With its three volcanoes Tolimán, Atitlán and San Pedro, Lago de Atitlán is a genuinely beautiful spot on this earth and a popular holiday destination for its fabulous views alone.
It is ringed by numerous villages, of which our home base Panajachel, with 11,000 inhabitants, is not the largest but the most important place on the lake.
On our first weekend we took a boat trip calling at four of the surrounding villages: San Marcos, San Juan, San Pedro and Santiago.
It really is curious: every place has its own image and speaks to its own target group:
San Marcos la Laguna - hippies only!
Step onto the shore of San Marcos la Laguna and one thing surrounds you above all: quiet. Yoga and meditation, massages, ayurveda, reiki - here you find everything a hippie heart could desire.
It may of course also have been down to the fact that we came ashore in San Marcos at 9 in the morning, but there was simply nothing going on. 100% dead. Just as well we had not chosen this village as our base! Because from a distance a place with a varied yoga offering actually sounded rather good to me.
You certainly have the best view of the lake’s three volcanoes from here, though.
San Juan la Laguna - art, craft & coffee
When you set foot in San Juan la Laguna, you know instantly what is going on: coffee, weaving and painting are the village’s three calling cards. Here cotton is still dyed by hand and worked on the loom. Or so they want the visitor to believe, at least.
The village is astonishingly clean and well kept and the shops lining the main street do not have the typical tourist-stall charm either. But if you want to sell hand-woven clothing, art and organic coffee, you obviously have to present yourself a little more upmarket. Well executed!
Sadly there was no time for a visit to a coffee plantation this time, but I am now the proud owner of a ‘poncho’ hand-woven from (of course) the finest cotton, or as Jan puts it, “at least we now have a tablecloth”.
And one thing gives me pause: what if it is really true, and the cafés simply write 100% organic on it when in reality it is decanted Nescafé?!? Jan’s faith in the fundamentally honest Latin American has taken quite a knock…
San Pedro la Laguna - a paradise for backpackers
In San Pedro an entirely different wind blows immediately: tour offers for those who coped well with the previous night, and chilled bars with a lake view where you can nurse your hangover.
San Pedro is also excellently set up for learning Spanish. It has the highest density of Spanish schools on Lake Atitlán. Evidently the classic backpacker likes to combine a party holiday with a few Spanish lessons?
This is also where you climb the volcano of the same name, Volcán San Pedro. So we will definitely be dropping by again.
Unspoilt Santiago Atitlán
With 26,000 inhabitants, Santiago Atitlán is the largest place on the lake. According to my Spanish teacher it is still only referred to as a village, though. The title of ‘city’ really belongs only to Guatemala City and, with a bit of goodwill, Antigua and Xela.
In Santiago Atitlán the indigenous Maya culture is very strongly present, mainly because the place could only be reached by road from the end of the 20th century. Before that the only way was across the lake or laboriously over the mountains.
The road from the pier to the centre is lined with souvenir stalls of all kinds here too, but otherwise the place really does make a fairly untouristy impression. Even so, we liked Santiago the least.
I find it rather disconcerting that so many places so obviously cater to holidaymaker stereotypes.
Our conclusion from the trip is that we made the right choice with Panajachel. Even if a stroll through the streets falls into the category of tired of life, since Guatemalans do not exactly drive in a pedestrian-friendly manner and shoot around every bend without a second thought. No wonder: anybody who can ride a bike is allowed to ride a scooter. And for a driving licence you only have to sit a test; the actual driving you learn from your parents, relatives or whoever else feels called upon…
Pana may be the first port of call for most tourists visiting Lago de Atitlán, but even so it is very authentic here. The tourism disperses among the large number of locals, or concentrates itself in the tourist lane. There is also a fairly large community of expats who contribute to everyday life in Pana rather than just passing through briefly.
Observation of the day: a pot of natural yoghurt (at least if you want it sugar-free) costs as much as 20 mangoes!