😉
Wow sounds like an incredible place! We’re heading to central and South America next year and I think you’ve convinced us to add this place to the list!
Wowowow this looks amazing!!!! Definitely adding all of these places to my list when I travel to Guatemala. Great post!!!