Guatemala – Kayaking Lake Atitlan With Stunning Volcano Views
One of the best ways to experience Lake Atitlan and the stunning lakeside volcanos is to get out on the water. If you’re exploring the small towns surrounding the lake, you’ll likely take a water taxi (lancha), but another fun water activity is to go kayaking. We did so from a small kayaking outfitter in the town of Santa Cruz and paddled along the cliffs for a completely different view of the lake. This is a great upper body workout and excuse to see some of the smaller towns around Lake Atitlan.
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Kayaking Lake Atitlan
There are likely places in each town that rents out kayaks. Check with your hotel/hostel/Airbnb before heading anywhere else! We decided to go to “Kayak Guatemala Los Elementos Adventure Center” (as it shows up on GoogleMaps) which links to the Kayak Guatemala website because of its location in Santa Cruz and the available pricing online. Kayak Guatemala Los Elementos Adventure Center or Kayak Guatemala is a small shack with kayaks out front. It looked closed down when we arrived. Luckily a guy came running out when he saw us looking at the pricing signs. There are proper kayak tours that you can go on, but we opted for the individual per-hour kayak pricing.
The man running the kayak shack brought the kayaks down to the water and helped us load in. Make sure you apply sunscreen before heading out on the water! There was a small round dry-container cylinder as well as a bungee string to keep shoes and a backpack in place on the kayak. From there, you are free to paddle in practically any direction. I recommend you kayak along the lakeside, instead of toward the middle of the lake, in case your arms get tired. You’ll also have a better view of the fascinating homes built into the hillsides surrounding the lake.
At a Glance:
- Rating: 4 (out of 4) stars, would do it again in a heartbeat
- Intensity: Casual clothes, a swimsuit, and sunscreen
- Location: Santa Cruz
- Cost: $8/per hour/per kayak
- Restrooms: At the hotel or in the lake :/
- Timing: 1-hour interval options for payment
Highlights:
- Explore Lake Atitlan at a slower pace
- Soak in the views of the lakeside volcanos
- Upper body workout
Lowlights:
- Don’t jump in with your sunglasses on!
Tips for Kayaking Lake Atitlan:
- Get an early start as the lake tends to be calmer in the mornings. Even by mid-day when we visited, the water was getting choppy by the end of the hour.
- Don’t jump in with sunglasses on! Lake Atitlan claimed my sunnies on this trip :(.
- Read through my little section on swimming in Lake Atitlan before jumping in as well.
- Consider getting a two-seater kayak if you’re traveling with someone else, so that you have double the arm-power.
- Make a day of it by hiking to another town after your kayaking experience
Swimming in Lake Atitlan
Before heading to Guatemala, I read conflicting information about whether you should swim in Lake Atitlan. The reasoning behind not swimming in the lake is that not all the homes surrounding the lake have proper plumbing or trash disposal. Having read this, we consciously chose to go kayaking around the smaller, remote towns of Santa Cruz and Jaibalito. The water smelled and looked like a lake. As you can see in the photos, both my travel partner and I jumped in to cool off during our paddle. The water temp was perfect. We didn’t experience any negative effects. Conditions change frequently, so I recommend researching across multiple sites and make a decision you are comfortable with, before jumping in!
Make a Day of It – Hike to another Town
To make an entire day of our kayaking experience, we decided to hike from Santa Cruz back to Tzununa, where we were staying. There is a trail that connects the town and all the small homes/hotels. This was a lovely, leisurely activity. Some of the hiking trails in Guatemala are less safe than others, but the route between Santa Cruz and Jaibalito is supposedly secure. I talk about the hike, stops along the way, and possible danger in this blog post – check it out.
Getting to a Kayak Guatemala in Santa Cruz
We made our way to the town of Santa Cruz in the mid-morning via water taxi to head to “Kayak Guatemala Los Elementos Adventure Center,” which is how it shows up on GoogleMaps. The water taxis come consistently, but not on a regular schedule. Luckily, all the towns operate on this loosey-goosey timing mentality. When you arrive in Santa Cruz, do not go up the main street (unless you want to explore first, of course), instead follow the path along the water toward the Free Cerveza Hotel/Hostel. With a fun name, Free Cerveza has tent sleeping and a wide lawn that you’ll pass by. I heard it was a fun place to stay and am mentioning it so that you know you’re heading in the right direction. Free Cerveza is about halfway to Kayak Guatemala Los Elementos Adventure Center.
Overall Thoughts: Kayaking Lake Atitlan
Overall, the kayak experience was short and pleasant. I am glad we did an activity out on the water because of the views – there are two volcanos on the south and southwest coast of the lake. How often do you go kayaking with a view of multiple volcanos? On its own, the kayaking is kind of short (unless you did a tour or multi-hour experience), but pairing it with another activity will make for a fantastic travel day. We paired it with a walk/hike from Santa Cruz to Tzununa with stops along the way. Check it out in the link below.
Other things we did at Lake Atitlan
- Weaving class in San Juan La Laguna
- Walked from Santa Cruz to Tzununa
Sunrise hike to San Pedro Volcano
Where in the world is your favorite place to kayak? I know there are some hidden gems out there. Let me know in the comments below so I can check them out during my future travels!
Happy Travels,
Hanna
