Editor’s note: I personally love Guatemala. Like our writer Sam Spector, I have been twice, and each time found amazing new things to see, including my own trips to Lake Atitlan and Chichicastenango, which you can read about by clicking the links. Sam’s Atitlan experience involves a different home base than mine did, and I’m sure you’ll all love to hear about his adventure in these awesome parts of a terrific country. And make sure you click on links in the paragraph below to read more of HIS takes from his first trip to Guatemala. If you love his writing, and you will, please click here to visit Sam’s index page here at The Royal Tour.
In 2015, I went to Guatemala and loved it. I visited the old colonial capital of Antigua and the ancient Mayan metropolis of Tikal, before heading to Belize. Sometimes there is too much to do and not enough time to cover everything you want, but that gives you a reason to go back. In fact, I ended my Antigua Royal Tour (linked above) article by stating, “While I often cross places off my list after visiting them, I am not doing so for Antigua. Due to limited time, I could not visit, a couple hours west of there, Lake Atitlan, often called the most beautiful lake in the world, and all of the indigenous markets and villages that line its shores. While this makes me sad, it gives me a reason to go back, and when I do so, I am going to make sure I take a few days to repeat this trip.” For the past decade, I regretted not making it to Lake Atitlan, but as it happened, my family and I found cheap airfare to Guatemala and I took advantage of the opportunity to return to this beautiful volcanic nation, going back to Antigua and this time heading to Atitlan.
I do not have too much to add about Antigua from my previous article, except that this time, with a bit more financial security, I was able to enjoy more of Antigua’s premier restaurants set in beautiful places. Yet, one thing that I did add this time was a visit to a coffee farm, and I chose to go to an urban farm called The Little Green Farm. Though the farm is only two acres, Maykol, the owner, takes advantage of every inch of space he has. Maykol showed us how he creates his own fertilizer and chicken feed and has made his land blossom with coffee and avocado trees galore. This was a fun and educational activity not just for adults, but for children too. All of us got to learn about the coffee making process, remove the pulp from coffee cherries we picked, and then roast our very own coffee. Afterwards, the kids got to make tortillas by hand and their own guacamole from the hands-down freshest and most delicious avocados I have ever had. Afterwards, Maykol took us to his beehives and gave us an informative talk on pollination and then we got to sample honey. Maykol also has a beautiful home that he built and rents out as an Airbnb to guests, something we plan to do next time we are in Antigua! For my whole family, we felt this was one of the best experiences of our trip.
Now that I am caught up on Antigua, after a few days we headed to the town of Chichicastenango. On Thursdays and Sundays, Chichicastenango has Central America’s most famous – and one of its largest – markets. The town, with a population of 70,000 people, is an indigenous K’iche’ Maya city with approximately 90% of the residents speaking K’iche’ as their first language (though about 80% of Chichicastenango residents also speak Spanish). Located about a two hour bus ride east of Antigua, it is often good to get there when the market opens around 9am. In Chichicastenango, the women wear beautiful and colorful traditional Mayan dresses similar to those worn throughout rural Guatemala; I say similar and not the same as the Spanish conquistadors had different villages wear different colors so that they could know where a person was from. The best advice that I have when exploring Chichicastenango is to allow yourself to wander freely and get lost; peruse the various streets and see the handmade tablecloths, dresses, dolls, and other handicrafts that are for sale and perhaps try some street food.
Make sure you visit the Church of Santo Tomas, a white Roman Catholic Church that dates to 1545. This church however is different than many other churches because it combines Catholicism with the Mayan religion and is still used by the K’iche’ Mayan priests for their rituals and burning incense. There are 18 stairs that lead up to the church, signifying the 18 months of the Mayan Calendar, and there are carvings recounting Mayan history at the church. Outside the entrance to the church, you will see flowers and smoke from fires, offerings in the Mayan culture. If you want to grab a drink in town, head to the Santo Tomas Hotel, where my daughters were amused by the macaws and parrots in the courtyard, especially the one who would shout out “Hola!”
