Lake Atitlan Tour with Boat to San Juan La Laguna Full Day Tour

Visit Santiago and the Beautiful Lakeside of Atitlán

Atitlán means “between the waters.” In the Nahuatl language, “atl” is the word for water, and “titlan” means between. The “tl” at the end of the word “atl” is dropped and the words are combined to form “Atitlán.”

Your tour begins with a pick-up by our local guide and transfer to Panajachel. We go to the west of the country, where most of the indigenous villages of Guatemala are concentrated. On the way to our destination, we start in a wooded area surrounded by pine trees and other tree species. Continuing our journey, we see a valley where a variety of vegetables and fruits are grown by local people.

Upon arrival to Panajachel, we take a public boat to cross Lake Atitlán and visit Santiago Atitlán, where you can learn about the local Saint Maximón. He is a nahual of the tz’utujiles of Santiago Atitlán and is venerated as the “guardian protector” of the Tz’utujil people given their status as a colonized people. Popular tradition says that this character is a tree of “palo de pito” or “tz’atel,” a common tree in the regions of Mesoamerica, which in mythological times was also proposed as guardian protector of the people.

Santiago is the most popular lakeside settlement outside Panajachel, and many atitecos (as its people are known) cling to a traditional Tz’utujil Maya lifestyle. Women weave and wear huipiles (tunics) embroidered with brilliantly colored birds and flowers, and the town’s cofradías maintain the ceremonies and rituals of tradition, the syncretic traditions, and practices of Maya Catholicism. There’s a large arts and crafts scene here as well.

At the end of our walk through the town, we take a public boat to transfer back to Panajachel. In Panajachel, you can enjoy a delicious lunch (not included ).

At the end of your lunch, we take you back to Guatemala City via Antigua Guatemala.