Santa Catarina Palopo, Lago de Atitlán, Guatemala

SUMMARY: WHAT I DID / DIDN’T GET TO DO

WHAT I DID

GUATEMALA CITY - 1 Day (Would skip)

FLORES - 2 Days

LAKE ATITLÁN - 3 Days

ANTIGUA - 3 Days

WHAT I WOULD ADD IF I HAD MORE TIME

EL PAREDON - Surfing / Beach Town - 3 Days

SEMAC CHAMPEY - Nature Preserve - 3 Days

***Also remember to add in travel time between cities!***

GUATEMALA CITY

In my opinion, very skippable. I was there waiting for my flight to Flores, but I think you should just go straight to another town after landing. If you do spend any time there, I went to the Mercado Central, Palacio Nacional de la Cultura , and Catedral Metropolitana de Santiago de Guatemala. All 3 are in the same area! As for food, there’s El Mercado Dealado, and my favorite, Mr. Taco.

FLORES

Flores is a short flight from Guatemala City. I believe mine was 45 minutes long. Depending on how much you want to see here, I would maybe allocate 2 days.

The main lake over there is Lago Petén Itzá. You can kayak, there’s a rope swing, and a bunch of stuff you can do at the lake. I personally didn’t spend too much time there, but I would recommend doing so if you can.

There’s the main town of Flores, and Isla de Flores, a tiny colorful island that’s nice to walk around. Again, didn’t spend too much time in either, but I did go Restaurante Maracuyá, a cute restaurant on the water.

As for lodging, I stayed at Las Lagunas Boutique Hotel. It’s a short drive away from Flores and is more secluded, with a separate, smaller lake. It’s a beautiful hotel with free kayaks, bikes, and hot tubs in each cabin. Just note that if you stay here, you will need to arrange taxis or get a rental car to get around.

If you are in Flores, you have to visit Tikal, a national park with Mayan ruins. It’s about an hour out from Flores, so your best bet would be arranging a tour that includes transportation.

There’s also Yaxha, another national park with Mayan ruins. I didn’t get to go here, but I hear great things! These ruins are on Laguna Yaxha, so it’s nice and on the water.

LAKE ATITLÁN

This was my favorite part of the trip by far. I stayed for 3 days, but I should have planned for more. It’s around a 3-6 hour shuttle from Guatemala City or Antigua, depending on traffic. You’ll arrive in Panajachel, the main port town on the lake. In order to get to the other pueblos, you’ll most likely have to take the lanchas (boats).

I stayed between Panajachel and Santa Catarina Palopo at an Airbnb / Hotel called Balam Ya. It’s not in a main part of town and is very secluded, which I wanted for this trip. It’s a 15 minute taxi to Panajachel, so it was still easy to get around to the other towns.

There are many towns around the lake, but here are the ones that I went to:

PANAJACHEL

Main port town, Calle Santander is a cool street market that leads to a beautiful lookout point at Playa Publica (perfect for sunset)

SANTA CATARINA PALOPO

Mainly residential area, known for its colorful array of homes. I only came here for dinner one day at Kinnik - recommend!

SAN JUAN

My favorite town! If you only go to one town, it should be here. When you arrive, you’ll be at La Calle de las Sobrillas, a strip of shops with colorful hats and umbrellas hanging overhead. There’s also La Calle de los Sombreros, which is a short walk away and very similar.

Here, I went to the Mirador Kaqasiiwaan, a lookout point covered in murals. You start at the trailhead, pay a small fee, and go up the stairs of the trail. It’s pretty quick but can be a bit tiring.

I also went to Mayan Stingless Bees, where you can learn about the different bees and the kind of honey they make for different purposes. The bees don’t have stingers, so you won’t have to worry about getting stung. It’s cool and educational! I did a quick tour where they let me try the different honeys. There’s also a cafe where you can have coffee with the local honey.

If I had more time, I would have taken a textiles weaving and dying class, like with TinteMaya or another local group.

SAN PEDRO

Right next to San Juan! This is known to be the backpacking town, where you’ll find a lot of travellers staying in hostels. It’s a cool town with nice murals, with a main tourist strip when you arrive. There’s also a hike to San Pedro Volcano, but I didn’t get the chance to do it. I got some handmade jewelry from here, but didn’t spend too much time here.

SAN MARCOS

San Marcos is known as the hippie town, with a lot of focus on restorative practices and retreats. I would also list this as a must visit town because of the Reserva Natural Cerro Tzankujil. It’s a nature reserve with a bunch of trails, lookout points, and there’s a cliff you can jump off of to swim (or you could just go swimming).

I did a chocolate tour here, where they explain the process of turning cocoa beans into different products and let you taste the different types of chocolate they make.

This town is also known for Eagle’s Nest, which is a hotel that also offers yoga retreats and other workshops. I didn’t get a chance to go, but I’ve heard it’s magical.

LA CASA DEL MUNDO (a famous hotel, not necessarily a town)

La Casa Del Mundo is a beautiful hotel that also offers day passes if you want to hang out at the hotel. I only had breakfast here, but it’s stunning and worth the visit.

Some (not all) of the other towns:

SANTIAGO (recommended to me by a lot of locals)

JAIBALITO

TZUNUNA

SAN PABLO

SANTA CLARA (there’s a trailhead here)

ANTIGUA

There is much to see and do in and around Antigua. I would plan for 2-4 days here, depending on how much you want to see and do. I stayed at an Airbnb, but if you look in advance, there are a lot of really charming homes you can rent out.

The main square is at the Parque Central de Antigua Guatemala. It’s a beautiful park, surrounded by the San José Cathedral, the MUNAG - Museo Nacional de Arte de Guatemala, both of which I highly recommend visiting, and plenty of shops and restaurants.

My favorite church to see was Iglesia de la Merced. The exterior is stunning, and you can pay to enter their museum area. There’s also a street market outside where I would get potato empanadas daily.

For a great view of the city, go to Cerro de la Cruz, a park with a great lookout point. It’s a bit of an upward hike to get there, but the views are beautiful.

If you’re up for a hike, a lot of people do the 2 day hike to Acetenango, where you can see an erupting volcano. You’ll have to sign up with a tour group, where they usually give you all of the equipment for hiking and camping. I personally did not do this hike because I heard it was pretty challenging, and I was not in the mood for strenuous activity. But everyone who has done it tells me it’s worth it.

For a less challenging hike, there’s also Pacaya, another volcano. This one is further from Antigua than Acetenango.