A few hours from Lake Atitlan is Quetzaltenango, the second largest city in Guatemala surrounded by volcanoes and Guatemalas farming heartland. Take lots of food and snacks, bug spray and you need to start the hike early, around 3am. Almost all the grocery stores and delivery trucks had armed guards with shotguns and armored vehicles were a popular form of transport. I would highly recommend it!The one thing to keep in mind is that Santa Cruz is essentially vertical so you'll either have to exercise your calf muscles or use a tuk tuk. The trail is more established from the San Lucas side so many people choose to hike from here!. There is cheap accommodation, lots of souvenir shops, lots of restaurants serving cheap cocktails and a really cool chocolate museum. The very people responsible for the vibrantly coloured buildings, their office also includes a small museum that delves into the history and symbolism of the different animals, colours and geometric shapes used in the designs. Note how green and alive (minus the submerged dead trees) the lake is here. Adults pay 3Q each (about 38cents US) to ride in a pickup from Panajachel to Santa Catarina. The small but functional Plaza Central is surrounded by art galleries featuring paintings by local artisans. While we were in Guatemala I wanted to hike a volcano, and after some research decided Volcan Santa Maria outside Xela would give us the most bang for our buck. There are no ATMs in Santa Catarina Atitlan but there are several in Panajachel. One of the prettiest and most colourful villages on Lake Atitln is Santa Catarina Palop (sometimes also called Santa Catalina Palop). There was trash piled all along the side of the roads and all over the stunning valleys. There is little tourist infrastructure unless youre at the lakefront, but thats what is nice about it. Literally steps from the dock, it has a nice, open-air terrace where you can gaze out over the lake and down at the women selling textiles on the street while knocking back that last drink before catching a lancha. The Region of Auvergne-Rhone-Alps - Information France You might not think of the lake as a hot stop for diving, but actually there are a lot of buildings that have sunk by the lake. While waiting for one to arrive, we gravitated towards a small tienda selling fresh fruit. The course takes 2 hours and costs around 15$/115Q. Buy a ticket for 15Q and walk along the path for another 5 minutes, and you cant miss it. This is a great taster session, and still allows you plenty of time to learn the basics. There's also a large population of Mayan people here, as most of the towns in this area are around 98% indigenous populated. Subscribe to our travel newsletter here. You can watch some of the women at work right on the street or, if you want a more thorough demonstration most of them will be happy to show you around their workspace. This was the first time in ten months we were worried about crime. This area of Guatemala had the most trash just lying around that we have seen on the entire trip. The hills all around the volcano are terraced with vegetable fields. You can't visit Lake Atitlan and not go for a swim, it would be a crime!. This past weekend we were determined to find them and succeeded. After a brief walk we were standing in front of a dockat the lake's shore. If you're looking to embrace yourself in the local culture, then why not learn the art of traditional weaving? Great service, good food in a beautiful natural place. When it comes to deciding where to stay in Lake Atitlan for yoga, pretty much anywhere works. The trees above unfortunately died due to the rising lake, which was evidenced throughout our short hike. I cant believe they made it up the steep, small road. However, I've got a better option for you if you love the water We've huge fans or kayaking and we even have our own inflatable kayak that we've took around Canada but that's another story! Natural Hot Springs in Guatemala - travelexperta.com Colorful buildings, little tourists and authentic culture, San Juan is located next to San Pedro, so its a welcome escape from the tourists and madness. This 3-hour cooking class is a fantastic option that will show you how to prepare three authentic Guatemalan dishes. Starting in Jaibalito, this 2-day tour includes meals and hotel (plus transportation from Panajachel or Antigua if needed) and involves mountain biking down from the crater rim, hiking between villages, kayaking on the lake and even cliff jumping. After motorcycling and paragliding, nothing makes you feel more like youre flying than this. One of these is paragliding, which I only discovered as we left as I could spot people paragliding in the