If you are planning a family trip to Guatemala, chances are Lake Atitlan is on your itinerary. And if it’s not, add it now! Lake Atitlan is considered “one of the most beautiful lakes in the world.” And for a good reason. Over 84,000 years ago, due to a volcanic eruption, the lake was created, and today is the deepest lake in all of Central America. It stretches 18 kilometers wide, is home to three volcanoes (Atitlán, San Pedro, and Tolimán), and eleven unique Mayan villages surround the lake. The water is a mixture of the deepest blues and brilliant green colors.
Most people who travel to Lake Atitlan spend a week (sometimes even months) here. We had three days. Three glorious days though. Yet now, when we visit again, we will make sure to spend more time here.
There are so many things to do in Lake Atitlan, Guatemala, from exploring the local villages, paddleboarding or kayaking the lake, taking a cooking class, hiking a nearby volcano, or experiencing the nature reserve. Grab a front-seat view of the lake by relaxing in a hammock, enjoying a drink at sunset, or waking up early to witness the sunrise at Indian Nose. Make sure to carve out time to relax too. Whatever your travel style or adventure of choice, Lake Atitlan has something for everyone.
Here is my list of the Top 10 Things to Do in Lake Atitlan with Kids:
Visit the Local Lake Atitlan Villages
One of the best pieces of advice we received before our trip was to explore as many of the Mayan villages as we could. Eleven villages surround Lake Atitlan. Some you can reach via car, tuk tuk or bus. Others are only accessible by boat. But what they all share is the beauty and heritage of the Mayan culture. Each village is unique in that they have their own set of traditional dress and craft community. While some villages may focus on textiles such as weaving, others create pottery.
You can explore on your own, hire a guide, venture via public or private boat, or even kayak to the villages.
Kayak or Paddleboard Lake Atitlan
Once you witness the beautiful water of Lake Atitlan, you will want to get on the water as fast as you can. I recommend renting kayaks or paddleboards to spend a morning on the lake or signing up for an organized tour to paddle to a distant village. There are even options for organized overnight trips if you are staying outside of Lake Atitlan. Not knowing if our paddling skills would last the few hours for the organized tour, we decided to rent paddleboards for an hour to enjoy our time at leisure. We rented with Kayak Guatemala, located in Santa Cruz La Laguna. After you depart the dock, you will want to head to the left and walk about 5-10 minutes along the beautiful trail. You will reach Kayak Guatemala and can begin your adventure kayaking or paddelboarding Lake Atitlan.
Watch the Sunrise at Indian Nose
The hike to Indian Nose requires the willingness to wake up early and hike a short distance. You will depart around 3:00 am/3:30 am to be transported to the start of the trail. Most of the tours leave from San Pedro La Laguna. If staying in Panajachel, be prepared to spend 1.5 hours driving to the starting point to embark on the hike. The hike is only a short 35-45 minutes to the summit. From there, you can enjoy a cup of coffee while waiting for the glorious sun to rise and start your day.
While we did not have the opportunity to do this hike (due to our limited schedule and me being the only one in our family who wanted to), I have received many recommendations from other friends, travelers, and locals who said not to miss this. Please note that if you read the news, there may be reports of robberies to some visitors at Indian Nose. Many of those robbed have not gone with an organized tour guide (which I highly recommend) and have descended the opposite side, which is not recommended. I advise you to reach each article carefully.
Paraglide over Lake Atitlan
Paragliders grace the skies every day, assuming the weather cooperates. You can’t help but look up and see colorful dots floating in the sky overhead. If you want to try your hand at paragliding at Lake Atitlan, you will want to work with a local tour operator. One that comes highly recommended is Realworld Paragliding. There are two locations in Lake Atitlan to paraglide. You will meet at their office, and then they will drive you to the starting location. Santa Catarina Palopo is about a 25-minute drive from Panajachel, or at Santa Clara La Laguna, which is on the opposite side of the lake from Panajachel (about a 30-minute boat ride). Once you have met your guide and have the safety lesson, off you’ll go to float over Lake Atitlan. The entire paragliding journey lasts approximately 20-45 minutes, depending on the weather conditions of Lake Atitlan.
