Lake Atitlan, San Pedro. GUATEMALA.

Travel tips for Lake Atitlan and San Pedro, Guatemala.

• There are two cash points in San Pedro,  one by the dock and another up the hill from the block around 5 cuadras.
• We stayed at hotel Pinocchio  it is relaxing and has a nice kitchen and garden. Double rooms are cheap and staff are super friendly. Zoola is also a good hostel where most travellers go as it has a pool and a bar.
• San Marcos is the nicest village on the lake, the boat from San Pedro is 10 Quetzals each way. You can enter the park to walk round for 15 Quetzals.
• You can hire kayaks for the lake, horse riding for the island and of course hike up the volcanoes.
• San Pedro has many bars and good restaurants, it is lively so if you´re looking for a party here´s the place.
• There are many tour agencies that will book bus/shuttle to almost anywhere in Guatemala, Mexico and southwards too.

San Pedro - Awesommmeeeee people and lake

We´d heard from friends that Lake Atitlan in Guatemala was a must, they had originally planned on staying here for a couple of days, but the beauty and the chilled out vibe meant they only left two weeks after their arrival! 

The lake is situated in the Guatemalan highlands, and is surrounded by 3 volcanoes which shade the lake from the surrounding areas. We decided to stay in San Pedro, located in between the two biggest volcanoes, and as we drove down the slope to the town we saw the full beauty of the lake and its surroundings.

We land in San Pedro and straight away we see the many bars and restaurants that line the streets, filled with young tourists. A classier Magaluf came to mind with less litter and a bit more culture. The locals here have a distinctive dress code, the men walking round dressed as cowboys and the women dressed in skirts and checkered tops. Spanish is not the first language here, Mayan is, and the mix of the culture the locals have kept alive and the influx of tourists gives the place a nice and different feel. 

A local tourist guide offers us some free help to find a hostel, all we want is the cheapest place with a kitchen. We head of to Pinocchios and as soon as we arrive we bump into Louie and Joanna, who immediately offer us a beer and join the party, we drop our bags off in the room and crack open a beer! 

That night we head into town and sample the local establishments, a great night had with a small hangover the next day. We even got to watch a cool local acoustic drum band who played the night away with rhythmic sounds as we sat around a fire drinking the local beers. San Pedro´s reputation held up as being a lively place.

With our new gang, we head off to the next day to go and visit San Marco, a short boat ride across the lake. San Marco is the more chilled out town of the lake and it certainly looked like a lovely place on arrival. We walk around the gorgeous forest, taking the views of the lake and the volcanoes around.  As part of the pathway there various spots where you could jump into the lake, the first we came across being 10m high, me being me was straight off, where as the two Jo´s took their time, eventually taking the plunge. Both Jo´s came up after their jumps proud as punch as Joanna offered her wisdom "Awesome things happen to Awesome people".  This saying would be the theme for the next couple of days.

The rest of the time was spent chilling out most of the days and having the odd beer or here and there and having immense dinner parties at the hostel. 

San Pedro overlooking the lake

Traditional cowboy attire

Jo and Elena, our friend from the hostel.

Out of this world - SEMUC CHAMPEY - GUATEMALA

 


Travel tips for Lanquin (Semuc Champey), Guatemala.

• If your coming from Flores, you can catch a shuttle from Los Amigos hostel for 150 Quetzals direct
• There is ABSOLUTELY no cash points there so bring plenty of cash, about 1500 Quetzals each is wise
• Stay at Zepher Lodge, its very expensive but its up in the mountains with amazing views and they run a fun tour to Semuc Champey (You don't actual stay at Semuc Champey you stay in Lanquin 1 hour away)
• Zepher Lodge is expensive so take your own booze if you like to drink. The food is amazing though so you will have a treat while your there. 
• Do the tubing tour down the emerald green rivers, its stunning.
• If you do the Semuc Champey tour ( which it a must!) do not bother pre-ordering a sandwich at Zepher Lodge as part of the tour you stop by a woman that sells hot food on a BBQ with a fresh salad, tortillas and rice. The price is exactly the same at Q25.00 so ditch the soggy sandwich.
• To get out of there you can book shuttles from the hostel or you can walk into Lanquin and book a shuttle with the travel agency's. It works out a little bit cheaper.

Wondrous Lanquin - Tubing, Caving and Rope Swings

After hearing lots of great things about Semuc Champey we decided to head there. It is nestled in the middle of high rolling mountains as far as the eye can see making it the perfect retreat. The travellers actually stay in Lanquin, two hours from Coban. Semuc Champey is about an hour from Lanquin and roads make for a bumpy ride. 

One of the most popular spots to stay is at the Zepher Lodge. The hostel is built up in the mountains creating a tranquil ambiance for all guest. They have dorms from Q40.00 but you can also hire a private boutique hut which cost a lot more at Q250.00. Nothing beats waking up in the morning here to see the mist in the mountains and hear the fast rapids of the river from down below. We opted for the cheapest room which was at Q30.00 each for a bed in the dorm. The catch was that it has only a few walls as they were still building it. With no mosquito nets, we were at the mercy of the bugs. Not ones to be too picky we took it and hoped for the best. On the third night I did wake up with a beetle in my bed which was quite alarming but not enough to put me off. Instead I took it as part of the adventure.