distance. Copyright 2023 AmazingPlaces.com / Corno van den Berg. This includes plenty of breaks as trust me, you'll need them!. Job Opportunity: Co-Editor for AtitlanLiving.com Join us as the co-editor for AtitlanLiving.com, a destination blog, with an average 14,000 unique monthly visitors, focused on living and traveling around Lake Atitlan in Guatemala, and receive [], Meet Jesus, a 21-year-old Mayan Kaqchikel from Guatemala. Entrance to the trail is 100Q and this includes an optional guide, which I'd definitely recommend. It's also one of the most well-known markets in this area and you'll find plenty of quirky items here. We spent the morning basking in the sun, enjoying the warm water, amazing view and talking with the locals. However, the highlight of this experience is getting to witness the shamans perform the 'Fire Cleansing and Protection' ceremony. It took us two tries butwe found the natural hot springs in Santa Catarina Palop in Lake Atitlan! This traditional Kaqchikel Mayan village is known for its brightly painted buildings and houses, each with its own theme and colour scheme (within an acceptable range, of course). If your phone is unlocked we would recommend picking up a local SIM card with data (Tigo or Claro) so that you always have access on your phone and can use it as a hotspot if necessary. Below I will discuss the different towns/villages and why that area might be the right one for you San Pedro is the backpacker town of the lakes. The hot springs are located between their heads alongthe distant shoreline. We stayed 3 nights! Click here for Villa Santa Catarina prices. It was so cool at night, we loved it! There's a nice path along the way. Want to party? In my opinion, there's no better way to get around Lake Atitlan than by kayaking as you get to take your time and appreciate the epic views all around you. For more information please see our Contributors Guidelines page. Both accommodation and meals are cheap here too, you'll just need to take into account the transport needed to get around. Plus, there tend to be lots of power outages. They agreed, I paid them $5.00 and we parked next to the cows and chickens. There is the opportunity to take a yoga retreat, do some medication, or get a treatment done at the salon. There is a fair bit of overlap but, in general, the people around Santa Catarina Palop, Panajachel and most places along the north side speak Kakchiquel. The trails not easy, and it's always best to have someone experienced with you. It is strange, people worry so much about Mexico, but Guatemala seemed like there was more crime against tourists occurring. Here's the story. If youve got a decent fitness level, then you can take on San Pedro Volcano! It's more of a local market so you won't see many tourists around but it's still a great place to visit. We respect your privacy and will never sell your info. However, hiking up to the 'Indian Nose' viewpoint is a MUST! First thing, you will want to check out the local Santa Catarina Palopo vegetable market. That's Tag's blue croc in the second photo. Plus, when you finally arrive in Jaibalito, you can headstraight to the hot tub and infinity pool at Club Ven Aca. Located in a slightly sheltered bay, the lake area in front of Santa Catarina Palop is perfect for watersports. After Lake Atitlan you can spend a few days in Antigua (if you havent already been or don't visit as a day trip), although you may find you love Antigua too much and dont want to leave! Along the shores here there are about a half dozen areas where the hot springs flow into the lake. Something went wrong while submitting the form. Butit is most commonly known as "stinking toe" fruit because of the unpleasant odor of the pulp. Anyone with a relatively new smartphone can buy them online, download them by scanning a QR code and buy a data package specific to anywhere in the world. The whole family can jump into Lake Atitlan from a large rock or just soak in the warm waters from the volcanic hot springs. For 1Q, I bought one and his assistant whacked it open. Well shit..That was the first we had heard about the trail being dangerous, but we did see police come off the trail earlier in the day. You can find loads of information relating to the town and its Kaqchikel traditions, as well as more detail on the symbols and patterns. You make your way down [], Youve paid your hotel deposit, treated yourself to a nice 200Q dinner at Chez Alex last night, and just spent 200Q to for a measly 3G of data. Santa Catarina Palopo: 2023 Guide to Lake Atitlan's Most Colourful The journey is around 3 hours by chicken bus or you can pay for a private car, or hire a scooter for more flexibility. Your submission has been received! While painting galleries are the main focus, the Central Plaza and the path down to the dock have a variety of other shops where you can browse (and potentially buy) some traditional products and support the local economy. Expat adventures of our family life and travels through Central America and beyond! 