Lake Atitlán Guide: Best Towns & Local Tips

Lake Atitlán is the largest lake in Central America with a handful of little towns that each have their own vibe. For the best experience, visit all the towns at least once.

Getting to Lake Atitlán might be a bit confusing especially with the not-so well-defined transportation system. Having done the route myself on a budget, I'll guide you with exact details and prices.

This local guide includes 👇:

A Local Guide To Lake Atitlán

In this guide, you can expect recommendations from a local and while I'm not Guatemalan, I stayed with a local friend that helped me experience the town the same way they would.

And while I try to be unbiased as possible, I do gravitate towards non-touristy activities that are accessible to all types of travelers. All suggestions are focused around supporting ethical, locally-owned and eco-conscious providers wherever possible.

Lake Atitlán Insider Tips

1. Don't ask how much: know the prices for the boat and tuk tuk.
2. Keep small change on hand: some businesses keep the change if you don't ask.
3. Cash is king: many businesses have a surcharge for cards and some don't accept.
4. Bi ATMs have the lowest fees: compared to 5B & BAC ATMs fees, BI ATMs are best.
5. Decline ATM conversion rate: you avoid the bank commission and get actual conversion rate.
6. Be careful with the food: hygiene is a bit different in Guatemala.
7. Drink only clean water: be very picky with liquids you consume.
8. Be aware of the fly problem: flies are so common in any cafe or restaurant.
9. Watch your step on the street: stray dogs poo just about everywhere.

Getting To Lake Atitlán

Getting to the lake is as simple as starting off at Antigua or Guatemala City. You can even get to the lake within 24 hours from the border of Belize.

Melchor De Mencos To Guatemala City

1. After crossing the border from Belize To Melchor de Mencos, you will likely be heading to Flores Or Guatemala City which is the normal backpacking route.
2. At Melchor de Mencos, there is a bus company called Fuente del Norte just 2 mins away from the border where you can purchase tickets.
3. Fuente Del Norte has two bus departure times at 6:00PM and 7:30PM which can be seen on their website. This is the fastest way to travel to Guatemala City by night.
4. Please note that there is no wifi available at the bus office, but there is a bathroom that is available for clients.

Guatemala City to Lake Atitlán

1. From Zone 1 to the El Trebol, you can travel by Transmetro which you have to purchase from somebody with a card for 2Q. It has to go towards Trebol which you can track on the metro map or live map. $0.15 USD1 Q
2. The main bus station area is close to El Trebol and buses to Panajachel are exactly here. These buses go directly to Panajachel but only before 2:00PM. $5.25 USD40 Q
3. If you arrive after 2PM or just want to leave as soon as possible, take a bus to a midway point called Los Encuentros which is on the way to Xela and San Marcos.
4. From Los Encuentros, you have to catch another bus to Sololá which is a small village before reaching the first Lake Atitlán town. $0.50 USD3.50 Q
5. Lastly, you catch a final bus from Sololá to Panajachel and you are finally in Lake Atitlán. $0.65 USD5 Q
6. From Panajachel, you can go travel to other popular towns in the lake like San Marcos, San Pedro or San Juan for 25 Q. Tourists regularly get charged 30 Q which so beware not to get overcharged.

Lake Atitlán Prices

Here are some prices you can expect while traveling from town to town at the lake. In general, San Marcos and San Juan will have higher prices than the rest of the towns for touristy things - about 10% to 30% increase.

But, after staying almost a month on the lake and spending time with locals, we found out that San Juan has the cheapest prices at grocery stores. There are some massive stores here that have wholesale prices with savings of 10% or more on every day items especially if you cook at home.

Guatemala Buses

While on the Guatemala chicken buses, you’ll be surrounded by a bit of chaos with locals cramming in during rush hours and low income locals finding super creative ways to make a living. On my trip I saw a guy selling chewing gum, chocolate and one guy even sold a vegetable peeler. He did so good that he got a handful of sales. My guess is that locals respect the hustle and pay it forward. It still makes sense to keep your guard up and keep your belongings safe while using your phone at a near minimum.

Here's a fun fact that a local friend told me that might put your mind at ease about safety. In general the buses to Panajachel are secure because the thieves respect the little villages and if thieves rob those buses, the locals beat them repeatedly and burn them alive. This is one of those local stories that is tough to swallow. Guatemalans don't mess around.

Safety in Lake Atitlán

After traveling around the small towns around the lake, it feels totally different than hostile areas in Guatemala like the capital. San Pedro, for example where we spent a few weeks, feels touristy yet local at the same time.

