Lake Atitlán | Antigua | Hiking Acatenango: Review & Guide
- Sarah Smith
- Apr 12
- 13 min read
Are you feeling the Guatemalan pull and wondering whether you should visit or are looking for travel recommendations?
I'll breakdown my entire 7 day iteniary for the surrounding areas of Lake Atitlán and Antigua.
"How was Guatemala!? Would you recommend visiting ?"
Guatemala was a mix of chaos, challenges, abundant colors, and adventure! I arrived with a series of challenges, which honestly weren't a big deal in the grand scheme of things.
I arrived to Guatemala with no solid plan to execute, just a lot of pinned locations, saved TripAdvisor tours, and 2 hostels booked for the week. March / April is full of cultural festivities focused around Semana Santa, aka Holy Week. From my research, this seemed like the best time of year to plan a trip. During this time period, you really do have to plan accomodations ahead of time. I found that the main focal point of visiting Guatemala for majority of travelers is to hike Acatenago located near Antigua. Unfortunately I only had a week to explore and I was limited geographically because of ligistics.
I had planned my trip with intentions of avoiding Holy Week to side-step high tourism, which in hindsight I regret. I love experiencing as much of the cultural in the places I am visiting as possible because for me it's half of why I am there! This was probably the first trip I have ever had where I caught myself saying, "should of" too much.
Transportation:
I hadn't actually researched how to get to where I was going, but AppleMaps told me it would take 3-4 hours to get to San Pedros La Laguna from La Aurora International Airport (GUA). It took nearly 7 hours to get to my hostel (Mr. Mullets). Could I have gotten their quicker? Yeaup, but you'll be tested with patience on this entire trip as everything takes much longer to get to where you're going than you'll expect. So get comfy when you can and embrace the ride. The drivers don't go so easy around the corner.
Basically your options are:
Find a shuttle at the airport to Antigua for $20. Some people make this their first stop while others continue on to Panajachel. There's a company inside the airport collecting passengers so you'll be with others. Once you get to Antigua you can either make this your first stop or wait for the next shuttle driver. It'll be another $20 (or 153 QT) to Panajachel, which is the main port to get dropped off before you take a boat ride to which ever village you're staying at.
Note that the last public boat ride leaves at 7:30 p.m. We arrived flying around every corner at 7:27 p.m. You can pay for private rides but it'll be pricier. My ride was 35QT ($4.58) and took an hour to arrive to San Pedros.
Book through GetYourGuide: https://gyg.me/LNSpKOYS
Pre-book a shuttle ride through your hostel or accommodation.
You can drive directly to your village but it'll likely take a lot more time. I'd only advise if you're landing past 2 p.m.
Find other people to share a Uber or InDrive ride with. The price will obviously vary, but on InDrive you can bid your ride and increase the amount until someone accepts. This is very likely to be the quickiest and easiet option, although the more expensive one.
You can take the chicken buses but based on what I know, this would be a wild string of rides and take forever. You'll also need to know Spanish as this is how the locals travel. If you're on a very limited budget, this is your best option.
Lake Atitlán
This area surrounds la laguna with many different villages embodying different vibes and atmospheres at each stop. Whether you're looking to party, for water activites, a spiritual retreat, or cultural immersion- you'll find exactly what you're aiming for. The nice thing is you can experience a little bit of each within just a few days. Note that whenever you want to travel from village to village via public transportation, every boat stops at each village along the way. You'll pay roughly 15-35 QT each direction. Don't overpay !
I'll be upfront and admit, due to the contant scheduled rain, I didn't explore enough of each village - nor take many photos. There was really only part of the day to explore before we decided to get back to base and hunker down for the upcoming hours of down pour.
San Pedros La Laguna: Is what I've heard the locals say, "where the gringos go to party." It seems like the bulk of everyone stayed at Mr. Mullets which was by far the loudest hostle all night. This hostel offers salsa classes throughout the week, a boat party, the Indian Nose sunrise hike, and other nightly activities like beer pong competition or a bar crawl. This hostel was incredbly easly to meet and mingle with people at! Just don't expect it to be quiet at night. If I had to rate it, maybe an 8/10. I wasn't a fan of being on the top bunk and not being able to sit up all the way without my head pressed against the ceiling. The main hostels were all very close to each other and the main drinking spots such as Sublime or The Alegre Pub. My friend and I opted out of the party mode and mostly spent our nights at Mr. Mullets or Sublime playing drinking card games with new friends or playing pool.