5,980 ft (1,820 m) Type. The increase in tourism, mainly from day-trippers like us, has helped this village of 5,000 replace continually decreasing income from former mainstays agriculture and fishing. Boats: Public boats tend to run like this Panajachel-Santa Cruz-Jaibalito-Tzununa-San Marcos-San Juan-San Pedro and vice versa. The family was very poor and I always offer a small amount of money to camp. Well come back. And also very beautiful. As the museum is only small, you'll only need an hour maximum to explore. Meaning I live my life working and travelling all over the world and am here to help you achieve your dreams as well in any way I can. There is truly something to suit every individual, so just take your pick! During this 6-hour tour you will explore the traditional village of Concepcin, check out local farms, experience a sacred Mayan fire cleansing ritual and finish off at the wonderful Solol market. Getting around Lake Atitlan is not complicated, but it can take a few tries before you [], So, youre finally here. Santa Catarina Palops annual feria (festival) takes place in November, with a full week of festivities and the main procession scheduled for November 25. ), 285 pp. A few hours from Lake Atitlan is Quetzaltenango, the second largest city in Guatemala surrounded by volcanoes and Guatemala's farming heartland. Not only that, but some of them offer the chance for you to see an epic sunset whilst you party away!. Required fields are marked *. Santa Catarina is a small pueblo(think town) 2.5 miles from our house in Panajachel. When you go to Lake Atitlan you will likely get transported to Panajachel which is the main town of the area. If you can time your visit with sunrise or sunset - even better as the colours are often breathtaking!. There is a huge variety of stalls selling fresh produce, livestock, local clothing, traditional art, regional flowers and amazing pottery. Contents The river All in all, it was a successful excursion and it only cost us 6Q for the ride back + 1Q for the Toe (about 88 cents). FYI: Some of the posts on this blog include affiliate links. I hope that either a NGO or the Guatemalan government helps these communities before it is too late. The closer you get to the waterfall, the hotter it gets. Atitlan Lake is situated at an altitude of 1,560 metres and the top of Tolimn volcano, which is the highest volcano is 3,158 metres. This number is based on the percentage of all Tripadvisor reviews for this product that have a bubble rating of 4 or higher. There is even an entire section devoted to local trajes (clothing). No luck. You can opt for a yoga retreat, or even meditation classes if you wish and there are plenty of opportunities for this. San Pedro, on the other hand, is the busy backpacker hangout with the best nightlife and pretty San Juan is the place to go for local art. Also, because of the high altitude, its naturally warmer too, so youll find the lake is a pleasant temperature to swim in if you wish! This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. You can drive parts of the world famous road. Lake Atitlan is full of limitless treasures. Even if were were ok and lost no valuables, getting held up by gun point would be a terrible travel memory. You won't find roads alongside the North of the lake, so hopping on a boat is the easiest way to get from place to place. Read more. This gives you the chance to watch them setting up the stalls the night before as well as get there before the crowds first thing in the morning. However, there are enough incidents that you need to be smart and take reasonable precautions. You'll find plenty of awesome experiences waiting for you here, but paddle boarding has to be one of the best. Then this should be on your list of things to do in Lake Atitlan!. Finally, after a few vomit inducing loops, you land smoothlyin the Panajachel river flat bed. You can always ask them questions about the local area too! After spending a couple of weeks exploring Central America, we were both in need of a rest and we couldn't have picked anywhere better. See the two bald guys in the picture above. Thursday and Sunday are the market days, and this is where you'll find endless vendors selling handicrafts, food, pottery, flowers, and more!. However, for the best experience you should definitely stay here for a day or two as there's so much to do. So there you have it, my guide on where to stay in Lake Atitlan, alongside what to do in Lake Atitlan. Our volcano hike was officially canceled and we spent the night in the sad little village camped next to cows (reminded me of my days at UC Davis) looking at the volcano we would not hike. Getting Heregetting AroundDo & SeeBudget. Looking for a police escort in the slightly depressing village. 