Some people pay a lot of money to visit exotic places and to experience serenity and beauty in nature. Maybe that’s why I felt extremely lucky to have ended up in Guatemala at Lake Atitlan. Not only was my trip inexpensive, I still consider it one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever visited. From the people and culture to the crystal blue waters and the amazing hiking. If you are considering a trip t Guatemala, don’t miss Lake Atitlan! From Guatemala City Airport you can take a shuttle to Lake Atitlan. When I went I was actually staying in Antigua. Antigua is about 45 minutes from the airport and Lake Atitlan was around 5 hours from Antigua. I think it was around $10-$15 for a shuttle from Antigua to San Pedro, though it might be a bit more now. Not bad for a 5 hour trip!
The welcome center here is where all the little boats (lanchas) actually drop you off. You ride a boat from where the shuttle drops you off by the lake in order to get to San Pedro. I don’t remember how long the boat ride took, because I was too busy looking at the scenery (at the longest it was 30 minutes maybe). I remember it was pouring buckets when we arrived, but the people where waiting for us and there were tuk-tuks ready to whisk us away to our home-stay.
The town is very small and you really can walk everywhere in less than 10 minutes. There are quite a few hills though and when you arrive you might want to grab one of the little cars (tuk-tuks).
There is a ton to do. From Hiking the Indian Nose, to boating across the lake and visiting other little towns around the lake. There is a market in Santiago, there is yoga in San Marcos (as well as San Pedro). The food in San Pedro is delicious and inexpensive. Take some Spanish classes and Salsa dancing while you are there! There is also kayaking and horse back riding. If you have time you can take the bus to one of the coffee farms for a short tour and coffee tasting. If you love coffee or just enjoy being outside and learning, it’s a must. Enjoy the rest of the photos!
This picture is a little random but the Spanish school I stayed at had quite a few teapot towers. My roommate and I fell in love with them so much when we returned to the states we built our own teapot tower.