My partner and walked the street daily during the day and even at night. We felt completely safe every single time we walked around town.

Top 3 Popular Towns In Lake Atitlán

San Pedro La Laguna

San Pedro has developed the fame as "A Party Town" While there aren't many bars, there are a lot more backpackers here. It's very easy to find cheaper accommodation and street food here. While the vibe isn't exactly all party, it's very busy with tuk tuks and motorcycles constantly rushing through the streets. The town also seems to cater for travelers that stay longer term to practice Spanish at local Spanish Schools which is exactly what my travel partner was doing. San Pedro is very likely to be your home base for your trip to the lake.

San Marcos La Laguna

San Marcos is a small village publicly recognized as "The Hippie Town" and you instantly get that vibe as soon as you enter the docking station. There are so many tiny organic stores along the main street. This town is catered mostly for travelers that want to live a conscious lifestyle - think yoga, meditation and spirituality. It has access to more upscale cafés, restaurants and lodging. The prices are relatively higher compared to other towns like San Pedro. Depending on your travel style, San Marcos may be better for a day trip as opposed to an extended stay.

San Juan La Laguna

San Juan is by far the "Most Cultural Town" of the most popular towns. A local friend described it as being the most Mayan town of the bunch with locals being owners of all establishments. While it's very local, the prices are relatively high but the value for money is equally as high. You can expect to find high quality coffee and textile (hand-woven cloths) products along with their respective tours. While the services & products are top notch, it can get a little repetitive seeing the same stalls along the streets. A day trip to San Juan is a perfect addition to your itinerary.

Things To Do

Visit the Most Popular Towns

• $2.00 USD

Three of the biggest highlights of Lake Atitlán are the towns of San Pedro, San Juan and San Marcos. Each of them have their own personality and highlights. The towns are easily accessible by boat ranging from 10Q to 25Q.

Take Spanish Classes (San Pedro)

• $8.00

While In San Pedro, I was traveling with my travel partner and she was taking Spanish classes. Honestly, I didn't understand the hype until I saw so many of the travelers and the dozens of Spanish School signs around the town.

I even attended a class with her and was very impressed with the teacher and teaching style. Guatemalans don't have a heavy accent like other countries so it should be easier to learn here.

On average, an hour of Spanish classes range between 55Q to 65Q. If you take classes for 15 hours a week, it would equate to 900Q.

Attend A Temazcál (San Pedro)

• $6.50
• 10:00AM–12Midday

If you walk around San Pedro long enough, you'll see flyers for spanish classes, dance classes and even Temazcál which is a ceremonial sauna in a nutshell.

A local friend found an authentic Temazcál on a local Whatsapp group for San Pedro. It's donation-based but 50Q is appreciated which we paid for to continue the service. Before, it was done weekly but now it's done monthly.

Here are a few details about this event called Temazcalli:

• Location: Luna y Sol
• Date: Sunday
• Time: 10AM—12Midday
• Ages: Any
• Price: Donation or Volunteer (7:30AM)
• Contact: +502 3908 7531

Try a Cooking Class (San Pedro)

• $60.00 USD
• 9:00AM—12Midday

One of the most popular tours in San Pedro is taking a cooking class. Guatemalan cuisine is surprisingly rich and also veggie-friendly. While there are specialized cooking classes, many Spanish schools bundle cooking classes with their class packages.

If you'd like to try a cooking class only, group classes are $60.00 USD or 450Q. Private classes start at $90.00 USD.

Explore the Streets (San Pedro)

• Free

So far we've been staying in San Pedro for half a month which will likely extend to a month. One of our favorite things to do is getting lost in the streets looking for cafes, street food and looking at the locals living their daily lives.

We actually have a normal route we take from our accommodation that is perfectly situated near the boat terminal and walk towards one of our favorite cafes called Orbe Café. It's a long walk but pass just about every popular cafe on the way.

Besides walking close to the lake side, we also enjoy going to the town center to see the local market, comedores and find some of the better grocery shops to stock up for our weekly cooking. Prices are very competitive and you can find just about any ingredient.

While exploring, just be careful with tuk tuks and motorcycles and always look behind you while walking or crossing the streets especially in very narrow alleys. Dog poop is also scattered all over the streets. Safety-wise, it feels super safe to travel as a male and female even alone at night. This has genuinely been a pleasant surprise.

