Exploring San Pedro La Laguna, Lake Atitlan
Wandering around San Pedro on the shores of Lake Atitlan in Guatemala for a day. One of the towns on the lake it is known for having the most nightlife and one of the more happening backpacker scenes. Restaurants and bars that go all night and easy expeditions to nearby volcanos.
San Pedro La Laguna, my Guatemala.
The village where I live in Guatemala since 2004. Just got a Mavic Spark Drone and got to produce this video. I hope you'll enjoy.
Sunsets in San Pedro | Vlog Lake Atitlan, Guatemala
Lake Atitlán/Lago de Atitlan is one of the most scenic bodies of water in the world. A true gem & must-see in Guatemala, Day 4 of my trip I headed on over to stop #2 of of Guatemala Trip.
I start the day off in Antigua where I catch a 3+ hour bus to the town of Panajachel, the entry hub of Lake Atitlan. I sat down and grabbed some vegetarian food for Lunch at Deli Llama de Fuego before grabbing cash out of the ATM (there is limited ATM availability around the lake).
From there I catch a shuttle-boat across the lake to the town of San Pedro where I booked an Airbnb.
I go for a wander about town only to discover there's not much culture down near the water. I venture up about town and see how locals do it.
I grabbed some Gallo Cerveza and take in the sunset overtop of the water.
For dinner I head down to the hostel strip and grab some fish at Bar Sublime which was blasting some techno tunes.
0:56 | Panajachel
1:08 | Deli Llama de Fuego
2:06 | Panajachel boat to San Pedro
3:36 | Exploring San Pedro
6:26 | Watching the Sunset in San Pedro La Laguna
9:23 | Eating Dinner at Bar Sublime in San Pedro
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Lakefront Airbnb - Kitchen With A View! Lake Atitlan, San Pedro Guatemala
Discover a great place to stay in an airbnb right on the lakefront with an open-air kitchen with a great view! In Guatemala, we enjoyed spectacular sunrise views over Lake Atitlan and its active volcanoes right outside of San Pedro La Laguna, a beautiful village on Lake Atitlan, Guatemala.
San Pedro is a small village at the foot of a massive volcano and the most popular of the resorts on Lake Atitlan. We stayed at Casa Kawoq, a lake side AirBnB with stunning views of both the lake and its surrounding mountains.
One of our favourite adventures in all of Guatemala was the Indian Nose hike, with panomaric views of Lake Atitlan at sunrise. It is a steep but short 45 minute hike up a small mountain, in the pitch black to get there before sunrise. Detailed info on how to DIY the Indian Nose hike, which leaves from the village of Santa Clara:
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The most stunning spot around the Atitlan Lake? 100 km hike - day 1 - Panajachel to...(sub:EN,PL,ES)
Do you want to belong to the first ones to do something around the Atitlan Lake, before it gets too popular?
Are you asking yourself a question: can you walk around Atitlan Lake? Yes, you definitely can! This is exactly what we did!
Atitlan Lake is one of the most well known tourist destinations in Guatemala, and I completely understand it, since it is one of the most beautiful places not only in Guatemala, but is also called as the most beautiful lake in the world. Imagine that!
But most of the time, the Atitlan Lake is visited for only few days, and most of the people either stay in Panajachel (I call it: the tourist town), or in San Marcos (I call it: commercialized hippy town) or in San Pedro (I call it: Israeli town). Maybe some more active travelers explore also the neighboring towns on tuk tuk, kayak or on a boat.
But Atitlan Lake has much more to offer than that! It is not only climbing the Indian Nose to see the sunrise over the lake. It is not only drinking free beer in Santa Cruz or enjoying the views over San Pedro volcano from one of the many hostels in San Pedro or buying souvenirs in Panajachel, that don't even come from the region.
I have been exploring Guatemala and its plethora of hiking opportunities for the last 4 months, and my friend, Abel has been traveling around Central America on a bicycle for the last 9 months (his views on bike travel on budget in Central America:
While admiring the Atitlan Lake from one of the usual hiking trails, we came up with a bit of a crazy idea to circumnavigating the lake on foot.
In July, August and September I was 2018 staying in Jaibalito, which is one of the smallest villages around the lake, since the only option to get there is on a boat, or on foot through hills and mountains. The next town, Santa Cruz is kind of a dead end, since from there it's impossible to get to Panajachel without using the boat.
So that is why we decided to start the hike around the Atitlan Lake from Panajachel, and get back to Jaibalito the longer way - after going through all the villages of the lake.
We calculated more or less 100 km on foot, through Panajachel, Santa Catarina Palopó, San Antonio Palopó, Agua Escondida, San Lucas Tolimán, Cerro de Oro, Santiago de Atitlan, San Pedro la Laguna, San Juan la Laguna, San Pablo la Laguna, San Marcos la Laguna, Tzununa y Jaibalito.
