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.
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.
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| San Pedro overlooking the lake |
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| Traditional cowboy attire |
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| Jo and Elena, our friend from the hostel. |
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