Lake Atitlan..what's to do
 

Will be spending a week at the lake, visiting San Marcos and San Pedro after Pana. Am 59, like the outdoors.what is there to do. What to avoid. Is there much of a drug scene is it in san pedro? Thanks,

I've heard there's a drug scene in San Pedro but spent a week there last summer and didn't cross paths with the hippy-types the guide books mention except in the area around the Pana dock which is easy to avoid. Or easy to find if that's what your looking for. Lots of photos linked below if you're interested. Happy trails!

http://flickr.com/photos/staceyholeman/collections

There are many hiking trails around the lake offering spectacular views. Check with the locals on any safety issues. There are around 12 villages on the lake, my favorite small one is San Juan which is next to San Pedro and Santiago offers a lot in the way of people watching. We just returned from Guatemala and spent 10 days on the lake which was the favorite part of our vacation.

Is it safe to hike around the lake without a guide or is it best to go with someone?
Thinking about a trip in August.
I have been doing some research about the lake but I am still having trouble decided on the best spot to stay. Any suggestions. Thanks

Ask the locals whether a guide is needed or not. There are some hikes (Santa Cruz to Jaibalito) that people do all the time w/o a guide but some like the hike up San Pedro that a guide may be necessary. Where to stay? Well that would depend on your budget. We tend to like to get out of Pana and stay at one of the smaller villages on the lake. Look at the Vulcano lodge in Jaibalito or Lomas in Tzununa, both are great places to stay.

Thanks, I will check both of those places out. I am still in the beginning planning stages right now. We just figured out our dates so now I am trying to find some decent airfares. They were great a while back but of course they have gone up. Our budget will depend on how much we pay for our air.. Thanks

jpan,
Both of those places look perfect. How hard is it to get there? Just a boat ride?
Also, once we arrrive is it easy to take a day trip? Thanks so much

Vulcano Lodge is above the small village of Jaibalito, about a 20 minute boat ride from Pana. Its about a 5 minute (fairly easy) walk up the hill to it. The food there is outstanding and the grounds are beautiful and very relaxing. Lomas is outside the village of Tzununa another 10 minutes up the lake. The views from Lomas are really the best on the lake, and the food is good. They have their own dock on the lake that the boats can drop you off at. Once at their dock its around 400 steps up to the hotel. Day trips from both hotels to other villages on the lake is just as easy as going down to the dock and catching the next boat going in that direction. In all my travels Atitlan is perhaps the most beautiful place I have ever been, well worth as much time as you can spare there.

We loved Lomas de Tzununa. We stayed there 4 nights and it was perfect. The views are amazing! We would walk down to the dock every day and take a boat to one of the villages, and at the end of the day, we'd make our way back up the 420 steps to the hotel. (At that point, I'd usually change into my swimsuit and take a dip in the pool to get my heart rate back to normal!) Lake Atitlan was fabulous.

Thanks for all of your replies. I hope to book my flights by the end of next week and then I can really start planning.
Do you have a favorite hotel in Antigua?

There are many nice places to stay in Antigua. Our favorite is probably Quinta de las Flores which is about 10 blocks from the central park. Even their cheaper corridor rooms are very spacious and have a nice fireplace in them. The grounds are simply beautiful probably the best in Antigua. This past trip we stayed at a bed and breakfast Casa Ovalle about 2 blocks from the park. It was a good deal at $50 per night with breakfast included. Our room was spacious, had a large sitting room just outside it and the staff was extremely nice.