Lake Atitlán.
An exceptional first stop in Guatemala, Lake Atitlán is surrounded by volcanoes and luscious greenery.
- Indian nose hike (2,863m).
The 3.30am wake up was definitely worth it. After a (very dark) tuk-tuk ride through ropey roads to the hike entrance we donned our head torches and silently followed the guide. When we got to the top we were surrounded by (and then stood in) clouds. But as the sun rose the clouds slowly cleared for a beautiful birds-eye view of the whole lake and the volcanoes surrounding it. It was very pretty, and for some unknown reason we were the only ones there.
Walking down was a pleasant surprise as we’d gone up in the dark we couldn’t see a thing – I had no idea we’d walked through corn fields and a small village!
2. Kayaking.
One morning we rented kayaks from the neighbouring nature reserve. There aren’t many boats on the lake which makes it super peaceful, and I went for a little dip! It was also the best way to spy on different buildings surrounding the lake, there are some seriously impressive hotels.
3. Accommodation.
We stayed at Lush Atitlan which is a stunning guesthouse built into the rock side. It’s next to a nature reserve and is surrounded in beautiful jungle-like trees and vegetation, as I said, stunning.
We had a ‘budget’ room with a shared bathroom – not how I’d describe budget with daily cleaning, lovely sheets and a delicious breakfast! It was meant to be a treat as we planned on doing a 3 day hike before Lake Atitlan, but due to our bus being stuck in some severe traffic and a spell of bad weather (aka monsoon) we couldn’t go. (It’s top of my list when I come back!).
4. The Lake.
Lake Atitlán is huge. There are loads of villages surrounding the lake connected by water taxis (the roads are terrible). One of the first things we noticed in Guatemala is how friendly everyone is, buenos días and big grins from both locals and tourists.
We stayed in San Marcos which is a 45 minute boat ride from the touristy hub and entrance to the lake, Panajachel (aka Pana). San Marcos is known for its hippie vibe, filled with expats embracing spiritual healing, mediation and yoga. And of course, brilliant people watching.
We hopped over to San Pedro for a day trip to check out another village and visit the solar springs. It’s a bit more touristy than San Marcos, bigger and has more hostels. The springs are hilarious, someone has basically dug a hole and put a large bath in the ground. You give them an hours notice and they fill your little bath with water heated by San Pedro volcano. They’re seriously hot. As in the hottest water I’ve ever been in. Go if it’s cooler otherwise be prepared to sweat!
5. Cooking course.
Being on the cusp of monsoon season we had lovely sunny mornings followed by rain in the afternoons. One rainy afternoon we did a Guatemalan ‘cooking’ course at Restaurant Fe ran by a Brit expat who has lived in San Marcos for 10 years and had some cracking stories.
The menu included coconut prawns in avocado, guacamole, black bean soup and pepián de pollo, a dish whacked out on special occasions in Guatemala. It was more observing the Guatemalan chef cook (although we did make the tortillas!), eating and drinking than cooking ourselves but it was a top afternoon nonetheless and we left stuffed!
We visited Lake Atitlán in October 2018.