On the first day we took a boat from Jaibalito to one of the jetties in Panajachel, the least known, where they charge 10 quetzales and not 20! So that is a good tip: if taking the boat from Panajachel, get to the pier, which is called Tzanjuyu, it's just at the beginning of the town, before the La Torre supermarket.
On the first day we did only 14 kilometers, but some of it was a good way up. Maps.me indicates approximately 6 hours for that distance.
We went through Santa Catarina, which surprised us with the colorful blue houses and the variety of handcrafts. Then San Antonio de Palopo, where we had some difficulties in finding anything to eat.
In the afternoon we arrived at a lookout point, just 2 kilometers before Agua Escondida. The views were so stunning and the surrounding so welcoming, that we decided to stay there. Since, if a place calls you, just stay where you are.
We pitched the tent in a front line of the lake, and had some basic supper (bread with peanut butter) watching the most amazing sunset over the lake. It was an unforgettable moment!
The first day it didnt rain at all, neither during the day, nor durning the night, which was really quite surprising, since the previous weeks it was always raining at least during the night. After all, we are in the middle of the rainy season in Guatemala!
For the entire 5-day trip, we spent 152 quetzales (22 USD), so the daily expense is approx. 4USD).
I hope you will enjoy the video and the views. And that it will be an inspiration for you to do something alternative, less touristy and well off the beaten track around the Atitlan Lake!
If you know of anyone, who is as much into hiking as me, or you think anyone could benefit from the video, share it with them:)
Empower through travel!
1 Week in Guatemala | Volunteers Around the World - Yale Chapter
Hi all,
For my Spring Break, I traveled to Guatemala with Yale’s chapter of Volunteers Around the World. For about a week, we lived in home-stays in the quaint town of San Pedro La Laguna, a site on the coast of the majestic Lake Atitlán. We volunteered in a mobile medical clinic, traveling to various destinations around the lake each day and providing free consultations and medications to residents in the areas in partnership with several Guatemalan doctors. This region is one of the poorest in Guatemala. Most of the natives were Mayan and many still spoke Tz'utujil along with Spanish.
After our mission had concluded, I took a bus to Antigua, a UNESCO World Heritage town and former capital of Guatemala, and did some solo traveling before flying back to the States.
Not only did I recover much of the Spanish I had first learned back in high school, I was able to be inspired by a resilient demographic of people undeterred by poverty and uncertainty in their lives. I wanted to take this time to thank those who accompanied me on this humbling and breathtaking trip of a lifetime. It has been a true privilege working alongside all of them.
Much love,
Wes
All clips were recorded on my iPhone X.
San Pedro, Guatemala Awesome Night Scene on Lake Atitlan
Walking through San Pedro on Lake Atitlan, Guatemala at night.
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Gabriel Morris is a world traveler and travel writer who has been adventuring around the world off and on since his first trip to Europe in the summer of 1990. He is author of Following My Thumb, a collection of 26 exciting and hilarious autobiographical travel stories from his worldly wanderings during the 1990s; and of several other books. Visit for lots more info about his travel writing, photography, videos, budget travel tips and much more.
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San Pedro, Guatemala Awesome Night Scene on Lake Atitlan
Lake Atitlan, Guatemala: A Tour of San Pedro Town
Walking around the pleasant little village of San Pedro on Lake Atitlan, Guatemala.
Feel like reading something fun, adventurous and inspiring? Following My Thumb by Gabriel Morris features 26 adventure travel stories from around the world:
Or, Gabriel's practical travel guidebook, Gabe's Guide to Budget Travel, is just $10 on Amazon! Click here for more info:
Gabriel's travel page on Facebook:
Lots more adventure travel at:
Follow Gabriel on twitter:
Video created by Gabriel Morris, who is the owner of all video or photo content. See more below.
Gabriel Morris is a world traveler and travel writer who has been adventuring around the world off and on since his first trip to Europe in the summer of 1990. He is author of Following My Thumb, a collection of 26 exciting and hilarious autobiographical travel stories from his worldly wanderings during the 1990s; and of several other books. Visit for lots more info about his travel writing, photography, videos, budget travel tips and much more.
Thanks a lot for watching, and safe journeys!
Lake Atitlan, Guatemala: A Tour of San Pedro Town
Lake Atitlan | Travel Diary Guatemala
This is our travel diary video to the most beautiful lake in Guatemala, lake Atitlan. On this video we show drone footage of Hacienda Real in Tecpan and San Antonio Palopo in Solola. We also show the lovely towns of Santa Catarina Palopo and Panajachel. We had a great time shooting our first video on many to come. We did it with lots of love, enjoy!