Some of the lake activities that are available at this location are jet skiing, kayaking, the boat party, and even water skiing. Sababa Restaurante was a hot spot for breakfast with a view!
San Marcos La Laguna:
When I arrived there was a group of slackliners, and I immediately understood the vibe of this place. The entrance was a walking street loaded with hippie vibes; resturants, bakeries, signs with spiritual activities, and other vendors ran by both locals and foreigners. Considering the expected rain, my friend didn't want to wonder in this area for too long. Whenever the rain seemed to strike, we were stuck at that spot for hours, so we decided not to explore much more of this area. If you walk to the end of this path it quickly opens up to the locals real world. I had talkied to a handful of people who also never wondered past this street. However, if you're looking for a slowler and more spiritual vibe this would be your ideal base. You'll find all the yoga, meditation, and breathe work classes here. You can also atten cacao cermonies or estaticdances. Eagle's Nest is where everyone seemed to be raving about. It had definitely peaked my curiosity and I wish I had made time to attend on of the options. If you're looking for a spirtual healing hub or even if you're a digital nomad, this is likely your vibe!
The cliff jumping is also located at this stop. You'll pay a 60QT entrance which includes a unimpressive view point at the peak, sunbathing rocks, and the natoriously known jumping dock. I had previously read while doing research that the water at Lake Atitlán wasn't super safe to swim in, as people are known to get Ecoli or other infections from swimming in the lake. However, this stop is said to be the cleanest part of the water. I would just avoid going in whenever there is recent heavy rainfall.
San Juan La Laguna: This spot is well known for it's colorful walking street topped with a assortment of rainbow colored unbrellas for shade. You'll find a lot of local painters and their artwork here. At one of the shops we learned all about the significance for corn and the color symbology. If you look closely enough, you'll notice field workers hidden in the details, which is part of a traditional style of artwork here. One of my favorite things about Guatemala is the colorful artwork spread in pockets everywhere.
Panajachel
The gateway entance to Lake Atitlán. Whenever traveling to or from Antigua, this will be the main pick-up or drop-off location. You can find plenty of tour agencies here along with lots of (empty) resturants or other local vendors. This is where I went paragliding, which was only about $90 and lasted for roughly 45minutes, which was far longer than anticipated.
Santa Clara La Laguna: If I'm being honest I'm not sure what all there is to do in this area other than the Indian Nose Sunrise (or sunset) hike. On AllTrails there were several other hikes in this area, so if you want to add more nearby hikes to your inteniary I'd suggest around here!
"How many villages are there in Lake Atitlán? "
There are about 11 villages along the main public transportation route. Roughly 5-6 are where most travelers seem to visit;
Panajachel
San Pedro La Laguna
San Marcos La Laguna
Santa Cruz La Laguna
San Juan La Laguna
Jaibalito
Tzununa
San Pablo La Laguna
San Antonio Palopó
Santa Catarina Palopó
Santiago Atitlán
I'm no expert on the full vibe and dynamics of all of these, because as I mentioned before the daily rain storms limited us on how much time we had to explore at each location. The weather was my biggest disappointment. Unfortunately you just have to accept the conditions you're given when traveling. Sh!t happens, things don't always go your way, but you make the most of what you get.
Antigua
I almost feel like Antigua deserves it's own article because I feel this area embodies Guatemala the best and has so much to offer! You'll find everything from Mayan cultures and festivities here to adventure and nightlife activities ! You could easily spend 4-5 days here and not get bored, so my best advice is plan more time in Antigua than Lake Atitlán.
I stayed at The Purpose Hostel, which I highly recommend if you want a chill vibe but still looking for an authentic Guatemalan atmosphere. They provide free locks for your locker, games, and daily suggestions for the best activities. There was everything from live music, hikes, festivities, and food/drink deals! This might not be the best for anyone super shy or needing specific gender privacy, as the bathrooms are pretty open and connect to common areas. For me this just made mingling a bit easier.