99% of travelers recommend this experience. Best Day Trips from Lyon | France Bucket List Ive rounded up what I think are the best things to do in Lake Atitlan. At an impressive height of 3,020m it's no easy feat and it will take around 3 hours to hike to the top and then back down again. This is without doubt one of the best things to do in Lake Atitlan, as the colours are insane. (Altitude dehydrates you quicker too). The Pan-American Highway is the longest road in the world. The high altitude made it very cloudy. It depends on what you want. Chicken buses arrive. They let you camp in the parking lot at the hot springs, you just have to pay for two days entry. Well be doing this one again. The hot springs surrounded by a tropical cloud forest and volcanoes have hiking trail heads to two volcanoes Zunil and Santo Tomas and they also have a restaurant. This incredible tour offers the opportunity to experience one of these ancient ceremonies at the Sacred Caves of Lake Atitlan. The tour starts in Panajachel and the hike will take you past a sacred Mayan site before finishing in the traditional town of Solol with lunch at a local comedor. With a completely different look and feel than the other villages on Lake Atitln, the evocative coloured houses of Santa Catarina Palop are sure to stick with you long after youve left this friendly little village. We discussed not taking anything up the trail but water bottles, but I decided that I just did not want to put ourselves at risk of something traumatic happening. It's scientific name is "Hymenaea Courbaril", in tropical cultures it is known as "courbari" which is what the vendor called it. It is an, We told some friends about the previously elusive. Hot Springs and a Stinky Toe Sunglasses Required After 5 minutes youll arrive at the park entrance. There are several little tiendas in the community of Santa Catarina Palop with a variety of basic supplies but for a bigger shopping trip you are best off going to Panajachel. Get yourself on a sunset boat cruise with a bring your own booze moto. I paraglided in Bolivia and it was an amazing experience - one that I would happily do again! document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Were Dean and Laynni, two Canadians who quit our jobs to travel in 2008 and have been exploring phenomenal destinations around the globe ever since. Lake Atitlan Quick Links Other useful articles you may want to check out: Santiago Atitlan: Guide to an Authentic Mayan Town, San Lucas Toliman: Guide to Lake Atitlans Secret Village, San Antonio Palop: A Guide to Lake Atitlans Pottery Village, Panajachel Guatemala: Gateway to Stunning Lake Atitlan, Santa Cruz la Laguna: A Guide to Lake Atitlans Village with the Best Views, Jaibalito: A Guide to Lake Atitlans Quietest Village, Tzunun: A Guide to Lake Atitlans Holistic Village, Pasajcap Rentals: The Best Place to Stay on Lake Atitlan, San Marcos la Laguna: A Guide to Lake Atitlans Spiritual Village, San Juan la Laguna: A Guide to Lake Atitlans Artistic Village, San Pedro la Laguna: A Guide to Lake Atitlans Most Popular Village, Your email address will not be published. If you find yourself exploring other parts of the lake, there are a few ATMs in San Pedro and one each in San Juan, San Marcos and Santa Cruz. Today we hopped in the back of a pickup taxi en route for Santa Catarina Palopo. It was so close, I was sad we could not climb it. The lake is very deep and because of that the water is brisk (Mickelle says freezing). There are free kayaks, a good breakfast and balconies attached to every room. It's located on the other side of the lake and offers a more authentic experience. Although there are many places to practice yoga on Lake Atitlan, especially in San Marcos, theres only one placewith Yoga classes with this view. Another option is to negotiate a price with a private lancha. All rights reserved. Authentic local experience with a community of women. Some reports say this isnt possible, but it is! & updates on our drive around the world, Backpacking Nicaragua:The Ultimate Travel Guide. The Chichicastenango in Guatemala market is a huge, colourful and intriguing event. La Taillat Mine, Allevard, Grenoble, Isre, Auvergne-Rhne-Alpes, France We came here for two reasons, to go to the hot springs in the cloud forest and to hike Volcano