The journey to get to Lake Atitlan is quite an adventure. Located in volcanic highlands one must travel on twisty, poorly maintained mountainous roads to get here- we are talking about Guatemala where driving a few hundred kilometers can take all day. However once you arrive, it will be well worth it.
Much of the shoreline is only accessible by boat as steep hills surround much of the lake. Like most people we arrived at Panajachel and caught a boat to our final destination which is just visible near the middle of this picture.
Numerous small towns dot the shorelines of the lake, this alley is in San Marcos la Laguna, known for hippies. Exploring the few laneways of this town is a great way to spend an a few hours. You can also eat a hippy pizza here and go on a real adventure.
One of the more vibrant towns is San Pedro la Laguna, this is where a lot of backpackers stay. While there are a lot of hostels and hotels along the shores of the lake, this would be the party hotspot.
We didn't stay here but I'm sure there was something always happening well into the night. We did some shopping in the town as Guatemala is probably one of the best places to buy souvenirs due to the price and authenticity of the products.
Most of the time we spent hiking in the hills and sitting on terraces overlooking the lake. This was taken in Santa Cruz la Laguna which was within walking distance of our hotel. We went here to eat and to catch boats to other parts of the lake. Bring cash as not every where accepts cards.
Guatemala is known for its birds, there's one on the flag in the main image of the post. While not all birds are as pretty as the Quetzal, this Bar-winged Oriole sat in a nearby tree while we ate. As we age, I plan on getting into birding, our trip to Guatemala was a good start.
Phone cameras are no good to capture birds but we tried our best. Live mode is good to select a decent picture but this is one trip we wish we still had our professional camera on. I'm waiting for something to go on sale and then I'll get a telescopic lens for better wildlife photos in the future.
Colibris are everywhere in Guatemala, they enjoy the many flowers and flowering trees. We travelled here last Spring and are planning another trip soon. Writing this post while looking at the snow outside makes me think, why am I not somewhere down South?
They have Tuk-Tuks in many of the towns as the roads are almost too narrow for cars. Since the roads are steep sometimes it's just better to grab a cab, especially when it's hot out.
Here is the catholic church on the main plaza in Santa Cruz. Despite the tourism, this area is still impoverished. You should exercise a little caution when walking around Guatemala and maybe carrying around an expensive camera while walking down rural trails wouldn't have been the greatest idea.
We stayed at the Laguna Lodge Eco Resort which cost a few hundred dollars a night but offered excellent views. The next few pictures are from the hotel. There are many more reasonable accomodations on the lake but sometimes you've got to treat yourself.
Lodges are quaint, this was in the restaurant area. The had all sorts of artifacts from the pre-Columbian natives who lived in the area and still do. The food was good but they only served vegetarian dishes and it was quite expensive. Luckily we could walk 10 or 15 minutes to the nearest town or hail a boat.
The views from our terrace were unprecedented. There was a small pool as the lake was at best lukewarm and the hotel had a hot tub available to rent which is questionable for an ecolodge. Most of the time we spend walking around and exploring the cultural and scenery of Lake Atitlan.
Thank you for enjoying our pictures from Lake Atitlan and I highly recommend visiting it one day, we will hopefully return to Guatemala as it has a lot to offer.
All photos were taken with an s22 or an iphone 13 pro and are unfiltered