Kayak around the Lake (San Pedro)

• $3.50

I haven't rented a kayak yet but I'm schedule to do it this month and I'll report back by experience as soon as I've toured the lake.

The hourly rate for kayak rental is 25Q in most places.

Visit Las Cristalinas (San Pablo)

• Free
• Always Open

While at the lake, I was recommended to get to Las Cristalinas by kayak but I ended up visiting this nice beach on a party boat with Mr. Mullets hostel. This tiny beach is located between San Juan and San Pablo. You can get here by boat, tuk tuk, by walking and by kayak.

We didn't spend much time at the beach but it looked decently good to have a swim and relax in. It's hyped up as the nicest beach in the lake but it's just ok for those that have likely visited other beaches in Central America. But what I did like a lot was the picturesque dock at the beach. I had recognized the nice pictures of it online.

The site has a local restaurant that has a daily menu starting at 60Q. We managed to negotiate the high touristy price down to 40Q for a vegetarian dish. There are drinks and snacks sold here as well.

Take Salsa classes (San Pedro)

• $4.00 USD

While walking the streets of San Pedro on a you can take classes at every Friday at 7:30 pm at San Pedro Spanish School.

The Spanish school offers a lot more than Spanish and dance classes. It offer cooking classes, day trips, kayaking and invitations to local events. It's almost like a complete homestay.

Dance classes include salsa and Bachata lessons. Group classes start at 30Q.

Hike Up Cerro de La Cruz (San Juan)

One of the most popular attractions in San Juan is the viewpoint better known as Cerro de la Cruz. Kaqasiiwaan literally translates as "viewpoint" in the local Tz'i' language.

Santa Cruz To Jaibalito Hike

Towards the end of our trip, we had to go to Santa Cruz for a cooking class and tried to figure out what to do there. Then we stumbled upon a hike but found so little information about it online.

Was it possible to go from one village to another by walking along the coast? Or did we have to climb up a big hill to do this? It turns out it was way easier than expected and we found so many nice stops along the way.

The hike is relatively easy with a few ups and downs but the scenery is absolutely gorgeous. There are nice cafes and fancy hotels like the famous Casa del Mundo stop. The total hike is a little under 1 hour if you go at a slow pace. The hike isn't clearly marked but it's relatively easy to follow using an app like Maps.me or Organic Maps.

Where To Eat

Dinner Street Food (San Pedro)

• $2.00 USD
• 5:30AM–10:30PM

While walking around the center of town we found this gem of a place to eat dinner like a local. "Comedores" are tiny family-run whole in the wall food places that are very welcoming which is akin to eating at a local family dining room. It seems like this small comedor started off as a tortilla shop and expanded to being a comedor.

The menu is a la carte with each costing 5Q so if you get rice, beans, greens and egg, your bill would be 20Q. This is a super healthy and filling meal at an unbeatable price.

Lunch Street Food (San Pedro)

• $4.75 USD
• 12Midday–3:00PM

During our long stay at San Pedro, we constantly walk in front of the main street by the dock and always saw a bunch of people waiting for lunch. A long line is always a good sign so we stopped and asked about the food and were absolutely blown away with the options and value for the money.

There are options for meat eaters like fried fish, grilled meat and of course chicken. And for vegetarians, there's this really nice option with fried egg combined with cauliflower which is absolutely delicious. The tomato sauce they offer is incredible.

A lunch plate costs 35Q. It's best to eat there to get a larger portion.

Tamales Lady (San Pedro)

• $1.50 USD
• 4:00PM–8:00PM

On our walk to the central part of the town, we found a lady that sells a local dish called tamales at a surprisingly unbeatable price of 5Q. The menu option is fairly simple with options like tamales made of potato, rice and corn. The rice tamale was 8Q.

We walked to a nearby bench area and just had the cheapest most delicious meal in town.

Korean Veggie Guy (San Pedro)

• $3.50 USD
• 12Midday–11:00PM

If you're in San Pedro town between Thursday & Sunday, there's this Korean guy that sells veggie friendly food and vegan food on the street. When I arrived the lake, some local friends suggested this spot and it was a healthy portion that fed two of us.

His dishes start at 25Q and range from veggie lentil curry to veggie burgers. If you're lucky enough you can grab one of his tasty food while you're on your daily walk along the streets.

Taquería Mishel (San Pedro)

• $2.50 USD
• 6:00PM–11:00PM

If you're looking for the cheapeast food in town at night, this tacos joint is exactly your spot. They have a wide menu with tortas, tacos, gringas and quesadillas. The tacos are even available in vegetarian options.