Santa Maria. Volcano Tolman isnt an active volcano, but like the previous hike, it's not for the faint of heart. I cant stop thinking about it, it made me really sad. The name comes from the towns patron saint, St. Katherine of Alexandria (a 4th century martyr), and palop is a combination of the Spanish word palo (stick or pole) and po, a Mayan word for a type of tree common in the area. However, I can imagine the views you get whilst paragliding over the lake are insane so its probably worth it! Thereisa small section of the lake's shorethat has underground fishers that vent. Santa Catarina Hot Springs Trip, February 2015. Those are the coveted spots. The texture is even perfect for a protein bar (except for the solid seed in the middle of the meat). We decided to go see if we could find internet in town and get more information. Onour second attempt, wemet up with our friends in Santa Catarina at 10:15 am. They are located near Quetzaltenango in Guatemala and there are many shuttles being offered from the city to the pools. Wise is by far the best international multicurrency bank account weve found, although so far they do not offer Guatemalan quetzal accounts. THE BEST Lake Atitlan Hot Springs & Geysers - Tripadvisor As I was getting dinner prepped the very old grandpa came over and talked to Sam and told him we should not do the hike tomorrow. It's free to enter and you should also explore the courtyard during your visit. (San Pedro will probably be fine). It is also the towns source of water. There are also many other good hiking trails around Lake Atitln that can be explored with a local guide or by following the GPS tracks in our Guide to Hiking on Lake Atitlan. At about 10:30 am it got really busy so we went on a hike. Thereisa small section of the lake's shorethat has underground fishers that ventheatinto the lake. The hot springs are crazy hot which felt amazing in the cold mountain air, and they are the prettiest hot springs we have been to since Liard hot springs in the Yukon in Canada. Lake Atitln is the most beautiful lake of Guatemala. It is recommended to always hike in a group or hire a guide, and dont carry valuables. San Pedro La Laguna is the best townto Kayak around on Lake Atitlan. They are ripping you off. Generally, the local boats range in price from 10-25Q depending on the route so this is roughly what you should expect to pay. Not only that, but you'll get to see the volcanoes in a totally different light so this isn't an experience you want to miss. This is a picture of the volcano from the XP door window from our camp spot. It is anindigenous community descending from the Kaqchikel Maya. Here are some other ways to get around Lake Atitlan: Okay, now one of the bigger decisions - Where to stay in Lake Atitlan? While I was talking to the sisters who live at the house, I saw to armed police come off the trail head. Lake Atitlan is often the final destination for people on the typical Guatemalan itinerary and we headed off to the beaches of El Salvador, El Tunco for some sunshine, surf and cocktails! The Aguas Termales Natural of Santa Catarina Palop arent so much hot springs, per se, as they are an area of the lakeshore where steaming hot water comes straight from the ground. Also remember that you are climbing in an already high altitude, which believe it or not, makes the air thinner and makes it harder to climb, so seriously be careful, take your time and bring plenty of water to stay hydrated. Sitting at or nearthose spots is comparable to sitting in a warm bathtub. None of us hadever seen onebefore. It is very popular and undeniably touristy but still worth seeing at least once. Asking people if we can camp at their house (which we have done many times) is always interesting and definitely stretches my Spanish skills. My only advice is that the hot springs can get busy during the day and weekend, so staying overnight really made the experience better for us, it also allowed us to hike some of the vertical trails up the mountain. This number is based on the percentage of all Tripadvisor reviews for this product that have a bubble rating of 4 or higher. If you are a resident of another country or region, please select the appropriate version of Tripadvisor for your country or region in the drop-down menu. Volcano Atitlan can be climbed from two sides:Santiago and Sun Lucas so it's up to you which route you take. This is one of the more unique things to do in Lake Atitlan and is the perfect activity if you're looking for a bit of adventure. You can have an enjoyable weekend visit, a week away from it all, or several weeks to learn Spanish. To get here, take a left / head west from the main dock in San Marcos. It is