How to get to Lake Atitlan, Guatemala
- Jul 20, 2017
- 4 min read
Updated: Aug 25, 2025
Regarded as "The most beautiful lake in the world" by Ernest Hemingway, and with tons of beautiful pictures going around the internet, I decided Lake Atitlan was my next getaway destination.
My birthday was coming and flights popped up on sale on Skyscanner.com so I jumped on them.
Lake Atitlan is not really just a hop, skip, and a jump over so a little planning is involved. I did my research on travel blogs and TripAdvisor, as always, and decided on this plan of action:
Choose a Town Around the Lake
Lake Atitlan is a huge lake and there are many towns around it. You can travel between pueblos by boat taxi so when you choose a town you are choosing more of a home base than an end-all be-all. I decided to stay in San Marcos La Laguna because it is a hippie haven. I only consider myself to be partial hippie maybe but there are certain attributes I appreciate of hippies, especially while traveling. First of all, they are nonviolent, so wherever they are it is probably pretty safe and relaxed (and it was). Also, hippies like fresh fruits and veggies, yoga, good music, and fresh squeezed juices, all of which I also love! In this case, safety was my highest priority and I prefer to stay near other expats. I like to go to more local areas during the day but I prefer expat areas at night because I often meet some very cool, travel-loving people!
*I haven't been to all the towns around the lake so I will link a blog describing them at the bottom of this post.
Fly to Guatemala City
I arrived the day before my reservation and used Hotels.com to stay one night in the city. I heard the city can be dangerous and we got in late so I made sure to book a hotel that offers airport transfers and a restaurant/bar open late. A driver was scheduled to pick us up in the morning to head to our spot on the lake so we ate, listened to a little live music, and went to bed.
(Love this day backpack that I picked up at a little shop at Lake Atitlan! For these sort of trips, I always travel with my backpacker backpack that I picked up from MooseJaw.com. I like Moosejaw because they have wonderful customer service for silly people (like me) who order the wrong size the first time around!)
When I stay more than a couple of days in a place, I prefer to rent a vacation home. "At home wherever I am", is how I think of it, and I don't like to rush out for food every time I get a hunger pain. Whether you decide to rent a vacation home or stay at a hotel, make sure you get the beautiful lake views!
Please note!! I made sure to choose a home that the host offered to send a private car to bring us to the location. Guatemala City is 3-4.5 hours from the lake and you do not want to take a "Chicken Bus" or try to figure out how to get there as you go. The private car was about $100 each way but it was easy, safe and convenient. The car came first thing in the morning, took us to Walmart, then straight to the lakeside estate. Lake Atitlan is pretty much in the middle of nowhere so although you'll probably never catch me at Walmart in the U.S., this stop was KEY to having a great time. We were able to pick up everything we needed for the next few weeks besides fresh fruits and veggies that are available at the local market stand.
Pro Tip: If you are thinking you are more advanced than your run-of-the-mill can't-speak-spanish clueless tourist, you still don't want to take the Chicken buses. Although they are extremely cheap, they are crowded, dirty, known for crime, and often disrupted by police searches. If you are looking to save money or get a more authentic experience, I would recommend starting it once you get out to the lake. Also, there are reports of crime happening on the roads for individual drivers so I would not recommend renting a car. I personally did not have a single problem while I was there but the private [car] driver knew exactly where we were going, took us to the store, diverted around certain traffic areas, and was quiet/convenient/comfortable- none of which can be said for chicken buses.
Outfit from Forever21-- they have great vacation outfits and free shipping on orders over $50!
Alright! Now you are there! Everything should be in walking or tuk tuk distance to get around and hopefully you chose accommodations with it's own dock or a dock nearby and you can take the boat taxis around to the little towns. Enjoy your stay, the beautiful views, and whatever nature activities you choose to participate in, there are plenty!
The Towns of Lake Atitlan by Adventurous Kate. I love her blog and use it a resource whenever I can.
Comments