Almost all of the items in the menu start at 20Q which makes dinner a breeze to eat while being on a tight budget.

Antojitos El Salvadoreño (San Juan)

• $2.00 USD
• 4:00PM–11:00PM

This is a hole in the wall Pupusería recommended by a local friend. He claimed it was the best pupusas he's tasted in the area. I had to taste it for myself so we went early

This spot opens up Tuesday to Sunday.

Favorite Cafés

Shanti Shanti (San Pedro)

• $4.50 USD
• 7:00AM–11:00PM

This was the first cafe I visited. Having coffee with a beautiful lake view is a privilege I'll keep coming back to. The prices are some of the best in town and the service is top-notch with local employees. There's everything from coffee to lunch options to beers available. Besides the best lake-view seating, the café has a various levels giving all the guests a bit of separation for small or large groups.

Shanti Shanti was one of our default choices for cafés since the location is perfect and the prices are not elevated like the surrounding cafes in the touristy streets. The only minor downside is that the restaurant can get very chilly at night since it's by the lake side where winds flow in.

Americanos start at 10Q and a basic dish starts at 35Q as of 2025

Cafe Bakery & Restaurant Idea Connection (San Pedro)

• $3.50 USD
• 7:30AM–9:30PM

This cute & cozy café is a distance away from the center of town. It's an Italian chain that also exists in San Marcos if you visit. The menu is extensive with freshly baked pastries and solid breakfast and lunch options. The staff is very friendly and many even speak English.

The prices are above average but you can get a coffee for 10Q and a croissant for 18Q.

Coffee Victoria (San Pedro)

• $3.00 USD
• 8:00AM–9:00PM

If you love crepes, this will be the spot to chill and have a nice snack. The café is quiet and cozy is a little walk away from the town center (Around 5 mins from town). The prices here are very affordable which is a huge difference from the main touristy strip.

While there, we saw a few local families enjoy nice crepes. I tried the basic lemon crepe while my travel partner ate the peanut butter option.

Prices start at 14Q while a basic Americano is 10Q.

Orbe Cafe (San Pedro)

• $5.50 USD
• 8:00AM–8:00PM

After visiting almost all the "local cafes" in the main touristy area of San Pedro, we decided to give Orbe Cafe a try. While it's a 30 minutes walk from the main town center, this place is absolutely worth the short trek.

Cafe Orbe has a small area downstairs along with a large upper deck at the top. Seating is very comfortable with power ports available for some laptop work. But, the main selling point of this place is the coffee, pastries and food. Oh my God, the coffee is so good with various interesting notes. We tried the cheese cake which was out of this world.

The cheese cake was priced at 25Q while the Americano was 12Q. For the quality, this was 100% worth the walk and cost. Did I mention the view of the lake is pretty nice as well?

Wait, there's more, the internet is really good. There's only two small complains and that's the open air tables upstairs that get wet when it rains. And there's also way too many flies. But now I'm just bickering.

Salud Para Vida (San Pedro)

• $4.00 USD
• 9:00AM–4:00PM

While walking down the street we found a health food store called Salud Para Vida which is also a restaurant upstairs. It's been operating since 2009.

If you're in the mood for some kombucha, you can purchase it at the store downstairs and choose to drink it on the second floor or the third floor. Both have very spacious and relaxing vibe to get some work done or just chill.

The menu is also very extensive with lots of vegan options starting at Q45.

Due Mondi (San Pedro)

• $5.00 USD
• 8:00AM–10:00PM

Due Mondi is an Italian café branch with the same owners running "Idea Connection" found in the touristy region of San Pedro. The menu is almost exactly the same but much more budget friendly.

I was happy to see the staff all being locals and while the music is much more latino than the usual "bossa nova" style, it's very comfortable and has air conditioning which is a big difference than the open air cafés. I spent a few hours working here and while the staff was a bit loud, earphones helped a lot.

This café has a few things that make it unique. It is air conditioned and also pet-friendly! Note that the café is closed on Thursdays.

The menu is very well priced with coffee Americanos at 10Q and a croissant priced at 10Q.

Cafe Solar (San Pedro)

• $3.00 USD
• 8:00AM–9:00PM

This tiny cafe found in the narrow streets might be a bit easy to miss but the coffee isn't. Cafe Solar has very good coffee and well-priced pastries to accompany it.