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Este es nuestro video del viaje al lago más hermoso de Guatemala, el lago de Atitlán. En este video mostramos tomas aéreas de Hacienda Real en Tecpan y San Antonio Palopó en Sololá. También mostramos los preciosos pueblos de Santa Catarina Palopó y Panajachel. Nos la pasamos muy bien haciendo nuestro primer video de muchos por venir. Lo hicimos con mucho amor, disfruten!
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Video by:
Gabriela Sagastume and Andres Ranero
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Guatemala-Panajachel (Beautiful Lake Atitlan) Part 9
Welcome to my travelchannel.On my channel you can find almost 1000 films of more than 70 countries.
See the playlist on my youtube channel.Enjoy!
Guatemala-Panajachel :
Lake Atitlán (Lago de Atitlán) is a large endorheic lake (one that does not flow to the sea) in the Guatemalan Highlands. Atitlan is recognized to be the deepest lake in Central America with maximum depth about 340 meters. The lake is shaped by deep escarpments which surround it and by three volcanoes on its southern flank. Lake Atitlan is further characterized by towns and villages of the Maya people. Lake Atitlán is about 50 kilometres (31 mi) west-northwest of Antigua. Lake Atitlán should not be confused with Lake Amatitlán. Lake Amatitlán is located about 65 kilometres (40 mi) southeast of Lake Atitlán and 16 kilometres (10 mi) southeast of Antigua. Lake Atitlán is much larger than Lake Amatitlán.
At the water is the meaning of Atitlan. It is a fusion of simple Nahuatl words that belies the complexity of the entity it identifies. German explorer Alexander von Humbolt is the earliest prominent foreigner generally quoted as calling it the most beautiful lake in the world.
The lake is volcanic in origin, filling an enormous caldera formed in an eruption 84,000 years ago. It is renowned as one of the most beautiful lakes in the world, and Aldous Huxley famously wrote of it: Lake Como, it seems to me, touches on the limit of permissibly picturesque, but Atitlán is Como with additional embellishments of several immense volcanoes. It really is too much of a good thing.The lake basin supports extensive coffee growth and a variety of farm crops, most notably corn. Other significant agricultural products include onions, beans, squash, tomatoes, cucumbers, garlic, chile verde, strawberries, avocados and pitahaya fruit. The lake itself is rich in animal life which provides a significant food source for the largely indigenous population.
Culture
The lake is surrounded by many villages, in which Maya culture is still prevalent and traditional dress is worn. The Maya people of Atitlán are predominantly Tz'utujil and Kaqchikel. During the Spanish conquest of the Americas, the Kaqchikel initially allied themselves with the invaders to defeat their historic enemies the Tz'utujil and Quiché Maya, but were themselves conquered and subdued when they refused to pay tribute to the Spanish.
Santiago Atitlán is the largest of the lakeside communities, and is noted for its worship of Maximón, an idol formed by the fusion of traditional Mayan deities, Catholic saints and conquistador legends. The institutionalized effigy of Maximón is under the control of a local religious brotherhood and resides in various houses of its membership during the course of a year, being most ceremonially moved in a grand procession during Semana Santa. Several towns in Guatemala have similar cults, most notably the cult of San Simón in Zunil.
While Maya culture is predominant in most lakeside communities, the largest town on the shores, Panajachel, has been overwhelmed over the years by tourists. It attracted many hippies in the 1960s, and although the war caused many foreigners to leave, the end of hostilities in 1996 saw visitor numbers boom again, and the town's economy is almost entirely reliant on tourism today.
Several Mayan archaeological sites have been found at the lake. Sambaj, located approximately 55 feet below the current lake level, appears to be from at least the pre-classic period.
There are remains of multiple groups of buildings, including one particular group of large buildings that are believed to be the city center.
A second site, Chiutinamit, where the remains of a city were found, was discovered by local fishermen who noticed what appeared to be a city underwater.During consequent investigations, pottery shards were recovered from the site by divers, which enabled the dating of the site to the late pre-classic period (600 B.C. - 250 A.D.).
A project titled Underwater archeology in the Lake Atitlán. Sambaj 2003 Guatemala was recently approved by the Government of Guatemala in cooperation with Fundación Albenga and the Lake Museum in Atitlán. Because of the concerns of a private organization as is the Lake Museum in Atitlán the need to start the exploration of the inland waters in Guatemala was analyzed.
There is no road that circles the lake. Communities are reached by boat or roads from the mountains that may have brief extensions along the shore. Santa Cruz La Laguna and Jaibalito can only be reached by boat. Santa Catarina Palopó and San Antonio Palopó are linked to Panajachel. Main places otherwise are Santa Clara La Laguna and San Pedro La Laguna in the West, Santiago Atitlán in the South, and San Lucas Tolimán in the East.