The next stop on our tour of Guatemala was Lake Atitlan which we'd heard great things about. After a 10.5 hour shuttle, squished in the back of the van, we arrived to the lake clothed in cloud so it was only in the morning when boarding the ferry across from our initial destination of Panajachel to San Pedro that we really saw the scale of the volcanoes and beauty of the place – making us grateful that we'd decided to spend the most time here.
Our hostel was located off the tourist track, which after a concerning 10 minute walking route that took us down some interesting looking back alleys and pathways, led us to a stunning hostel in the shadow of the San Pedro volcano with a wonderful roof terrace offering 360 degree views. We were here for two nights; anything longer than 1 it had become to norm for us to completely move in and empty our bags in any space available.
San Pedro was a busy town and popular tourist destination to base yourself when discovering the Lake. Whilst here we decided we wanted to hike Indians Nose at sunrise, visit some of the other towns around the lake and kayak (we seem to have switched running for kayaking so far on this trip!). The sunrise hike meant another early start (3am this time) as we were picked up by our guide and then driven to the start of the trail, which actually didn't turn out to be too far from the top! After a short walk we were close to the top where our guide positioned us all on a rock overlooking the lake.
Although a cloudy morning the view was still magical and our guide got some amazing shots of us all up there. We then went up to the top for a cup of tea / coffee and some sweet bread before heading back down. It was definitely worth the early start even if we did need a lie down upon returning home.
A short ferry ride away we then visited the small town of San Marco, popular with the hippy community – every menu seemed to offer a “happy” item equivalent – we could tell by first impressions we didn’t blend in, but the town whilst quaint was beautiful and had plenty of souvenir shopping and cafes. Whilst in San Marco we visited the Cerro Tzankujil nature reserve, which was also a Mayan ritual site and offered spectacular views back towards San Pedro and out towards the lake. We had come to learn Mayan or religious sites meant there was an ascent to climb, for which the reserve offered plenty of quaint shaded resting stops. It was great to see another of the towns, even if the heavens did open as we made our way back across the lake which made for a slightly rougher trip!
Our final morning in San Pedro started with a kayak on the lake, this time in single kayaks which meant I couldn’t rely on Ali to help turn round. Thankfully I’d soon mastered it and the views were once again incredible.
We then headed to Santa Cruz for our final night at La Iguana Perdida which really did feel like a home away from home with their family dinners every night. We decided to walk to Tzunana, two towns across, which provided more stunning views, even if there were more hills to climb. This was the perfect way to complete our time on the lake.
Ending our 15 day adventure in Guatemala we had three final nights in the old capital Antigua, a UNESCO city that had been ravaged by earthquakes and volcanos, and a farewell night in Guatemala city nearer to the airport. Antigua is a typical Spanish colonial town in the shadow of a volcano to the south, with cobbled streets, church and cathedral ruins, and buildings all painted in a restricted colour palate. During our time in Antigua we ascended the active volcano Pacaya that last went off in 2017, toasting marshmallows on the hot lava rocks on the top. We also went on a walking tour of the city, always one of our favourite ways to get to know a place.
We've absolutely loved Guatemala and are sad to leave, although excited to see what Costa Rica has to offer!