Compared to other cafes, it's slightly tucked away into a small garden. While the chairs are not the most comfortable to do work with a computer, it's workable. Its quiet and relaxing nature might be its best quality. You can literally hear the birds chirping. You might even have a few of the owner's dogs & cats lounging in the area.

A simple Americano is 17Q while pastries like banana cake and carrot cake start at 5Q.

Café Esencia (San Juan)

• $3.00 USD
• 9:00AM–6:00PM

On our day trip to San Juan, we spotted a tiny coffee shop with a smiling lady and decided to give it a shot. There are dozens of coffee shops at the main strip at San Juan so we decided to go with something just outside the touristy area.

The lady working there is extremely kind. There's also wifi available.

We decided on some coffee at 10Q and a slice of banana bread at 15Q.

Samsara's Garden (San Marcos)

• $3.00 USD
• 12Midday–9:30PM

This cafe was recommended by a friend and we're glad we visited. The seating arrangement is very good with areas having very different chairs and some even have a bit more privacy. The garden is very natural and we enjoyed the large variety of food options in the menu. There's also kombucha sold on the tap if that's something that interests you.

Food starts at 45Q which is the average for San Marcos. The kombucha from the tap is 24Q.

The only downside to this cafe I would say is that street dogs come in and out and the floor can be a bit messy with constantly.

Cetcafé (Santiago Atitlán)

• $4.25 USD
• 11:00AM–10:00PM

While we like trying cafés on the main street of a town, we decided to try a different one this time around and stumbled on Cetcafé. It's a 10 mins walk from the ferry dock but has all the ingredients for a good cafe.

It was so nice to try something other than coffee for a change and we had our eyes on artesanal cacao chocolate with cardamom. What a fantastic combo.

The large chocolate sets you back 25Q while a very nice donut is only 6Q.

There are so many types of cakes in the menu like cake made from maracuya ann even fruit cakes. The only downside is specific cakes are only made on certain days.

Café Tzunun (Santiago Atitlán)

• $2.50 USD
• 9:00AM–6:00PM

Before heading to a new village or town, I normally do a quick search for the cafés I can explore and Tzunun popped up as one of the only three options.

The outside of the cafe looks like a little building straight out of the hobbit. It's rounded and made out of rocks and cement which looks so unique.

There's isn't a lot of space to sit down but the menu is quite extensive offering coffee and some basic snacks.

An American runs you 10Q while a frappe is 20Q. Chocolate milk runs you 10Q. Oh there was also vanilla cake.

The only downside of this café is that the flies will follow you here everywhere.

Other Towns Worth Visiting

Tzununa

Tzununa is the last village on our list of places to visit. It's right between San Marcos and Jaibalito. My first impressions of the tiny village was its quiet nature. There's not a lot of businesses here but we found a few cafés and lodging options.

Permaculture Farms

One thing that stands out as a main attraction in Tzununa is the popularity of permaculture farms. There are a handful of farms that offer lodging and courses. One of the popular kombucha providers in the lake also happens to be based here - Love Probiotics.

Love Probiotics

At Love Probiotics, there's also a pizza day on Fridays. The owner, Michelle, from Canada has a cafe area for pizza days. While walking up that unpaved road, we also saw the famous Gaia dance event we had heard about from friends at another local Temazcal event. It's essentially a dance called Contact beyond contact as explained by a friend that worked there. Oh, it's 100Q to enter to this private event.

Granja Tz'ikin

Finally, there's a restaurant & bar called Granja Tz'ikin where they grow their own food (permaculture) and offer the food at the restaurant. They also have private rooms & dorms. When we visited, we saw a bunch of students that work there along with families with kids which suggests it's a family-friendly site. Honestly, the food wasn't that great but the view and space was worth the visit.

Jaibalito

Jaibailito is a tiny village located Tzununa & Santa Cruz. We visited this village mostly because there was a popular hike from Santa Cruz to the village. In a nutshell, it's a tiny local village with few attractions but the local feel was very refreshing compared to villages like San Marcos.

We walked just about he whole village and honestly, there was little to see from our experience. We visited on a Saturday hoping there was a market or special event but that wasn't the case.

Jaibalito to Santa Cruz Hike

While we did the opposite hike starting at Santa Cruz, the hike is also possible the other way around and I highly recommend doing it!

Santa Cruz La Laguna

After having visited Santa Cruz for the first time, it struck me as the most peaceful village with the most picturesque views ever. The village is relatively small with a handful of hotels, shops and cafés.

