Five Days at Lake Atitlan, and Why I Stayed in Panajachel

Antigua to Panajachel is a tourist shuttle, $15 to $25 a person, about three hours, with hotel pickup early. Nearly every one of them ends in Panajachel, which is part of why I just stayed there.

Pana is the town people are rude about. It is the biggest one on the lake and the consensus is that you pass through it on your way to somewhere prettier. I stayed in an Airbnb a little outside the town itself, which I would do again. Ten minutes back from the water you are just in a town where people live.

First stop was San Buenaventura, just up the shore, where the hanging bridges are strung through the trees above a ravine. You walk out on wire mesh and the whole thing moves under you, which is either the appeal or the problem depending on who you are.

This is the Reserva Natural Atitlan and entry runs about Q100, ($13), which covers the trails, the aviary and the botanical garden.

Back into town for dinner on Calle Santander, which is the strip everyone walks and where most of the food is. Mine was a squash soup with cream poured into a spiderweb on top of it, sitting on one of those red striped table runners.

Had a slow day and spent most of the morning in the Airbnb, in the hot tub, we had gone into town and picked up some breakfast from local bakeries, like bread and juices, which were fresh in the morning. There are people with stands as you walk along, and you can purchase it from them.

We over to Santa Catarina Palopo, and this is the one to go out of your way for. The village painted its own house fronts in the geometric patterns from the locals, so you turn a corner and a whole street is turquoise and cobalt zigzags with bougainvillea falling over the top. Ten minutes from Pana by tuk-tuk. Go in the afternoon when the light is on that side.

This place was very quiet and many things were closed when I was walking through it. Though extremely colorful and mesmerizing. It also was quite dead, and most people who are locals there work in other towns, so this is mostly where people live.

Ended up eating seafood at a random spot we stumbled upon on the hill that was one of the only spots open at the time, hopefully there are more now.

This was the full day on the water and it is the day I would repeat.

There are no useful roads between most of the villages, so getting around is lanchas only and make sure you bring small bills. They go when they are full and stop around 5:30pm. That last boat time is the thing that actually shapes your day.

San Juan La Laguna was the first stop. It is next door to San Pedro and completely different in climate. San Pedro is the backpacker party one, San Juan is textile cooperatives and painting galleries and a street of art you can walk in about twenty minutes. The streets were so colorful and beautifully painted.

Then up to Santa Clara La Laguna, above the lake, for the view down the whole length of it. You are looking at a village on a headland, farm plots dropping away below you and a volcano going hazy at the far end.

You can get up there by taking a driver, make sure you negotiate the price before going up. Back on the boat toward Pana as the light went, past Tzununa, stone houses stacked up the hill with kayaks tied at the dock.

This was a relaxing slow morning where we enjoyed the backyard of our airbnb. We were lucky enough to be able to birdwatch from our deck and eat some fresh fruits that were growing on the property. The owner had coffee plants growing in the back and many fruits and vegetables. We were lucky enough to get a free tour of his property and hangout with locals.

After that most of the day was spent in Panajachel walking around and discovering the little shops and streets. We found out that the town is also known for using crypto which is interesting. You wouldn't expect a small little island to accept that form of currency.

After that walking around the streets and saturating the culture was the best way to end the night. I made friends with locals and ate food at a Indian spot in town. It actually had great food! They had chefs who came from India and get their ingredients imported. After this, it was off to bed.

A slower last day, mostly on the boat.

San Marcos La Laguna is the yoga and wellness one, all retreats and cacao ceremonies and people staying for a month. The approach by water is worth the trip on its own: pine and scrub down to the rocks, and every so often a very deliberate modern house dropped into it, one of them a flat pink block sitting right on the shoreline with a burnt-looking ridge behind it.

I got off and walked around, and it is quieter than the other towns in a way that is either restful or a bit much depending on your mood. Worth an afternoon. I would not base myself here on a short trip, because you are then a boat ride from everything.

Back in Panajachel by mid-afternoon and I walked the lakefront, which on a flat grey day is quieter than it sounds. There is a Yo Amo Pana sign on the cobbles down by the water and I took the photo like everyone else does.

If you have longer, split your nights between two villages. If not then station yourself on your favorite town around the lake.