Lake Atitlan With Teens: 10 Unforgettable Activities

Last Updated on March 17, 2024 by Nicole

Recently, we spent 4 days at Lake Atitlan Guatemala. Our family of 5 (3 teenagers aged 14, 15 and 17 years old) explored remote Maya villages, hiked, kayaked, learned to weave, and ate some remarkable food. When not hiking, kayaking or eating, we were stunned at Lake Atitlan’s natural beauty. While there, we always felt safe and met many wonderful locals who were keen to share their Maya culture and their villages.

What should you do on your visit to Lake Atitlan? A lot! Our time was filled every day with fun and interesting activities that kept everyone in my family happy and engaged. Most were free or very reasonably priced. In addition, all would be easy to organize once you were there.

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Lake Atitlan Guatemala

Lake Atitlan Guatemala is considered one of the most beautiful lakes in the world. It is enormous in size –  the largest in Central America – and is totally surrounded by dormant volcanos.

I don’t think we had a bad view when we were there. Everywhere we looked, we saw lush green mountains plunging dramatically into the lake. Tucked in between mountains, we spotted tiny Maya villages cut off from one another by the sheer mass of the mountains between them.

The main form of transportation around Lake Atitlan is by boat. There are limited roads and many are unsafe to drive on at night or during the rainy season.

Accommodation around Lake Atitlan

I found accommodation on Lake Atitlan to be a little tricky. Accordingly, I would highly recommend searching below in booking.com and using the amazing interactive map to find the best location and prices.

Booking.com

Lake Atitlan Activities

Once you have arrived and settled into your accommodation, it is time to explore, discover and savour everything that Lake Atitlan has to offer. Here are ten fantastic Lake Atitlan activities that appealed to me, my husband and all three of our teens.

1. Boat Rides on Lake Atitlan from Panajachel

Spectacular Views of Lake Atitlan

We enjoyed spectacular views of Lake Atitlan Guatemala on our drive from Antigua to Panajachel, the main tourist town and commercial hub on Lake Atitlan. Moreover, we experienced jaw dropping views of the surrounding mountains and the lake from the shores of Panajachel. However, without question, the best way we appreciated the beauty of Lake Atitlan and the isolation of its Maya villages was on a boat on Lake Atitlan.

From Panajachel, you can easily find boat transportation to one of the Maya villages on Lake Atitlan. You can take a regularly scheduled speed boat for a few dollars a trip or book a private one. Maya villages are anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes away.

Lake Atitlan could be tough on your back

Lake Atitlan is a relatively calm lake in the morning and early afternoon. However, it can become quite rough in the late afternoon. Either way, be prepared for a bouncy ride. During our stay, we took 5 boat trips at different times of the day. Each time, our boat smashed into waves and splashed us with lots of cold water. My kids loved it. My husband – not so much. More often than not, he found the boat trips tough on his back. If you suffer from lower back problems, boat trips on Lake Atitlan might be challenging but the views are definitely worth it.

2. Watch a Sunset over Lake Atitlan Guatemala

Every night, we watched a spectacular sunset from the balcony of our Airbnb, located on the shores of Lake Atitlan. They were all magnificent, the sky seemingly choosing a different colour each night to dazzle us! So whichever Lake Atitlan activities you choose to do each day, make sure that by the end of the day, you are some place where you can watch these beautiful sunsets.

3. Explore San Pedro La Laguna on Lake Atitlan

San Pedro La Laguna is a remote Maya village approximately 30 minutes by boat from Panajachel. We explored this village one afternoon and had a wonderful time.

Like all of the Maya villages around Lake Atitlan, San Pedro is small. However, we found lots of cute little restaurants and looked around at some lovely Artisan shops that offered beautifully crafted items. A highlight was when we stopped with our guide at Las Cristalinas for lunch, a short walk up the hill from the dock. The food had American staples such as hamburgers but we ordered and devoured the traditional Guatemala dishes that they offered. My kids ordered milkshakes and were blown away by the size and decadence of them.