Fun Fact: Santa Cruz is better described as a town and also a municipality that encompasses the tiny neighboring villages of Jaibalito and Tzununa.

Best Lake Views

Santa Cruz is also well-known for their eco lodges with stunning views. Every single place here feels like they have a million dollar view. Actually, to get to most of the village, you have to climb upwards which means everyone gets a piece of the lake and the mountains.

Cultural Experiences

One of the most interesting aspects of the village is the immersive cultural experiences available like embroidery classes, textile lessons and of course traditional cooking classes.

Santa Cruz to Jaibalito Hike

Santa Cruz also has a few hikes, lookout points and if you feel like hopping to another village, you can hike from Santa Cruz to Jaibalito and vice versa. The hike took us approximately 1hr 15 mins but we walked very slowly, took pictures and stopped a few times so it can definitely be done faster.

Hike Highlights:

• Incredibly stunning views (seriously)
• Quick peek of hotel/lodges/cafés
• Picturesque docks (nice pics)
• Beautiful foliage

Hike Stops:

• Stand Up Paddle Atitlán (Service)
• Sacred Tree Atitlán (Lodging)
• Isla Verde Atitlán (Cafe)
• Las Kumbres (Lodging)
• Casa Del Mundo (Lodging)

Santiago Atitlán

Santiago Atitlán is just south of San Pedro and for us, it's one of the most authentic towns in the lake. It has the local feel of San Pedro and the rich culture & flavors of San Juan.

So Many Cute Cafés

While we arrived a little too early and weren't able to visit too many cafés, we saw so many themed coffee shops that we wanted to visit and they all looked so good. Cetcafé is where we landed on this trip and we enjoyed the best artesanal chocolate & cardamom drink with a nice pastry.

Souvenir Heaven

Upon arriving the ferry dock, you'll see so many souvenir stalls filled with handmade products ranging from woodwork to fashionware. We didn't check the prices since we were only window shopping and taking pics this time around.

Delicious Street Food

One of the food stalls at the entrance of Santiago Atitlán was selling a dish called Mixtas which is a tostada with a variety of toppings including: avocado, red onions, tomato and beans. Another extra ingredient was noodles but I found that to be a little too weird for my taste. It was sooo good!

Where ever there's a huge crowd, it's worth dropping by and sampling the food. They were also selling grilled corn nearby.

Night Life In Lake Atitlán

1. Sublime - biggest club in town
2. OLA Bar - good price, vibe & LGBT friendly
3. M.r Mullet's Hostel - party scene at hostel
4. Luna Y Sol - salsa dancing lessons

Mr. Mullet's Hostel Boat Party (Honest Review)

Besides the infamous nightlife in San Pedro La Laguna, you can also party during the day. There's a boat party every Thursday hosted by Mr. Mullet's Hostel located in on the main touristy street in San Pedro.

The boat party kicks off from the dock at Sababa Resort dock and sails slowly for four hours with two stops: one in the middle of the lake for swimming and water sports fun and the other at Las Cristalinas (small beach beside San Juan).

Here are the highlights of Mr. Mullet's Boat Party:

• 4 Hours total on boat
• $40 USD cost
• Includes 4 free drinks
• Starts at 10AM to 3PM
• Includes banana boat ride
• 2 stops at lake and beach
• Beach stop has food for sale
• Lots of drinking and partying
• Backpackers from other countries
• LGBTQ+ friendly

This boat party is catered for young travelers that want to have loads of fun with alcohol and smoking. While I'm not the target audience, this was an extremely unique experience for me. While it's a hell of a party, it's important to note that it might be difficult to actually meet new people because of the loud music and party vibe. But it's an experience regardless.

The main downside of the boat party is the "gringo vibe" it gives off. I could tell the locals felt slightly uncomfortable about dozens of drunk backpackers stacking up on a boat and walking drunk down the streets of San Pedro. The garbage generated from the boat party and left on the beach is also not cool.

Personally, I prefer to be sensitive to the local culture and respect the environment. So while it is a fun experience in Central America, I would advise travelers to decide on going based on what aligns with them.

Facts About Lake Atitlán

1. 🏝️ The lake has a depth of 34m (1,120ft) - the deepest in Central America.
2. 🇮🇱 There is a huge community of Israelis as well as backpackers here.
3. 👩‍🏫 It's extremely popular to come to the lake to take Spanish classes.
4. 💧 The lake is also the third-largest freshwater lake in Central America.
5. 🏡 There are 11 towns and villages around Lake Atitlán with 3 standing out.

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