Visit the Nature Reserve
Located just a few minutes outside of Panajachel lies the spectacular Nature Reserve. Set in the beautiful Santa Buenaventura Valley, the reserve is home to a butterfly preserve, hanging bridges, a monkey observation deck, lush hiking trails, and even a ziplining course. This is a great way to spend some time adventuring with your kids while in a beautiful natural setting. The reserve is open every day from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm.
Ride on the Back of a Pickup Truck
As with visiting any country, it’s always a good idea to do as the locals do. It’s another way to glean what daily life may look like for the locals. Many of the local Guatemalans will ride in the back of a truck to transport them from village to village. So why not do the same?
We hired a guide for the late afternoon to take us to two local villages near Panajachel. While you can reach them via boat, he recommended taking the local truck to have a new and fun experience. And he was right on! Getting to pass by and through villages, while sharing the back of a truck with locals made us feel like we were part of the community. Trust me. Kids will love standing up in the back of the truck with the wind blowing and feeling a sense of freedom and adventure.
Take a Cooking Class
There are two cooking classes many recommend if you are visiting Lake Atitlan. The Mayan Kitchen with Anita (located in the village of San Pedro) and Amigos de Santa Cruz with Claudia, a CECAP Culinary Program graduate (situated in the hillside community of Santa Cruz). You may have the opportunity to shop at the local market and pick out the necessary ingredients. Then you’ll spend a couple of hours cooking up the most delicious Guatemalan meal. Some of the recipes you may make are pepian (a chicken stew), tamalitos, rellenitos, etc. In our experience, having children participate in a cooking class helps expose them to new foods while also teaching them an appreciation for the culture and country they are visiting.
Shop the Markets and Support the Locals
If you are visiting Guatemala, I highly recommend you spend some time shopping at the local markets. Or schedule time to experience a weaving cooperative (or other cooperative associated with that village) to learn what many of these women cooperatives do. Many of these villages rely on their craft and sell these items to those visiting. Making these craft items and selling them is what supports these families. We had the opportunity to get a behind-the-scenes look at the process, and hard work of each piece created. And I have to say the prices are pretty incredible for the handmade quality and dedication that goes into each item.
Take a Day Trip to Chichicastenango Market
Chichicastenango Market is considered one of the largest outdoor markets in Central America. It’s only open on Thursdays and Sundays, so keep this in mind when planning your visit. It is about a 1.5-hour drive from Panajachel, so convenient if planning to make this a day trip. The market is home to Mayan textiles, jewelry, wooden handicrafts, fruits and vegetables, and even live animals. Though the locals primarily use the market to buy and sell local goods, it does cater to tourists by selling a variety of souvenir-like items.
Enjoy Some Downtime at Lake Atitlan
Grab a book, maybe a hammock, and enjoy relaxing the day away. If your accommodation has a pool, the kids will love having a break. Or perhaps enjoy a yoga class or a massage in the town of San Marcos. At sunset, find a spot along the lake to watch the sunset over the volcanoes in the distance.
How to Get to Lake Atitlan
For a family, I would recommend hiring a private driver. The drive is about 3 hours from the airport in Guatemala City to Lake Atitlan or a 2 hour shuttle ride from Antigua to Lake Atitlan. We hired our private driver, Byron, due to a recommendation from a fellow family travel blogger. And he was exceptional! Bryon is a friendly, reliable, English-speaking driver who can make arrangements via WhatsApp.at +502 4767 7372. Our drive from the airport to Lake Atitlan cost Q950, from Panajachel to Antigua, Q750, and from Antigua to the airport, Q250.
Ubers are also prevalent in Guatemala if you decide to go that route.
How to Get to the Other Villages of Lake Atitlan
When you first arrive at Lake Atitlan, you will be in Panajachel. Or “Pana,” as the locals like to call it. Panajachel is one of the largest towns surrounding Lake Atitlan. It’s a great place to base your family if you want numerous restaurant and shopping options. Plus, it’s a perfect jumping-off point for day trips.
