From the Waters of Lake Atitlan

The only way to travel around much of Lake Atitlan is by boat. Steep hills and volcanoes surround the lake making travel by road long and arduous. Lake Atitlan is in the highlands of Guatemala, getting here is a journey in itself and once you arrive you're probably going to take a boat to your final destination.

This is La Fortuna at Atitlan, one of the closest hotels to the main town of Panajachel where buses from across Guatemala would drop you off at the lake. Taking a ferry here is your only option. Thankfully water taxis frequently pass by and you can hail them from the dock.

A number of towns dot the the shores of the lake.

We weren't so lucky with the weather, while it wasn't often raining it was cloudy which lowered visibility. People come here for clear views of the volcanoes surrounding the lake but we could rarely make out much details ten kilometers away.

There was still enough sun most days to give the water a beautiful colour. While the hills look dry, there is frequent rain making trees further down the slope lush. These photos were taken in March which is the start of the rainy season. Best come here during the winter months.

It never gets cold in Guatemala but lake Atitlan is 1500 meters above sea-level so it doesn't get too hot either. The average temperature fluctuates around 19 degrees year round, during the afternoon it can get hot in the sun and during the night it gets cool. The lake is quite deep in some places, more than 300 meters so the water isn't very warm.

We went swimming because it looks so inviting. So long as you aren't near the mouth of a river or right in some towns, the water is clean. That being said, it's clean compared to other bodies of water in Central America, I wouldn't recommend drinking directly from it.

Boutique hotels and guest houses surround the lake, many are build into the hills and while they appear to be 4 and 5 stories, they are staggered. While we were here we stayed at Laguna Lodge and Eco Resort. We could take a footpath to the nearest town of Santa Cruz la Laguna pictured below. This is a must if you want some entertainment and dining options as the boats are less frequent at night and having to charter a private boat could be expensive.