From Antigua: Explore Mayan villages around Lake Atitlan
Overview
Available languages
Mobile ticket
After being picked up by your local driver from your hotel in Antigua, make your way to Panajachel at Lake Atitlán and set off on a scenic boat trip across the peaceful waters. Your bilingual guide will share insights about life in the Guatemalan Highlands as you visit the villages of San Juan La Laguna and Santiago Atitlán.
In these traditional Maya communities, learn about local culture and the positive impact of textile and bee farming industries on the region’s economy. In San Juan La Laguna, visit women’s workshops to see traditional dyeing techniques using natural resources such as plants, tree bark, coconut shells, and vegetables to create vibrant colors for woven textiles. You will also experience the chocolate-making process firsthand.
Continue to Santiago Atitlán, one of the largest villages, to observe local weaving on backstrap looms and meet the friendly Tz’utujil Maya people, admire the stunning views of the three majestic volcanoes: Atitlán, Tolimán, and San Pedro.
Additional Info
Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
Not recommended for pregnant travelers
Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
What To Expect
Antigua
An experienced driver will meet you at your hotel door at 5:30 a.m. in Antigua to drive through beautiful mountains and valleys on the way to Panajachel, Lake Atitlán. The journey takes approximately 3 hours.
Panajachel
Enjoy meeting a local host at a restaurant on Santander Main Street in Panajachel for a traditional breakfast (approximately 50 minutes). At this location, you will also meet your local guide at around 9:20 a.m.
What‘s Included
Foots
Guide and Language In-person: English, Spanish
Shared Minivan for 14 passengers
Breakfast
Shared Speedy Boat
You have a 30 minutes to make stop for quick lunch (US$12.00 per meal)
Tips (optional)
Gratuities
Pickup points
Select a pickup point
Options
From Antigua: Explore Mayan villages around Lake Atitlan
Pickup included
Reviews
9 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor
One time Trip
Diana C,,Dec 28, 2025
- Review from Viator
3.00If you want to do it preferably in low season, in high season the schedules are distorted by traffic and if you want to take pictures it costs a little because it gets full. Breakfast included very rich, lunch place if fatal, we ordered burger, meat and burritos and nothing was good, meat very hard and fatal burgers. The second village is not very attractive, only the first. If you take the tour, remember to follow the guide’s instructions to avoid getting lost or wasting time on the whole tour. For once in a lifetime and now:)
highly recommended
EA M,,Nov 14, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00One of the best tours in Guatemala. Only one disturbing point was the use of the shuttle to the lake - on the way there, it was poorly synchronised, with unclear waiting times and no explanations. Just the opposite: the exploration of the lake and villages was excellent, perfectly organised, with a well-informed guide and, in general, very pleasant.
Choose a different kind of tour
Martina F,,Aug 17, 2025
- Review from Viator
2.00Avoid this kind of tour: we wasted a lot of time to have breakfast in front of the lake, we only saw two villages but visited four different shops.. (too many!) and we didn't really enjoy the lake
Mixed feelings
rebbekkam2018,,Mar 26, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
3.00Mixed feelings. The tour itself was great. The ride situation was awful. Pickup got super confusing. The ride back was awful. Multiple people were motion sick from the way our driver drove. A girl in front of me started the throw up, the driver pulled over to let her and then told her this would be her only stop. She kept getting sick (barfing in a plastic bag, and several others got sick too. Even I started to feel it, and not easily affected by motion. It was crazy. So… I guess make sure you bring meds for motion sickness.
So very disappointing - a true fiasco
laurapV2156JE,,Feb 23, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
1.00Disappointing in every way - except for lovely San Juan. Awful communication with repeated misinformation and forgetting who/where/how many we were (except for charging us in full). Only got to experience one of the three towns promised, got to pay extra for a ten minute tuktuk tour of a second town, never got to the third. Guide was knowledgeable but disinterested and was put in the difficult position of having to lead the tour in 3 different languages. It was supposed to be the highlight of our time in Guatemala, but was nothing but sad.
Crazy driver
ricksonnie,,Feb 11, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
4.00Overall the tour was good but the ride was not. I was told to be at the meeting point by 5:30 am which was a 25 minute fast walk in the dark. Not for the elderly or handicap for sure. The driver showed up at 6 am thus I thought I was at the wrong spot all by myself. The driver drove like a batt out of hell for 2 hours passing everyone on the road. On the way back he drove soooo slow everybody on the road passed him even scooters!! Took us 3 hours to get back. Everyone on the shuttle was shocked by his driving lol.
TAKE PICS AS EARLY AS POSSIBLE
Anthony W,,Jan 3, 2025
- Review from Viator
4.00We traveled New Years day, so it was quite busy. TAKE PICS AS EARLY AS POSSIBLE. Being in Guatelmala for two days, we noticed it cleared in the morning, but clouds would roll over the mountains/volcanos by afternoon. So the pics you could take in the morning were cloudless versus the afternoon. We did notice that there were plenty of vendors in both stops. There were plenty more street food vendors in San Juan versus our second stop. Yes, you can go to the suggested restaurant at the second stop, but we opted for street food and noticed there weren't many options. But we were able to find a few. The lake is very beautiful!
Great Experience!
Deise F,,Dec 5, 2024
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00It was a great experience the tour guides were amazing! They were friendly and knowledgeable! Would definitely recommend if it’s your first time Guatemala!
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