If you are staying in one of the other villages surrounding the lake, you will need to make your way to one of two docks in Panajachel to take a public or private boat (“lancha”) to your final destination. The main Panajachel dock at the end of Calle Embarcadero srevices the villages of Santa Cruz, San Marcos, San Pedro, Jaibalito, and Tzununa. The other dock, located at the end of Calle del Rio, services Santiago Atitlan, San Antonio Palopo, Santa Catarina Palopo, and San Lucas Tomilan. Some of the hotels may arrange a private boat transfer for you. Otherwise, you will find the public boat traveling to the village you are staying on and hop on once you arrive at the dock. Please note that the public lanchas charge approximately Q25 per person. Locals will pay less. Don’t argue; that’s just the way it is.
It takes about 20 minutes to get to Santa Cruz (one of the closest towns) and about 30 minutes to San Pedro, the exact opposite side of the lake.
When to Visit Lake Atitlan, Guatemala
There are two main seasons in Guatemala: the dry and rainy seasons. However, the weather in Lake Atitlan tends to remain at a pleasant temperature range all year long. If you prefer sunny days with hardly any chance of rain, I recommend traveling to Guatemala between November and April. December to January is peak travel time as the skies are clear and the ground is lush from the recent rains. However, this is also when most tourists will travel to Guatemala. May to October is considered the rainy season, but rain occurs typically during the afternoon and evenings.
Where to Stay: Lake Atitlan Hotels
As we planned our trip in less than a week, we didn’t have many options for accommodations around the lake and therefore decided to stay in Panajachel. We stayed at Porta Hotel Del Lago, a Porta Hotel property. Porta is a larger-sized hotel (100 rooms). And while we usually stay at smaller boutique hotels, this worked out lovely for our time here. The hotel has an on-site restaurant that serves excellent food, a pool, and a gym. It’s also within walking distance to restaurants, Calle Santander (the main shopping street), and to the dock that will lead you to other destinations around the lake. Each room has gorgeous views of the lake and the distant volcanoes. But one of the things I like most about Porta Hotels is how they are doing good via sustainability and giving back to the community.
Here are some other hotels in Lake Atitlan I would recommend:
Casa Palopó – this was once a private home along the lake but is now a luxurious hotel property featuring fine dining and eco-friendly activities. Each of its 15 intrinsically decorated and spacious rooms have a private terrace. The rooftop pool deck offers spectacular lake views, and quaint gardens welcome you. Kids ages 10 and up are welcome.
La Casa del Mundo – is one of the places that made me want to book a trip to Guatemala. I saw a photo of it on a social media post, and I thought, “that is where I want to be.” While it didn’t work out for this trip, I want to look into it next time. It’s perched on a hillside, only accessible via boat, but neighbors the indigenous village of Jailabilto. Each of its 19 cliffside rooms gives way to a magical feeling that many guests say. They offer hiking, biking, and kayaking, and you can easily catch a boat to explore other nearby villages.
La Fortuna – we stopped here to drop off passengers on our ride to Panajachel from Santa Cruz, and immediately I wanted to disembark and hide in one of the hammocks. It’s where rustic meets luxury in this eco-friendly hotel. Each of the five bungalows has palm-thatched roofs, outdoor bathrooms, and private balconies. Spend your days relaxing in the lush gardens or soak in the wood-fired hot tub. Kids ages 12 and up are welcome.
Hotel Atitlan – located just 10 minutes from Panajachel and surrounded by botanical gardens, this 61 room hotel offers an infinity pool, a variety of rooms, a private balcony, an on-site restaurant, and exceptional lake views.
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Lake Atitlan truly is one of those destinations that has something for everyone. Paragliding and hiking volcanoes for the adventurer, cooking, chocolate making, and local weaving classes for those wanting to learn more about the culture, and guided walking tours through the villages to explore the Guatemalan community. I promise you this is one destination you will not want to leave!
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