Heading west from Panajachel on the northern shore of Lake Atitlán in Guatemala, the pueblos encountered are Santa Cruz la Laguna, Jaibalito, Tzununá, San Marcos la Laguna and San Pedro la Laguna. Jaibalito and Tzununá are very small and can only be reached by boat or hiking from the other larger pueblos. Isabel and I visited three of these five - Santa Cruz, Jaibalito and San Marcos.
Click this link for an interactive map of the pueblos and other sites around Lake Atitlán.
San Marcos.
San Marcos is a very laid-back village on the northern shore of Lake Atitlán. Many young backpackers, expats and neo-, as well as original, hippies from the U.S.A. and western Europe visit and live in the pueblo. We loved the small streets which were mostly for walking and not for vehicles. It is full of small restaurants with a health focus and yoga centers. On the western edge of San Marcos is an excellent reserve (La Reserva Natural Cerro Tzankujil) with hiking trails and some swimming spots including the "trampoline" where you can take a LONG jump into the waters of the lake. The only thing we did not like about the pueblo is that very few people were wearing masks. This was exactly the opposite of all of the other villages we visited.
One of the tiny streets in San Marcos.
A video from the trampoline inside the reserve in San Marcos.
Santa Cruz and Jaibalito
The road from the docks at Santa Cruz goes almost straight up to the pueblo. It is worth the walk. Café Sabor Cruceño has great food and incredible views of the lake and surrounding volcanos. One of the main activities for visitors is to take the short hike (about two kilometers) from Santa Cruz to the tiny pueblo of Jaibalito. While we enjoyed the hike and the incredible views, the pueblo itself felt a little uncomfortable and did not have much to offer. We stayed about 15 minutes before heading to the docks and taking the lancha back to Panajachel.
View from the dock up toward Santa Cruz. The restaurant is on the top floor of the bigger building on the left.
View from the restaurant west toward Jaibalito.
So beautiful! What an amazing life you are living. We will definitely be in Costa Rica in March and hope to catch up with you somehow since we will have a couple of free days before our tour. Soon, I'll send you our itinerary.
Evan & Linda Arredondo
Wow, incredibly beautiful!