Where We Be
Back in 1934 Aldous Huxley famously compared Lake Atitlan to Lake Como: "Atitlan is Como with
additional embellishments of several immense volcanoes. It really is too much of a good thing."
Lake Atitlan by Ferry, Guatemala
On a clear day the views from Santa Cruz would be
huge, but on a hazy one it wasn't worth the effort
Santa Cruz is aptly dubbed vertical town.
It's perched high above the lake.
The long line of tuk-tuks at the base should have been a clue --
we shouldn't have walked! It was a long,steep climb to town.
Here's where we should have started doing our exploring, at the base of town.
The streets continued to climb from here, but we were too tired to tackle them.
If you think San Marcos is small, wait until you see Jaibalito. A walk through
town took maybe five minutes. There's a nice view at the edge of town though.
There were a few restaurants and lodges, and
this colorful church, but not much else to see
At the center is a small park surrounded by shops. Nearby is a stone church. At first we thought the town would be too
small to use as a base, but it's growing fast and there are more groceries, shops, and restaurants than we at first realized.
Back at the lake we had a traditional Guatemalan dish called pepian
at Hostel del Lago. The hostel offers a pretty nice view, wouldn't you say?
Come to San Marcos if you like small villages and nature. You can learn
Spanish here too, but what you won't find is much in the way of nightlife.
From this lookout point you can even jump into the lake! Or you can
just wade right into the water and sun on the flat rocks below the trail.
Lake Atitlan is the deepest lake in all of Central
America. It's situated in a massive volcanic
crater located in the midst of the Guatemalan
Highlands. Rising dramatically from its shores
are three volcanoes: Atitlan, San Pedro, and
Toliman. What makes the lake especially fun to
explore are the dozen or so towns dotting its
shores. Ferry transport is cheap and the towns'
strong Mayan influence makes them culturally
interesting to visit. Add in the obvious scenic
beauty and you have the kind of place we could
see ourselves coming back to for a longer stay.

For this short visit we based ourselves in Pana
but made sure to set aside a day to explore
some of the other towns on the lake. Frequent
"lanchas" (boats) make it easy to get between
towns. We toured four different towns in a
single long day: San Pedro (aka backpackers
town), San Marcos (hippie town), Jaibalito
(hidden-away town), and Santa Cruz (vertical
town). More on each of these below, but our
favorites were the first two. In hindsight we
could have skipped the last two and seen the
bigger town of San Juan instead. Each leg of
the trip cost us 10 to 25 Q pp ($1.25 to $3.00 US).
We toured independently and think this is the
best way to go as it gives you the most freedom.
Lookout points and benches make for perfect
places to pause and soak in the lake views
San Marcos is dubbed hippie town, and there really is a hippie vibe here (think astrology readings, chakra balancing, etc.).
The streets are long and narrow, with plenty of small shops as you head iowards the center of town, inland from the lake.
Near the ferry dock is a lovely trail that meanders
through a nature reserve called Cerro Tzankujil
San Pedro has been dubbed "backpackers town," a fitting description for this hub of good-value
hostels and cafes. It has a reputation as a party town, although we were only here during
the day so didn't get to experience that part. Here we're approaching the town by ferry.
While San Pedro is bustling down near the lake, it quickly gets
quieter as you climb higher. And of course you get better views.
Near the top of town is a park in front of a pretty church.
The vibe is very different here once you climb the steep hill.
View from the church steps. Down near the lake
is Gringo central, but up here it's mostly Mayan.
Descending into the middle of town, we arrived at the bustling market. This
vibrant area is chock-full of cheap fruits, vegetables, handicrafts, and snacks.
We even found a few health food stores. We thought San Pedro offered a nice balance
of busy and serene. There were plenty of great food and lodging options, and also
respected schools for learning or improving your Spanish like the San Pedro School.
We left Santa Cruz feeling like it was one town too many.
Next time we'd visit no more than two or three towns in a day.
We had cloudy weather throughout our stay, but
even with the clouds the lake's beauty shines through
San Marcos is notable for its beautiful natural surroundings. Approaching by water,
you can see straight off this is a much tinier and quieter place than San Pedro.
San Pedro ("backpackers town")
San Marcos ("hippie town")
Jaibalito ("hidden-away town")
Santa Cruz ("vertical town")
In picking which towns to visit, we followed the advice of Adventurous Kate. We liked two of her picks in particular,
San Pedro and San Marcos. We started with the longest ferry ride first, from Pana to San Pedro. We skipped San Juan
on this trip, but if you prefer bigger towns with more to see and do, then it might be a better choice than Jaibalito or Santa Cruz.
If we came back, it would be in swimsuits so we could visit Club Ven Aca, a
day spa with hot tub and infinity pool overlooking the lake  [Not my photo]