90 minutes south of Chichicastenango is Lake Atitlan. As mentioned, Lake Atitlan is frequently listed by travel magazines as among the most beautiful lakes in the world. The lake was formed from a volcanic eruption and reaches a depth of 1120 feet. It is surrounded by lush green hills and three stunning volcanoes which range from 9826 feet to 11598 feet. You will likely arrive in Panajachel, the most connected city on the lake and a tourist hub. At 15,000 people, it is not the largest city on Lake Atitlan; that goes to Santiago Atitlan across the lake with 45,000 people, which is a more secluded city but a significant indigenous city, which at times saw massacres of its people during the Civil War and where the ancient Mayan religion is still heavily practiced. Panajachel is full of backpackers and is home to many hostels, hotels, souvenir shops, and a variety of restaurants and Instagram-savvy cafes. One restaurant to check out is Casa Cakchiquel, which is also a hotel. Celebrities like Ingrid Bergman and the revolutionary Che Guevara stayed here once upon a time. Today, the restaurant is a Mayan-fusion restaurant serving traditional, locally sourced foods into delicious meals, which you can enjoy while sitting in the beautiful garden of the hotel. In Panajachel, another must-do is going to the Atitlan Nature Reserve. In this reserve there is hiking to lakeside beaches and up to waterfalls for the rivers that flow into the lake. On the hikes, we were told to keep our eyes peeled for spider monkeys and coatis, a mammal that is common in Latin America that is related to the raccoon; however, we did not see any. The nature reserve also has a butterfly house which is pleasant and enjoyable to walk through.
I did not stay in Panajachel, but rather at an Airbnb in the town of Santa Catarina Palopo, 15 minutes south of Panajachel by tuk-tuk (tuk-tuks are common throughout the area and the main way to get around, while I found Uber not to be accessible here like it is in Antigua). Santa Catarina Palopo is an indigenous community of about 5000 residents with homes that go up the hill. Other than a church that combines Mayan and Catholic customs, there is not much to see from a tourist standpoint; however, this quiet community might have the best views of the three volcanoes of any town along the lake. If you are looking for tranquility and authentic experiences while taking in the majesty of Atitlan, investigate staying in Santa Catarina Palopo, which also is more accessible than other towns because there is no need to take a water taxi to get to and from Panajachel. In Santa Catarina Palopo, go to the Hotel Villa Santa Catarina for a good dinner with a great view. While in Santa Catarina Palopo, we organized a day trip with a private boat to visit three of the towns around the lake: San Pedro La Laguna, San Pablo La Laguna, and San Marcos La Laguna.
The boat ride to San Pedro is spectacular as you are given great views of the volcanos and can even see more in the distance. It is across the lake on a cove, which allows you to see the volcanoes from another vantage point. However, of the three villages we visited, San Pedro was easily my least favorite and felt like a tourist trap. Upon arrival, there is a person who coordinates having a tuck-tuk driver (her brother I later discovered) take you to different viewpoints for $50. Upon arrival at the viewpoints, you must pay an additional $2 per person to enter. As San Pedro La Laguna is located on the side of the Volcano San Pedro, this ride is very steep. You do not get to see the volcanoes from the viewpoints; however, you are able to see the lake and a spot called Indian Nose, a popular hiking place, which looks like a face of a person laying down. The viewpoints are full of tacky platforms where you can get pictures of yourself under a giant fish or sitting on an outstretched hand, or with butterfly wings, etc… If I could do it again, I would skip this town, though apparently the nightlife is decent here.
The next down, San Pablo La Laguna, is a hustle and bustle village on a steep cliff. It is catered to tourists with many nice restaurants, tourist shops, and workshop experiences where you can learn from women weaving and making clothing from traditional yarns where they show you how they make the yarn from spinning cotton and use roots and berries to dye it. There are also exhibits for tourists on how the locals make honey, coffee, and chocolate, with samples as well. At San Pablo La Laguna, you will climb up a very steep hill lined with shops and beautifully accentuated with hanging rainbow-colored decorations leading up to another Catholic Mayan church. San Pablo La Laguna is a great place to spend a half day exploring, shopping, and eating, with some great views while you are at it.
The final town that we explored was San Marcos La Laguna, located very close to San Pablo. While there is not much to see in San Marcos – it is just one pedestrian street that goes from the lake up a hill – it had my favorite vibe. San Marcos is a hippie backpacker destination; yoga and meditation classes are offered throughout the town, and there are Asian restaurants, and hippies selling their artwork and handmade jewelry. Should I make it back to Atitlan, I would like to spend a few days there as the “aging hippie” and relax under its shady trees.
While there is much in Guatemala that I have still not seen, I feel now having been to the market of Chichicastenango and to Lake Atitlan, alongside Antigua and Tikal, that the places on my bucket list in Guatemala have been achieved. While everywhere that I have been in Central America has been wonderful, Guatemala seems to have the most out-of-this-world iconic places to visit from Mayan ruins to a colonial city to incredible scenery. Put this country on your must-visit list and make sure that you do not make the mistake I made the first time of skipping Atitlan, unless you plan to make future trips back.
Recommendation:
The Green Little Farm: https://www.thelittlegreenfarmgt.com/en/
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