a perfect place to swim and relax. If you've got the time then you can take a 4 week course for a couple of hundred collars, which typically includes accommodation and food. This place is undoubtedly one of the best nature reserves in Guatemala and it's situated right by the lakeside. There is not a lot of information on doing hikes solo in Guatemala (most guide books are backpacker focused) so we had to find the trail head and figure out where we were going to camp by Google earth. It made me really depressed. Perhaps the greatest of all. Boats depart from the western dock (Santiago bound boat docks) right across from Hotel Playa Linda (Our top budget hotelrecommendation inPanajachel). They also had something I'd never seen before. More expensive than Villa Santa Catarina but still outstanding value, Tzampoc Resort Atitlan is located just east pf Santa Catarina Palop and also features great lake views and swimming pool, but adds in a sauna, jacuzzi and spa. If I remember correctly it's around $80 per person, whereas I paid about $45 dollars in Bolivia. Les presses Midi-Pyrnes, Albi (Ed. You'll find plenty of FREE things to do in Lake Atitlan making it the perfect place for budget backpackers. Fuentes Georginas Hot Springs Tortugario Monterrico Tikal Lanquin Lake Atitlan Monterrico, Santa Rosa 11 Day Guatemala Itinerary 2 Adults $167 pp/night $3330 total USD The most amazing Tikal experience. This is the version of our website addressed to speakers of English in Canada. Although we highly recommend that you spend at least a couple of days in Antigua, some people are very limited on time! You'll also get to admire rare colour photographs of San Pedro in its former days. You won't have to worry about the water temperature being too chilly either, as it stays at around 21C (70F) due to the geology of the area. Lake Atitlan is notoriously choppy in the afternoons. Tikal in Guatemala was one of the largest cities of the Maya. This quiet resort with its own private dock halfway between Santa Catarina Palop and Panajachel offers charming villas with kitchenettes without sacrificing the local feel or Mayan traditions. You'll want to keep your eyes peeled during your trip too as you might get to spot monkeys! For more information, please see their FaceBook page,Associacion Lema. And try to break your large Guatemalan bills whenever you can since a lot of places have limited change. In some spots you may find a large enough puddle to sit in, but most people simply enjoy swimming in the relatively warm lake water around the termales. I am not saying dont travel to Guatemala, it is a wonderful country, just ask locals about the safety situation before you go on hikes or on back roads, or even better, just use established guides here, they know the safety situation better than anyone and the last thing they want is tourists to get hurt. We document our travel tips, exploration of cultures, and family life abroad. We stayed in a beautiful lodge called the Sunset Lodge and it was tranquil and had its own space away from the town. There are also ziplines here if you're looking for an exhilarating experience, and a unique way to admire the views. If you enjoyed it, please click the like button below. This will definitely cost more but will provide striking views of the lake and of the beautiful private houses that line the lakeshore. Also, use a Revolut card for the best exchange rate and no ATM fees or charges. The trail is on the right. Volcan San Pedro stands atjust under 10,000 feet/3000 meters, and if youre readyfor the best view of your life, you need toclimb it. Hot Springs & Geysers in Lake Atitlan Enter dates Filters 2 Attractions Traveler favorites Nature & Wildlife Areas Volcanos Bodies of Water Forests Gardens Hot Springs & Geysers Mountains Parks Hiking Trails Waterfalls 1 place sorted by traveler favorites Clear all filters 1. Turn right onto OR 205 South and drive about 67 miles to Rock Creek Road. Not only that, but there are lots of activities in Lake Atitlan for you to get involved with so what are you waiting for? Farther along on the south side is Santiago Atitln, the largest town/city on the lake. We'll be back. This awesome tour runs from Panajachel so is a great option. I bought three huge bags including sweet corn (a rare find) and it cost around two dollars. This experience is something that you'll remember for a lifetime, and you can also weave your own souvenir which is always a bonus! This way, you will still get to experience them all. It is both a terrific day trip destination and a great choice for a longer stay, with several gorgeous hotels where you can relax in maximum comfort at the end of a busy day exploring around the lake.