Guatemala – Hiking is the Best Way to Travel Lake Atitlan Towns
There are three ways to get around the Lake Atitlan towns. Water taxis (known as lanchas) are the quickest and easiest way for people to get from town to town on Lake Atitlan. Then you can also reach some of the towns by car on winding roads. Then, between the tiny towns and communities, a free alternative to the water taxi is to walk/hike along the lake. We wanted to explore some of the tiny towns on the north shore of the lake, so after kayaking, we walked back from Santa Cruz to our Airbnb in Tzununa. Not only did we get ever-changing views of the lake and volcanos, but we also got to see Jaibalito and have an incredible lunch with the entire patio to ourselves at La Casa Del Mundo.
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Hiking Santa Cruz to Jaibalito
If you already walked to the Kayak Guatemala building and dock, you will have already experienced what the trail will be like to hike between the towns. It is an informal dirt trail with boards to walk over streams. Past the Kayak Guatemala dock, the dirt trail continues to Tuzuna (and likely beyond to San Marcos). Along the way, there will be signs for the different hotels/hostels. On the outskirts of Santa Cruz, there will be a fair amount of stone stairs. Lake Atitlan is at 5,000 feet elevation, so these stairs got our heart pumping as well as heavy breathing. This is the second half of the whole-body workout if you also did the kayaking in the morning.
At this higher elevation, you’ll have different views of the lake and area. The path was relatively wide through here and we saw a couple of people who were on their way to or from work at the hotels. We stopped for photos and kept our eye on the sign for La Casa del Mundo along the way as a lunch stop.
At a Glance:
- Rating: 4 (out of 4) stars, would do it again in a heartbeat
- Intensity: Casual clothes, walking shoes, water
- Location: Santa Cruz – Jaibalito – Tzununa
- Cost: Free
- Restrooms: None, unless you stop for lunch
- Timing: 2-5 hours, depending on how far you are going and where you stop
Highlights:
- Explore Lake Atitlan towns at a slower pace
- See three small towns, ever-changing views of the lake, and incredible homes along the way
- Lower body workout
Lunch at the La Casa del Mundo
La Casa del Mundo was a little over three-quarters of the way to Jaibalito from Santa Cruz. To enter the hotel, you will go through a gate and begin climbing down 4 – 10 flights of stone stairs. Along the way, there are little alcoves with hammocks hanging. The hammocks and relaxed vibes made us slow down and take in the scenery. We made it down to the restaurant, which has a multi-level patio, with a jaw-dropping view of the lake and volcanoes. As soon as we saw the view, we knew were going to enjoy a LEISURELY lunch here.
There were plenty of vegetarian options on the menu and we opted to treat ourselves and get specialty smoothies. Our waiter saw us taking photos and offered to take a few for us. We didn’t realize he was going to go all out and even take a few from the upper balcony. We found out that he lived in the town of Santa Cruz and was happy he was able to walk to work each day. He seemed happy to be working at La Casa del Mundo. I enjoyed our lunch so much that I would consider staying at La Casa del Mundo in the future.
Hiking Jaibalito to Tzununa
After climbing all the stairs to leave La Casa del Mundo, we made it the short distance to the Lake Atitlan town of Jaibalito. If we didn’t already eat, I saw El Indigo recommended in a couple of different places. And if we hadn’t already gone swimming/kayaking and relaxed, I would have gone to Club Ven Aca, which has a restaurant, infinity swimming pool, and hot tub overlooking the lake. You either have to pay a fee to utilize the pool and towels or have a meal and drinks. This would be a great way to relax for a couple of hours.
Walking through the town of Jaibalito, we passed an elementary school and town center. Follow the main route to continue on the trail, or you can head to the pier to catch a water taxi to another town. We continued to our Airbnb in Tzununa.
It was about double the length from Jaibalito to Tzununa than from Santa Cruz to Jaibalito. This section felt more like hiking than walking with two spots where light scrambling had to take place and remoteness. The trail is obvious, so do not worry about losing it. We wandered through someone’s farm and saw construction on a new large home taking place. There were also more barking dogs and one spot where the dogs came nearly up to us before we shooed them away. We were more alert in this section, but also enjoyed the views of the lake.