Hobbitenango: You could easily spend a half or even full-day hanging out up here. Book your ticket ($18) through the official website which will include entrance and a shuttle ride from town and back. There is live music, mini golf, restaurants, the giant rainbow slide, La Mano De Oro (a bunch of picturesque photo-opts) along with the suspended bicycles, and more! My friend and I had arrived to Antigua mid-afternoon and ended up only having about 2 hours to explore, which wasn't enough time and was definitely rushed.
Mayan Ruins: You can spend a couple short hours exploring these Mayan ruins but you can also pass through quickly if you're limited on time. You'll pay roughly a 30QT entrance fee at the main two locations. After returning from the hiking trek my friend and I prioritized eating (Casa Troccoli- which offers amazing dishes and I highly recommend) first, so we ran out of time to explore the other ruins.
Ruinas De La Antigua Catedral Metropolitana de Santiago de Los Caballeros de Guatemala *
San Jose Cathedral Antigua *
Ruinas de la iglesia de Capuchinas
Ruinas de Santa Teresa
Paseo de los Musesos
Antigua ATV Villages Tour: I think this was my favorite activity because it felt the most authentic in terms to cultural immersion combined with adventure adrenaline. Our tour guide Leo solidified the enitre trip with his upbeat and spunky energy. He also allowed us to customize our day a bit. Our first stop was the a local chocolate factory hidden in the foothills of Agua Volcano. Here we participated in the traditional processes of cacoa making, which tests your status of being qualified to get married. Our guide at the factory broke down the history and process of it all. This was a intriguing lesson on the Mayan Culture and where I felt I learned the most out of the entire trip. We tasted a variety of Nispero made from rice and fruits.
Our next stop was a local Jade shop and factory, where you can not only purchase raw Jade jewlery but apparently you can carve your own Nahuales a.k.a your Mayan symbol into a necklace or braclet. Allegedly, I was the first person to ever ask to do that on this tour!
Then we headed over to the central plaza where the first cathedral in Central America was built. We visited a local market where you can buy the cheapest fruits and vegetables. We bought roughly 10 bags of fruit varieties for a total of 35QT!
The tour continues on to San Antion Aguas Calientes where we stopped to get dressed up in local Mayan textiles. This artisian town had a beautiful and colorful plaza perfect to take photos in your Mayan clothing! Along the way we did take a few other stops to check out other cathedrals and another plaza.
Our last stop was Leo's favorite food stop where we tried a variety of seafood and drank cervezas. This concluded our 7 villages ATV tour which ran roughly about 6-7 hours! I definietly delayed the excursion to carve my Jade jewlery but the group was small and the others didn't mind.
Acatenango & Fuego
The review you've been waiting for, the overnight Acatenango & Fuego hike! This seems to be the common ground amongst all the other travelers, as I hadn't met a single person who wasn't in Guatemala to do this trek. I maintained the delusional mindset that this hike wasn't going to be as difficult as everyone said it would be, which is what made this the most mentally challenging hike I've done.
The total distance from the bottom to the top of Fuego is 12–20 km (7.5–12.5 miles) roundtrip.
Your group size will very much dictate how long it'll take to get to basecamp and then again up to Fuego. The bigger the group is the longer and more frequent the stops to the top take. Everyone is moving at different speeds and abilities, you just have to be understanding and patient with this fact. Every tour company offers different quality in gear, food, and group sizes. The more you pay the better the gear and food and the smaller the group size. The more you spend the nicer your basecamp will also be. If there's anything you're going to plan on this trip, have it be this hiking trip.
Everywhere online suggests to book atleast a month or more in advance. For my friend and I, we decided to do this trip about 3 weeks in advance but didn't book anything until less than a week out. Which left us with roughly 3 open companies, only 1 had a 4.4 rating with about 1,300 reviews. The intial tour price was $57 opposed to the starting pricing at $90 -$160. The price included a jacket, beanie, and gloves. Everything else was offered at a low fee. If I remember correctly the headlamp was 35QT, 35QT for hiking poles, backpack was 100QT , pancho plastic raincoat was only 10QT, Hiking shoes 75QT, and a porter was roughly 250-400QT depending on weight and size. Note this pricing is ONLY for the way up
There's roughly 8-9 stops along the way, that I saw, but we only stopped at 7 as some were too close to need to stop at. The first 100M felt like the hardest part about Acatenango, as it's a straight incline up a dusty dirt path. The first stop offers the most food, snacks, drinks, and even apparel. Each stop on the way up gets easier and cooler in temperature. The rest stops are roughly 20-30 minutes in between. For a lot of people, they'll need each stop.
