Lake Atitlan Solo Traveler's Fav: Panajachel +San Juan +Boat Ride

Overview

Available languages

English

Spanish

12 hours 30 minutes

Mobile ticket

Experience the beauty of Lake Atitlán, a sparkling gem surrounded by majestic volcanoes and blooming landscapes, on this solo traveler-friendly tour. Enjoy a scenic boat ride and immerse yourself in Mayan culture with a guided visit to San Juan. Discover traditional techniques for natural textile dyeing, chocolate making, and their rich cosmovision. We’ll also explore Panajachel, the region’s most famous town. If weather conditions prevent crossing the lake, we’ll visit the charming villages of Santa Catarina or San Antonio Palopó instead. These colorful towns offer unforgettable cultural experiences, ensuring your safety and enjoyment are our top priorities!

Additional Info

Public transportation options are available nearby

Specialized infant seats are available

Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries

Not recommended for pregnant travelers

Suitable for all physical fitness levels

Children must be accompanied by an adult

Please note that the water taxi transfer can be a bit bumpy due to the movement of the lake waves. It is very likely that the boat will jump up and down, but don't worry, our pilots are highly professional and have years of experience. In addition, you will have life jackets at your disposal. Your safety is a priority for us.

Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

What‘s Included

Bottled water

Water Taxi to 1 Mayan Village, Round Trip

Certified guide by The Guatemalan Tourism Board Commission

Private Transportation For The Group

Gratuities

Lunch

What To Expect

Guatemala City

We pick up passengers from most hotels in Guatemala City or Antigua Guatemala. The ride to Lake Atitlan is full of pretty little towns along the road, you'll see how the scenarios change from the city to agriculture, and stunning views until you get to the lake. So just sit back and enjoy the drive. It is important to mention that this is a curvy road. We would recommend you get motion sickness medicine in case you need it.

3 hours•Admission Not Applicable

Panajachel

The first town we will visit is Panajachel, the most popular and most visited town of all. This is the starting point to reach some other towns since the only form of transportation is a boat trip. This wonderful place is a mix of the ancient Mayan culture, and the tourists who fell in love with this town many years ago, and now call it home. We will visit Santander Street. It is the town's main street, with many textiles and other souvenir shops. It is also the street where more restaurants and hotels are located. Finally, we will go to the dock, we will enjoy the beautiful views of the lake and its volcanoes. Finally, we'll take a water taxi to start the journey to San Juan La Laguna, one of the most picturesque towns on the lake, where you will see a lot of Mayan culture. Let's go!

2 hours•Admission Not Applicable

Options

Shared Tour From The City

Visit to Panajachel + 1 town: We usually visit San Juan, but if we encounter bad weather conditions, we visit either Santa Catarina or San Antonio Palopo.
Pickup included

Shared Tour From Antigua

Visit to Panajachel + 1 town: We usually visit San Juan, but if we encounter bad weather conditions, we visit either Santa Catarina or San Antonio Palopo.
Pickup included

Private Tour From The City

Tour available every day: Visit Panajachel + 1 town, usually San Juan. If we have bad weather, we may change it to Santa Catarina or San Antonio Palopo
Pickup included

Reviews

4.65

68 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

A magical lake
Kareem L,
Mar 3, 2025
- Viator
5.00
The boat ride to the small island was amazing. Cruising across the lake on a nice clear day is nothing better Rueben our tour guide was amazing, well connected and well educated on the history and culture
Horrible.. my husband was injured
katisha m,
May 28, 2024
- Viator
1.00
Our tour guide was good. The boat ride portion of the tour was horrible. I could not have imagined that humans would be subjected to this. My husband cracked his tailbone from the slamming up and down on the boat. The Drivers drove recklessly and laughed. My husband screamed at them to slow down. This portion of the tour should be eliminated. We were not even advised on where to find life jackets in the event of an emergency. My husband was never even told what to do regarding his injury.
Beautiful experience and...
Marilyn M,
Feb 25, 2024
- Viator
5.00
Beautiful experience and boat tríp. …………..………………………………………….. would definitely recommend to my friend. Very good guide
Amazing tour , book it now
Curtis K,
Nov 12, 2023
- Viator
5.00
Starting off our tour guide MR RUBÉN ALBERTO ALONZO, SANCHEZ is amazing, very knowledgeable of the culture, city , country everything!!!! , amazing person , answer all questions, the best tour guide I ever been on , amazing tour, I came in solo , I recommend all travelers to attend this , solo , group doesn’t matter, good times!!!! Accurate pickup timing
Hard to review
Mark G,
May 21, 2023
- Viator
3.00
I really struggled with what to rate this tour. One on hand it was a pleasant day but the reality was far different from expectations. First I'll say Reuben and Miguel were excellent. Reuben is very well educated and will happily tell you a plethora of knowledge as you make your way from the city to the lake. He's a very friendly and cool guy also. Miguel is a fantastic driver and made the drive there and back very comfortable. Where things are a little bit different are: in the description here it sounds like you spend time in Panajachel and San Juan exploring the streets, shops and sights. In reality when you arrive in Panajachel you immediately board a boat and go over to San Juan. Upon arriving in San Juan we were then escorted to a local artist's gallery where his paintings were very nice but the whole vibe was "you're going to buy something right?" After that we went to the textile store and had a demonstration of how they prepare the cotton, dye it and create the products. It was interesting but once the demonstration was over we were again escorted to the store with a vibe of "you're going to buy something right?" The third stop we made was at a local chocolate factory store and where showed us how chocolate was made. The location of the store makes it difficult to hear the presentation and of course after the demonstration we were shown to the store for "you're gonna buy something right?" Finally after those 3 stops we were given a little over an hour of free time to explore. This was by far the best part of the tour. After the free time we boarded the same boat and went back to Panajachel and were taken to a restaurant and told to have lunch here. Honestly this was nice because the food was amazing. Some of the best I've ever had but after lunch we never explored Panajachel. Not the streets or sights or anything. We got back on the bus and went back to the city. Expectation from the description to the reality of what happened was different. Overall it wasn't a bad day, in fact it was enjoyable but I expected more of a tour than being handed over to local businesses to spend money. I'm positive the other tour companies do this as well because there were multiple groups in every shop we were escorted to. So you won't avoid it by choosing a different company. If you can arrange for a shuttle to the lake and a water taxi to another town that fits in your timetable I would definitely recommend that. If you can't achieve that, then yeah go on this tour. The Lake Atitlan is quite beautiful and you should go.