Tzununa
Just before you reach Tzununa, there is a paved road that reaches a hotel and a couple of homes that are particularly private with grounds that immaculately manicured. We stayed in this super unique Airbnb home, which was incredible, but I wouldn’t recommend it to everyone. I wouldn’t recommend it because it didn’t have wifi, it is remote (climbing up a narrow pathway in a remote town), and there are tons of spiders. If those things don’t both you, then I bet you will love the views from the patio, kitchen, indoor/outdoor shower, and artistic touches throughout the home.
Tzununa is a small locals town, which is not as focused on tourism as some of the other Lake Atitlan towns. Kids are running around and stray dogs that nap in the streets. At night, you’ll hear the dogs barking and at sunrise, you’ll hear the chickens. I am not sure if all the towns are like this, but if you stay here, bring earplugs.
We bought groceries at the little stores along the main street to cook at the Airbnb. When ate out at Maya Moon Lodge, which has delicious vegetarian (and even vegan) options. There is a wide dirt road that leads from the center of town to a gate to the Maya Moon Lodge. Like La Casa del Mundo, you’ll have to descend a series of stairs to get to the restaurant. If you continue on the dirt road, you are walking toward the next town over – San Marcos.
Hiking Safety in Guatemala
When you start researching different hikes in Guatemala, you’ll inevitably come across scary reports of tourists held at knife-point and asked for their money. This has happened on the popular Indian-nose hike and San Pedro Volcano hike. While not fatal, these instances are quite scary. With this in mind, there is a risk involved with hiking between the towns. We did research ahead of time and read from multiple sources that the hike between Santa Cruz and Jaibalito is very safe. And the hike between Jaibalito and Tzununa is also safe, although it does feel a little different because of how remote it gets. I encourage you to do research and find current accounts and conditions.
I believe it is up to the traveler to ensure their safety. Make good decisions about where in the country you go, what you’re going to do, and how you’re going to do it. Although I believe that the Guatemalan people are genuinely kind and caring, the country is quite poor which leads some people to become opportunistic. While in Antigua, we regularly saw police to ensure the safety of the town and tourists. However, Lake Atitlan is much larger and spread out, making it difficult to ensure safety.
Hiking Safety Tips:
- Research the different hikes before you go to ensure you know the risk.
- Go on a professionally guided tour and group while hiking. This is what we did for our volcano hikes – Pacaya Volcano from Antigua, Acatenango overnight from Antigua, and San Pedro sunrise from Lake Atitlan.
- Go on a professionally guided tour for any sunrise or sunset hikes.
- If you’re going on your own between the towns, I recommend you familiarize yourself well with the route and pick out hotels/restaurants along the way that you can dip into, as needed.
- Don’t carry valuables with you and only carry minimal cash.
- Don’t embark on a hike while intoxicated (for many reasons).
- Carry a headlamp if you start hiking in the afternoon.
Overall Thoughts: Hike between Lake Atitlan Towns
Hiking/walking was a lovely, free way to explore multiple small towns on Lake Atitlan, take in views, and get back to our accommodations. The highlight was lunch on the patio of La Casa del Mundo, but I enjoyed the entire experience. If you’re going to hike the towns, I recommend picking out a couple of things to do along the way. We paired it with kayaking in Santa Cruz, but I could also see a hike paired with swimming at Club Ven Aca or something else. Check out my post on kayaking Lake Atitlan here or the other things we did at Lake Atitlan below:
- Weaving class in San Juan La Laguna
- Kayak Lake Atitlan in Santa Cruz
- Sunrise hike to San Pedro Volcano
Where else in the world is there hiking between picturesque towns? I have always wanted to do the Cinque Terra in Italy. Let me know where else in the comments below so I can check them out during my future travels!
Happy Travels,
Hanna
Thanks for the post, I’ve been wondering about this hike! To answer your question: if you even get to the Barcelona area, you can hike on the Costa Brava from Blanes to Lloret del Mar to Tossa del Mar (the latter is the best – you’d definitely want your housing to be in Tossa). Super beautiful coastal trail.