My suggestions: take them or leave them, not everyone will find these tips necessary while I think most will agree. These are mainly just things that I did that helped me on my trek.
When I woke up I took 1 antihistamine pill as I was cold/hot and itchy going from the different temperatures. I also took 1 ibuprofen to reduce the probabilitiy of altitude sickness as I also woke up with a slight headache/pressure in my head.*I am not a doctor nor is this medical advice, this is simply what I did, which helped me tremendously *
Stock up on carbs, either before or along the way. Either way, the carb-loaded snacks will give you extra fuel to burn off.
Rent/bring hiking poles! Maybe about 4-5 people didn't have them, and they seemed fined, however, everyone else seemed extremely grateful they had atleast 1-2 poles. I think they are the most beneficial while on the decline from Fuego. I found it easier to jog down Acatenango towards the second half.
Our group didnt use the rainjackets, but so many other people doing this tour on other days experienced rainy weather.
You don't actually need to pack too much water as there is plenty at each stop. If you want to pack lightly, then I think water and snacks are do-able. The second to last stop sold cervezas, but are limited.
Pack a portable camping pillow https://amzn.to/4sUH1ID and bring ear plugs! You'll thank me later. I also brought a thick pashmina that I slept with for extra warmth. I personally forgot hand warmers, but if you can bring some throw them in your sleeping bag by your toes for extra warmth at night!
Pack a change of clothes such as socks, a change of clothes to sleep in/maybe wear the next day, and other layers you can easily put on and take off.
"Would you recommend the Fuego hike? How about the sunrise or sunset options?"
It seems each tour either offers sunset or sunrise, I don't think they offer both. If you're too exhausted to do Fuego and your tour offers sunset, I'd do it. Only 3/33 people did the sunrise hike in my group. I think every single person in my group did Fuego. I 100% recommend Fuego, if the weather is clear. Just to be realisitic, there's people I met who did it and it was too cloudy to see anything. However, you're there, just do it anyways. BUT again please know your limits, as this is the hardest part about the entire trip. The incline is about a 46% grade and not only do you have to hike down part of Acatenango, you have to go up Fuego, back down, then back up part of Acatenango to basecamp.
So yes, I would recommend the Fuego hike! I would also recommend the sunrise hike as you'll go to the summit of Acatenango (although I didn't personally do it) I heard it was beautiful... but also difficult. Whatever you do, just make sure you aren't pushing yourself too hard beyond your limits.
GetYourGuide: https://gyg.me/GQ6mxTuK
" Awesome, but you still didn't answer whether you would recommend Guatemala!"
I think I have been going back and forth in each of my conversations on my final opinions on Guatemala. I've said multiple times to others that I think this was my least favorite trip I've taken but my favorite in terms of historical sight-seeing. The more I reflect, the more I realize that Guatemala offered me the most authentic culture and abundance of color out of everywhere I've been.
At first glance, you might assume all the artwork, textiles, clothing, and jewlery are the same everywhere you go. To a certain degree, there are some items that are super commercialized, but when you notice the details you'll realize that's not the case. Almost every other couyntry I've been to, I felt like everything was cheaply made and mass reproduced. In Guatemala, especially some areas, most things are made by hand. Weaving is a huge part of their culture. I was told that most of the artwork in these areas were painted by 21 different artists. Anything woven was said to of been made by the vendor or a family member. However there are a lot of markets covered with knick-nacks that are definietly mass produced and are of poor quality.
Should you still go at some point? Absolutely, especially if you feel the pull. If something is really calling you, then you should listen to your intuition and follow your curiosity. I don't necessarily think Guatemala is great for everyone though. My trip was full of challenges, but I still had a blast! I might be a little torn on Guatemala over Bali. However both served different experiences. Both fulfilled parts of whatever was calling me!
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