San Pedro La Laguna
Day 18 (July 16, 2018) – San Pedro, Lago Atitlan, Guatemala
San Pedro La Laguna is located on the beautiful Lake Atitlan, a high-altitude lake surrounded by three very large volcanoes. The surrounding mountains alone are spectacular, but the fact that they all sit on a deep blue lake is incredible. We took a shuttle bus from Antigua to Panajachel, the main entry point to the lake, and then a boat across the lake. There are very few roads that connect the various villages around the lake so travel by boat is by far the quickest way.
I would love to say that San Pedro was amazing – the views certainly were – but in all honesty I think two days was too much. A day trip would have been sufficient. We heard that San Pedro was known for hippies and for being a backpacker party town, and we can confirm that both are true. While our accommodation was inexpensive, it was also a bit run down and depressing. And every night night there was a bar on the lake that blasted techno music until midnight, but I could have sworn that they were having that party in our back yard. We never found a restaurant that was amazing; they were all just acceptable (although many do offer vegan and vegetarian options if that's your thing), but I felt like we were always getting into arguments about how much money was owed. And why is it that not a single restaurant seems to carry change? And when they do give change you better double check it.
The shining gem of San Pedro is a coffee shop called Café de Las Cristalinas. You have to hike up a huge hill to get there, and even still there isn’t much of a view of the lake, but the coffee and lunch we got there was amazing. We used that coffee shop as our home base to plan out the next parts of our trip. We may have gone there 3 or 4 times during our two days in town.
Despite our experience, San Pedro does have some charm. It’s located on an incredibly steep hill and there are bright red tuk-tuks that zoom up and down the streets on roads and alleys just barely wide enough to accommodate them. I still have no idea how they make it up the enormous hills. They are so steep that walking up them is a difficult task. We also spend a few hours walking around the neighboring town of San Juan La Laguna, which seems like a more traditional lake town that hasn’t been as overrun with party goers or hippies. There wasn’t too much going on, but it was still a nice walk.
So, advice for the future if we ever return: Make San Pedro a day trip. Enjoy the boat ride across the lake, walk around town, then head straight towards Café de Las Cristalinas for a great cup of coffee and lunch. And try to ignore the explosions you hear about every half hour from kids lighting sticks of dynamite. The window rattling bangs may nearly frighten you to death, but you’ll be leaving soon anyway.
San Pedro La Laguna is located on the beautiful Lake Atitlan, a high-altitude lake surrounded by three very large volcanoes. The surrounding mountains alone are spectacular, but the fact that they all sit on a deep blue lake is incredible. We took a shuttle bus from Antigua to Panajachel, the main entry point to the lake, and then a boat across the lake. There are very few roads that connect the various villages around the lake so travel by boat is by far the quickest way.
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| From the San Pedro dock on Lake Atitlan. |
I would love to say that San Pedro was amazing – the views certainly were – but in all honesty I think two days was too much. A day trip would have been sufficient. We heard that San Pedro was known for hippies and for being a backpacker party town, and we can confirm that both are true. While our accommodation was inexpensive, it was also a bit run down and depressing. And every night night there was a bar on the lake that blasted techno music until midnight, but I could have sworn that they were having that party in our back yard. We never found a restaurant that was amazing; they were all just acceptable (although many do offer vegan and vegetarian options if that's your thing), but I felt like we were always getting into arguments about how much money was owed. And why is it that not a single restaurant seems to carry change? And when they do give change you better double check it.
 |
| Streets of San Pedro. One of only a few that don't run straight uphill. |
The shining gem of San Pedro is a coffee shop called Café de Las Cristalinas. You have to hike up a huge hill to get there, and even still there isn’t much of a view of the lake, but the coffee and lunch we got there was amazing. We used that coffee shop as our home base to plan out the next parts of our trip. We may have gone there 3 or 4 times during our two days in town.
 |
| Setting up our mobile travel agency at our favorite spot, Café de Las Cristalinas. |
Despite our experience, San Pedro does have some charm. It’s located on an incredibly steep hill and there are bright red tuk-tuks that zoom up and down the streets on roads and alleys just barely wide enough to accommodate them. I still have no idea how they make it up the enormous hills. They are so steep that walking up them is a difficult task. We also spend a few hours walking around the neighboring town of San Juan La Laguna, which seems like a more traditional lake town that hasn’t been as overrun with party goers or hippies. There wasn’t too much going on, but it was still a nice walk.
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| The very peaceful San Juan. |
So, advice for the future if we ever return: Make San Pedro a day trip. Enjoy the boat ride across the lake, walk around town, then head straight towards Café de Las Cristalinas for a great cup of coffee and lunch. And try to ignore the explosions you hear about every half hour from kids lighting sticks of dynamite. The window rattling bangs may nearly frighten you to death, but you’ll be leaving soon anyway.
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