We walked on foot up to the main plaza where we found a beautiful church. The plaza was also exquisite with lovely plants and flowers throughout, a charming place to relax and get out of the sun.

Next door was El Mercado, a daily market offering supplies to the locals. It was next to here that we came across a pretty stadium with hand painted walls, seating and a basketball court. My kids joined a basketball game already in progress with the local kids. They said it was one of the best Lake Atitlan activities that we did while there.

4. Ride on the Flatbed of a Truck

When you are in Guatemala, you can’t help but notice that most people who travel by car end up out in the open at the back of a pick up truck. Some sit packed together to keep warm, while others stand and hang on for dear life! Coming from North America and being a mother, I always look and think that this has got to be super unsafe. So, it came as quite a shock when we were in Lake Atitlan that I found ourselves on the back of one of these trucks. However, I got to say, it was a ton of fun.

We missed the bus in San Pedro which would have taken us to the neighbouring village of San Juan La Laguna. Our guide told us to hop onto the back of a pick up truck he found. I naively thought this was a photo-op and happily agreed. Next thing I know, we started to move.

The drive was really short – about 10 minutes. The roads were dusty but pretty safe without any mind numbing drops over the side into the lake. There wasn’t really any traffic. My kids loved it. I kind of loved it in a “we shouldn’t be doing this but when in Rome” kind of way. One of the Lake Atitlan activities that pushed me outside my comfort zone, for sure!

5.  Learn How to Weave on Lake Atitlan

Once in San Juan, we went to a women’s cooperative to learn about weaving. We watched the women spin yarn from cotton seeds, then dye them into a myriad of colours from natural seeds and plants. They tried to teach us, but, of course, it was much more difficult than it looked. After, they taught us how to weave and we watched them craft exquisite textiles. At the end, we bought a few gorgeous items from their store. If you are keen to support local women and to purchase indigenous crafts directly from the Mayans, then I would highly recommend that you add this to your list of Lake Atitlan activities.

6. Buy Art at Lake Atitlan Guatemala

An unexpected surprise was finding and purchasing a remarkable painting while in San Juan. A few doors down from the Women’s Cooperative, our guide took us to Galeria De Art “Chiya”. There we met a local family who have been painting and selling their work for well over a decade. They are all self taught and absolutely lovely to deal with. Their store was huge, with lots of different styles, sizes of canvas and prices. They rolled and wrapped our painting in plastic to protect it from our return boat trip to Panajachel.

7. Take a Hike around Lake Atitlan

One of the more challenging Lake Atitlan activities that we did.

One of my absolutely favourite Lake Atitlan activities that we did was a 2 hour hike from Santa Cruz La Laguna through the mountains to the village of Tzununa. The views were absolutely STUNNING. It is not the safest trail. There were plenty of times that I had to pretend there wasn’t a death defying drop hundreds of feet into the lake without a fence in sight. In other places, we had to scramble up rocks using our hands. Accordingly, I wouldn’t recommend this hike for young children or anyone that fears heights. But, I loved it and would definitely recommend it.

Tips for the hike around Lake Atitlan Guatemala

We had our guide which really helped. The trail was pretty well marked, but there were a couple of times that it wasn’t always clear which way to go. We were able to purchase more water in a small town called Jaibalito about 45 minutes into our hike, which was absolutely needed. It was hot – unlike our hike on Pacaya Volcano – as we were mostly hiking in the sun. You should wear closed-toe shoes with tread. I saw one woman wearing flip flops and wondered if she was slightly crazy.

The best and most unexpected thing that we found was this amazing restaurant along the mountain trail almost at the end of our hike. It was called Comas De Tzununa Hotel and Restaurant. We had a delicious lunch, cooled off and enjoyed the killer views. It was an incredible way to finish our hike.

8. Rent a Kayak on Lake Atitlan Guatemala

Ok, I’m lying…This was not one of my favourite Lake Atitlan activities. However, objectively, I think that it should have been.

After our hike, we took a short boat ride from Tzununa to San Marcos La Laguna. On the shore, we rented two double kayaks and one single for a few dollars each. We also booked a Spanish speaking guide.

We had a few problems. The kayaks did not have back support, so my husband (who is 6’4″ or 193 cm with some back problems) struggled sitting in the kayaks comfortably. I don’t have any issues with my back, but I also found that it was hard to constantly paddle without any back support. The guide pretty much took off on us. After the first 10 minutes, he was no where to be found! My 15 year old son was in a single kayak and it tipped over. The water was only waist deep for him (at 6’6″ or 198 cm tall), but it was cold and filled with algae. He wasn’t wearing a bathing suit, so not the most pleasant experience for him.

However, beyond all that, I can see that it would be a lovely way to explore some of the small coves that you can only see from afar when you are crossing the lake on one of the shuttle boats. If you like to paddle, have a normal back, and know how to kayak without tipping over, then this would be wonderful way to explore Lake Atitlan.

9. Shopping in Panajachel

We came across outdoor stalls with local crafts and beautiful shops with sophisticated items while in Panajachel. Our guide told us that we would be paying more here than the small villages or at Chichicastenango Market, the largest market in Central America, and a 1 1/2 hour drive away. However, if you don’t have time to shop in the small villages or to go to Chichicastenango Market, then shopping in Panajachel would be a really good option.

10. Eating Churros and Ceviche in Panajachel

This is a bit random but when I think about our time in Lake Atitlan, and all of the Lake Atitlan activities that we did, I loved eating churros and ceviche in Panajachel!

We found a churros stand along the waterfront not too far from where we picked up our boats. For $1 USD, we got five warm churros and the choice of chocolate or caramel dipping sauce. This became a daily ritual and one that my kids (ok, me too) looked forward to at the end of each day.

One day, we had lunch at Los Pumpos, a restaurant across from the waterfront in Panajachel. Our guide recommended the ceviche. Ceviche is a seafood dish typically made from fresh raw fish cured in citrus juices, and spiced with chili peppers or other seasonings like chopped onions, salt, and cilantro. It is served raw and must be made fresh to order.

I wasn’t super hungry so I figure this would be small and a light lunch for me to enjoy. Ummm….! I have never seen a bigger bowl of ceviche in my life. Think of the largest bowl of pasta that you have ever gotten in a restaurant and then, replace it with ceviche. Beyond the size, it was extraordinarily good. It was filled with shrimp and fish straight from Lake Atitlan, and topped with fresh avocado. It was amazing.

How to Plan A Holiday Around Lake Atitlan

Before we arrived in Guatemala, I found planning our stay in Lake Atitlan to be a little challenging, especially finding the right accommodation and how best to travel around Lake Atitlan. Accordingly, I learnt a lot while we were there. For more information to help you plan your time in Lake Atitlan Guatemala, like where to stay, or which are the best Maya villages to explore, please take a moment and read my article Lake Atitlan Guatemala: Unravelling Its Mysteries. I wish that I had found a similar resource before we had arrived.

Conclusion

We only spent a few days around Lake Atitlan, but experienced many unbelievable Lake Atitlan activities. The area was stunningly beautiful and filled with many authentic experiences offered by the locals, their Maya culture and the breathtaking natural surroundings. If you are looking for a place in Guatemala where you can have it all, then look no further. Lake Atitlan is waiting for you.

If you are interested in reading more about our time in Guatemala, please refer to the articles below:

• Antigua Guatemala: 8 Reasons Why It Is Worth The Fuss;
• Pacaya Volcano in Guatemala: Hiking Up an Active Volcano;
• Lake Atitlan Guatemala: Unravelling Its Mysteries;
• Lake Atitlan Activities in Guatemala: 10 Of My Favourites;
• Chichicastenango Market: Was It Worth?
• Tikal Guatemala Day Trip: The Best or Worst Idea
• Lake Peten Guatemala: An Easy Going Three Day Itinerary
• 10 Day Guatemala Itinerary: A Spectacular Trip With Teens

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