Here are pictures taken from Zepher Lodge in the morning...

Semuc Champey Tour.......

We booked the Semuc Champey tour with Zepher Lodge, at the time of writing this cost Q175.00 pp. The tour started early with the gringos being piled into a 4x4 truck with only a metal fence on either side to protect us from falling over. It felt like we were cattle being transported as the driver drove through the town, catching stares from the locals, probably thinking, "Look at those stupid Gringos". 

Standing up and holding on tight we shook and wobbled about as the driver took on uneven dirt track roads. In the very steep areas there was a slight thought that we wouldn't be able to make it. But like anything in Central America, it might make any Health and Safety inspector blood curl but you make it safe and sound in the end.

We met our guide Marco, a loud, short and plump man. He lead us into the caves and gave us a candle each to enter the darkness. As we went further in the water got deeper and you had to swim with one hand holding a candle making sure you don't put it out. Now, I am not best swimmer so this poor man we met ended up being drowned by me as I dunked him down so I could catch some air. You had to tread as you waited for people in front to move on. It felt exciting but also daunting swimming in the caves in complete darkness minus the low glow from the candles. 

With slight fear we ventured on into the darkness, climbing rickety ladders and sliding down water holes to reach a new level. The guide reassured us that everything was safe here which calmed a few nerves. We then get to a waterfall which we climb using rope. Once we got to the top there was another 3 meter climb where we had the option to jump off the rocks into a pool of darkness. Not wanting to miss out I jumped into the abyss and hoped for the best. Except for getting water up my noise I survived it and it was quite fun. After this we swam black through a different route and excited the cave into day light which slightly hurt your eyes. 

More fun was to be had as we headed to the river and the guide said we could jump of the rope swing. This flung you into the river at a 3 meter drop. Michael did this about 3 times, each time making the jump more challenging than the other. I jumped twice and it was so much fun. The next stop was a 10 meter jump from a bridge. I hung over it and looked below and thought twice about making the jump as it looked quite high and am not the greatest swimmer. After much deliberating, Michael agreed that we would jump together. We counted to 3 and took the plunge, it was thrilling and not too bad at all.  All adrenalin-ed out, we stop at small roadside canteen and eat grilled chicken and rice. Unfortunately we have no pictures of the caving as we didn't have a waterproof camera.

The second half of the tour we enter Semuc Champey which a gated off and you must pay an entrance fee to enter. This fee is covered as part of the tour. Semuc Champey is a collection of emerald green natural pools situated in the heart of the department of Alta Verapaz. Before we took to the pools we climbed to the look out point called "The Mirador" in Spanish. The views from this point is truly spectacular.

We then headed to the pools and soaked in. It was great to swim around and there are many of little pools to visit. Most people slide into the other pools as the rocks leading to the pools become slippery with moss and create a natural slide. The guide kept telling us to slide down and my friend said "Its not a slide, its a rock. I will graze my butt." I did slide down but slowly, at the end of the day my friend was right, it was a rock.

Here are some pictures of our day....

This is the type of vehicle we were transported in

Typical Guatemalan outfit for woman- beautiful isnt it?

Bumpy ride 

Walking to the caves

Semuc Champey from the view point

Getting down

Reflection in the water

Tubing......a funny incident!

On one of the days we walked to the river at the bottom of our hostel but soon realised that you could not swim in it as it was shallow and the rapids where fast. As we were contemplating our next move we saw people on tubes floating past us and we were instantly jealous. Quickly we ran into the town and booked to go tubing. The funniest part was going to the river where we had to pile into a small tuc tuc with 7 people and 5 tubes. The tuc tuc broke down at least twice. 

When we get down there the river looks amazing, we quickly place down our tubes and we are off. The guide tells us to keep in the middle to avoid big rocks and tree branches. I blame my little hands and short arms because for the love of me I just kept drifting to the sides and I just couldn't paddle my way back to the middle. Everyone else was relaxing and I was in a frantic mess. Truth be told I knackered, Michael told me to stop moaning haha. 

The worse part was when I found myself to being drifted to the side yet again and I had to duck quickly to avoid a tree branch. In panic I grabbed hold of the branch and my tube went from under me down the river. Michael and the rest of the people where way down the river so I screamed. "Help, help, Michael, help." Michael shouted back telling me to let go on the branch but I couldnt, I was too scared. After about 5 minutes of this I finally let go and I let the river pull me along, bumping into the rocks as it was shallow. In relief I jumped back into my tube and laughed, everyone was laughing. My friend Tim said, "Where we about to call a search party for you because you got caught on a tree?". Haha I said.  Apart from that I would recommend tubing, the river is beautiful and the setting is just unreal. Its a must do while in Lanquin. Unfortunately, no pictures again as we don't have a waterproof camera.