Since many years Guatemala and Lake Atitlan had been buzzing around somewhere in the back of my mind as places I needed to check out. In late 2016, I was finally able to spend 3 months in the vicinity of this unique lake. Of course, the panorama of three volcanoes around the deep blue body of water is stunning, the lodges and villas that are accessible by boat look simply magical and the colorful markets and crafted goods of the Mayan population in the surrounding villages give you that warm and lively atmosphere we are missing in more developed countries.
As someone with a deep appreciation for natural beauty, I was in awe at the sight of the lake and the surrounding volcanoes. The sun was intense, yet, at over 5000 ft, the temperatures never got too extreme.
I spend my first month in an airbnb in the village of Santa Cruz, with an amazing view of the San Pedro volcano, on the other side of the lake. Soon, I noticed the natural rhythms of this microcosm. The first daylight would appear at 6 am and the surface of the lake would be flat like a mirror in the morning, creating perfect conditions for paddling or water-skiing. By noon, the first clouds would appear in the immaculate sky and a strange wind would begin to agitate the water, sometimes forming treacherous waves that made a boat-trip in the afternoon a bumpy adventure-ride.
While the mornings were serene and silent, at night I could hear the waves rolling against the steep shore from my apartment above the docks. The first month of my stay was also the end of the rainy season, and on most afternoons heavy showers refreshed the atmosphere and the winds transformed the lake into a roaring sea. I remember how I was thinking that nature in this place displayed a perfect balance, when darkness swallowed everything at 6 pm, preceded by spectacular sunsets.
The climate also reflects this equilibrium, as it would be sunny, but not too hot and at night temperatures would drop, nevertheless never as low as to require heating. The fertile, volcanic soils allow plants to grow in abundance and there is never a shortage of avocados or delicious pineapples.
For the second month I moved to San Pedro de la Laguna, which has a distinctively different feeling to it compared to the quiet Santa Cruz. Noisy parties and hoards of backpackers are usually not exactly what I look for when choosing a location, nevertheless San Pedro offers lots of restaurants, cafes, a big market, a gym and two ATMs, what made it a more practical choice than Santa Cruz.
For a more refined atmosphere, the village of San Marcos de la Laguna is the best option, as it is a microcosm for the alternative and spiritually minded crowd. The village has yoga-schools, permaculture projects and all kind of healing retreats and events going on. One very interesting feature I found there is the possibility of a so called dark retreat. The principle of a dark retreat is to spend a period ranging from two days up to one month alone in complete darkness. The sensory deprivation is an old method of mystics and yoga practitioners, and I have not come across other places that offer individual dark-retreats.
Other popular activities on the lake include learning Spanish in one of the many Spanish Schools, hiking-trips like the 3-day hike from Xela to Atitlan or sports like paragliding and diving.
The native Mayan population seems to have an ambivalent relationship with the tourists and I was warned to go for solitary walks in the outskirts, as robberies are frequent. Mayans also don’t comply with the Guatemalan law and still seek justice according to their community-rules, which can result in spotting a hanged man in a tree in the middle of the town (a rare occurrence, still, but that’s what they do with their criminals).
Expats and locals also collaborate in numerous NGOs to preserve the lake, as it’s threatened by the lack of sewage filtration, and improve the life of the Mayans with their unique culture.