Guatemala - Pick your Nose carefully

 April 2-5

Hello everyone!

About eight-and-a-half hours after leaving home, we rolled up to our AirBnB, situated a little bit east of one of Lake Atitlan’s larger villages: San Pedro la Laguna.

Sunrise over Lake Atitlan

We stayed at these two places, as well as visiting
San Marcos in the northwestern corner

You’d think that a day of relaxation and taking it easy would be in store after a long and mildly stressful journey. That would be preposterous. Why recover when you can wake up at 3:30am to go hiking?

The view at about 5am

It is a popular and well-advertised walk

The hike in question is up the Indian’s Nose, and is said to be the best place at which to watch the sun rise over Lake Atitlan. We were collected at 3:50am to be taken up some devilishly tight switchback turns in a minibus to Santa Clara la Laguna, from where we walked (I can’t call it a hike) up towards our vantage point.

The peak is 2200 metres above sea level

It is a popular activity, epitomised by the number of people already sat on the purpose-built bleachers. Hannah and I quickly realised that we were possibly the oldest tourists there, which possibly highlighted the lake’s appeal to young backpackers.

The platform was packed by the time our group arrived

There are many popular and
slightly treacherous 'photo spots'

People of any age would have appreciated the sunrise, which illuminated the lake and its seven surrounding volcanoes. In the far distance was the ‘Fuego’, a volcano which has been spitting and spewing smoke for a number of years.

Boats start moving across the lake at dawn

Guatemala's more famous volcanoes are visible
here on the right, the southern side of the lake

Having seen it from up high, it was now time to explore the lake itself. It’s a crater lake which only exists due to rainfall which has occurred over millions of years. As I’ve alluded to earlier, San Pedro is seen as a backpacker town, with bustle, bars and a lively atmosphere.

San Pedro is a very steep and narrow town -
this was probably the widest street!

View of San Pedro from a nearby jetty -
its namesake volcano is situated behind

We stayed nearby in a cute AirBnB with water access. The main reason was to be able to use our new toys…

We bought our inflatable paddleboard and kayak from Pricesmart
in San Salvador. They were a key reason for us wanting a car on this trip.

Kayaking around part of the lake is a pleasant and calm way of getting a different perspective of its features. The main feeling I got was how ominous and dominating the nearby volcanoes are.

The kayak worked well but I had pumped one side slightly
more than the other, causing it to spin 180
degrees if I decided to stop paddling

Though it measures 19 kilometres across at its widest point, it takes a lot, lot longer than you would expect to drive from one village to the next. This perhaps explains what we were told on our walk: at one point there were 22 different languages spoken around the lake. As it is so difficult to get from one inhabited location to the next, it is unsurprising that these languages stayed intact for a while.

As with many places in Central America, San Pedro
was preparing for Semana Santa: Holy Week.

Many different Mayans strongholds around the lake

After two chilled days next to San Pedro, we briefly stopped in San Marcos la Laguna on the way to the eastern side of the lake. San Marcos struck us as having a more ‘hippy’ vibe, and certainly felt different to San Pedro.

One narrow lane filled with wellness shops and clothing
stalls connects the main village to the lake

Dreamcatchers such as this one burnish
the alternative vibe of San Marcos

Lots of art depicting Mayans is available to buy

We were next staying in San Antonio Palopo, a very small and quaint settlement on the eastern shoreline. Staying here showed a different pace of life. Almost no other tourists outside of the hotel. The only food option aside from the hotel’s chicken and rice (though the breakfast was phenomenal) was a takeaway pizza parlour. Hastily-built houses of a variable quality leaning over one another on the hill above.

The village backs up onto the flank of the hill

The item on the left is a maize tortilla

The main reason for staying on this side - getting an incredible sunset - didn’t really materialise. Wisps of cloud haze the view across the lake and the Sun itself gets blocked by land - possibly the Indian’s Nose - on its way down at the end of the day.  Still, the light on the lake is a nice view for a beer.

Mayan influence is advertised on this shop

Sunset from the eastern side of the lake

San Antonio’s nearby neighbour is Panajachel, colloquially called ‘Pana’. It’s the biggest town and the one which draws daytrippers from the big city to the east. It is also different from other villages in that it seems to be the main shopping destination. Fabrics of vivid colours adorn a plethora of shops which line and branch out from Calle Santander, the main street which slinks down to the jetty.

Many people and many, many shops selling
a variety of clothes and knick knacks

Mangoes in a wheelbarrow. We actually bought the
little red balls in the basket - they're called
jocote and had a citrus, mango taste.

We didn’t have the chance to take a boat but this is the most common way of people moving between villages. Much faster than a car, anyway, which has to navigate steep hills, steeper speed bumps and inexplicable ‘taxes’ for driving through different mountain villages.

Boats leaving San Antonio Palopo were rare

The winding roads also led to the journey taking a long time

I can see why Lake Atitlan is such a popular spot to visit, not just for Guatemalans but also for visitors from farther afield. Whatever your holidaying preferences, there’s a strong chance you’ll find what you’re looking for. What they all have in common is sitting on the edge of this stunning and seemingly not-yet-spoilt lake. 

One of many colourful buildings in San Pedro la Laguna

Taking the inflatable kayak for a literal spin in the lake

On top of the Nose: hope it doesn't sneeze!

Love you all,

Matt