How To Travel To Lake Atitlan

Overview Preparation Destinations Accommodation Getting Here Getting around Do & See Budget

You’ve booked your flight. Hooray! You reserved a hotel with volcanic views so incredible you can’t believe it even exists. Heck yea!

The only thing left to do…figure out how to get from the airport to your hotel.

While usually a straightforward part of any trip, it can sometimes get a bit tricky. This is especially true when it comes to travel to Lake Atitlan.

Because Lake Atitlan is not a single destination but rather a collection of over a dozen towns. Some of these pueblos can only be accessed by boat. And some have roads leading to them so dangerous that you definitely would have opted to to take the boat in retrospect.

To save you time & money, and to help you arrive to your destination with minimal risk, below you’ll learn exactly how to get from Guatemala City Airport to any town around Lake Atitlan.

Need a private car or shuttle that’s safe & comfortable? Nervous about your Spanish skills and want a fluent English speaking driver?

Having lived in Panajachel for years, we’ve got a couple of trusted English speaking drivers with new & safe vehicles that we can recommend. We love this place and love helping others experience it as well!

Fastest way to get a ride is to book your private shuttle online here!

For special requests you can also send us a message on whatsapp +1 845 653 6247, and our transport organizer Patrick do his best to smooth out the journey ahead.

Public vs Private Shuttles:

From La Aurora International Airport to Lake Atitlan

For years, we always took the public shuttle. We were broke backpackers. At $30/person it’s relatively cheap. Today, with a bit more pocket change, we can’t imagine going by anything other than private shuttle.

Here’s why:

The public shuttle is only $30-$40 cheaper if you’re two travelers.
On average it takes 90 minutes longer.
That 90 minutes is spent bumping around the cobblestoned streets of Antigua to pick up each customer at their hotel.
If you’ve really got to go #2, the driver isn’t going to stop for you.
Drivers are often underpaid and short tempered, which makes any attempt to explain where your hotel or airbnb is more stressful than it should be.

So these days it’s private shuttle all the way. It might sound a bit bougie, but if you do opt to go public, you’ll see what we mean.

Advantages of going private:

You won’t have to wait for your ride in the chaos that is the La Aurora arrivals area.
Your driver is better paid, and usually happier and more patient as a result.
Many private drivers speak a decent amount of English.
You’ll be dropped off directly at your hotel or airbnb.
You’ll avoid putting undue strain on your bladder and colon.

Guatemala City Airport To Panajachel

No matter what town you’re going to on the lake, we always prefer getting dropped off in Panajachel.

If you’re going to San Antionio, Santa Catarina, San Lucas, Santa Cruz, or Jaibalito, you definitely want to go to Panajachel. It costs around Q900 for 2 people, and takes around 3 hours depending on traffic.

From the docks in Pana, you can reach most any town in 30 minutes or less. To give you an idea of the price, it costs Q30 for the public boat from Pana to San Pedro. Check out this guide for more info on getting around Atitlan by boat.

Price: Q1,000 (1-2 people) *Can vary based on time of day
Duration: 3 hours (depending on traffic)

Guatemala City Airport To San Pedro / San Marcos

If you’re going to Tzununa, San Marcos, San Juan, San Pedro, Santiago, we still prefer going to Pana first, but you could certainly take the shuttle directly. However, the cost is usually around $50 more, and the increased distance and poor roads adds no less than 1 hour to your trip.

Price: Q1,400 (1-2 people)
Duration: 4 hours (depending on traffic)

Take An Uber?

Uber has recently (2019) made significant inroads into Guatemala. It’s definitely an option but we tend to steer clear at least for the time being. There simply has been too many reports of crooked drivers robbing their customers. Plus the price, averaging around q800, is around the same as hiring a reputable private shuttle service.

Rent A Car?

If you’re spending a week or less, and game to navigated Guatemala traffic and roads, renting a car will definitely be the most cost effective option. Rentals from Guatemala City Airport are often as low as $40/day

Rent A Motorcycle?

You’ve arrived at Lake Atitlan! Now you’re ready to explore. What better way to do so than by motorcycle or in the flat bed of a pickup. Based out of Panajachel you’ll find our partners Ride Atitlan. They’ve got motorcycle and scooter rentals, and also offer some pretty cool truck back tours.

The Verdict

If you’re three or more people, a private shuttle will save you money. Even if you’re just two people, going private is just around $30 to $40 more.

Save yourself and your bum from the endless cobblestone roads of Antigua. Save your bladder from unnecessary pressure. And give yourself the best first impression of the most beautiful lake in the world.

Of the many decisions you have to make while traveling to Lake Atitlan, you definitely won’t regret this one. As our little latino grandmother used to say, “what you pay, what you get.”

Finding A Cheap Flight To Guatemala

In order to get to Lake Aitlan you need to find the cheapest flight to San Salvador, El Salvador, or Guatemala City, Guatemala. The cheapest flights can be found during the low season; September, October, November and February, March, April. Click hereto find out the Best Time To Visit Lake Atitlan.

From the United States

If you’re living in North America, your cheapest option is to check out SpiritAir.com. They consistently offer cheap flights through Ft. Lauderdale to Central America. However, be sure to check out Kiwi.com as it has one of the most efficient and easy to use flight search engines, and you may be able to find a cheaper flight there.

From Europe & The World

The cheapest gateway to Central America is through Ft. Lauderdale. Check out NorwegianAir.com for cheap flights to from Europe to Ft. Lauderdale. Now go to SpiritAir.com for flights onward to Central America.

You could also fly KLM direct from Amsterdam to either Mexico City, Panama City, or San Jose Costa Rica, and take either Copa or Volaris from there onto Guatemala.

Finally, Iberia goes direct from Madrid to Guatemala city and back. They also offer one of the best value reward redemptions at just 27,000 points in economy and 42,500 points for business class.

Guatemala City Airport To Lake Atitlan

Option 1: Take A Shuttle Bus – Price 25$

Shuttles leave regularly from Guatemala City Airport to Panajachel. However most shuttles are not direct and do stop over in Antigua. This makes the total travel time to the lake around 4 1/2 to 5 hours.

Shuttle Service – 06:00am – Guatemala City/Airport to Panajachel $25 p/p
Shuttle Service – 11:00am – Guatemala City/Airport to Panajachel $25 p/p
Shuttle Service – 02:30pm – Guatemala City/Airport to Panajachel $25 p/p
(this service makes a stop in Antigua and then continues to Panajachel, travel time 4-4.5hrs)
Direct Shuttle Service – 2:30pm – Guatemala City/Airport to Panajachel $35p/p (min 3pax)
Private Service – can be scheduled at any time according to your needs, please specify time and number of persons for details

Option 2: Hire A Private Taxi – Price 120$ – 150$

There are plenty of taxis available to take you directly to Panajachel on Lake Atitlan. They cost between 120$ – 160$ and take around 3 to 5 hours depending on whether you’re going to Panajachel or San Marcos / San Pedro. You can either arrange one yourself outside of the terminal or book one through an agency at the airport when you arrive. However, the later option isn’t always an option as it is dependent on availability. So we highly recommend booking in advance.

If you’re looking for a driver you can trust and one who speaks perfect English, we highly recommend our friend Vicky. She’s known around town as the gringo fixer, because she speaks perfect English and helps with everything from moto registration, to visa extensions. Please send us an email at Team@Atitlanliving.com or whatsapp +1 845 653 6247, and we’ll put you in touch with her. You can also reserve a driver directly in this online booking form.

Option 3: Hire A Helicopter – