The Tale Of Lake Atitlan l Part 1 - Sleeping, Eating & Kayaking

Once upon a time we left the charming little town of Antigua, and set off to discover a place that some say is the most beautiful in all the land. And what an adventure we had…

Lake Atitlan, Guatemala

Just over 3 hours from Antigua and after an uncomfortably bumpy journey, the shuttle starts the descent down into the town of San Pedro on the lake. And it’s that first view of the lake at sunset that makes that uneasy journey worth while.  

The vast and spectacular lake was like nothing I have ever seen; an enormous body of water, so still and calm. Overlooked by grand volcanoes, like the lakes’ very own great protectors, they are covered in lush green jungle and their hillsides dotted with quaint towns, their lights illuminating as the sun set, like hundreds of candles decorating their great lake. 

And our humble abode in these beautiful hills?

Relax in the garden of Cafe Atitlan at Casa Atitlan

The basic, but reasonably priced Casa Atitlan, at $8pppn with the choice of any delicious breakfast on the menu and a coffee, and a good coffee at that, it was a steal. The cute café garden was a nice touch too, and the perfect place to relax when we weren’t adventuring. 

On day one, after a tasty feast, a wonder around the town and a cup of tea on the lakeside we decided to embark on our first adventure… 

The great voyage of Lake Atitlan…

But what did we use for a vessel? The sign for ‘Renta de Kayak’ which came with an extremely friendly gentleman soon sorted us out with a good deal for two hours exploring the lake (Q40 for a two person kayak for two hours). 

The lake seemed to grown larger with every paddle away from shore and the surrounding volcanoes sat like kings upon their thrones, overlooking us mere humans infinitesimal amongst the ancient giants. Beautiful from every angle, the lake was calm and peaceful and we enjoyed our exploration across to  the far side, passing a handful of the other towns and stopping to refuel* with tasty juice box, simply floating on the edge of the lake and enjoying the view.

*It was at this point, the point at which my boyfriend stopped paddling for just a moment that I managed to ground us on a rather large tree stump, the only one in the huge lake, and I found it. Anyway, after that little drama, and successfully maintaining our buoyancy, we did enjoy our juice and the view. 

It wasn’t just us enjoying the lake though, all around we came across children playing, jumping from the and just enjoying the sunshine, (no X-Boxes, ipads or televisions required).

Upon our return to San Pedro, things did get a little more exciting; a little more elbow grease was required to battle some waves that threatened to capsize us, but we won the battle and made it back to land, not completely dry, but as dry as possible.

When hunger hits… think Buddha. 

Road to the Buddha Bar & Thermal Baths, San Pedro

Quite simply the Buddha Bar at San Pedro has great food. Surprisingly this bar does it all; a great Happy Hour, live music and a big menu with lots to choose from, but the Asian dishes in particular are fantastic. We frequented the bar twice during our short visit to the town, and loved every bite we had. The portion sizes are on the large side so the second time round we opted for a starter and main between two of us and it was ideal. From delicious Red Thai Curry to Singapore Noodles and Vietnamese Spring Rolls, if you have missed Asian food during your backpacking, this place will satisfy!

Read Part 2 of 'The Tale of Lake Atitlan'...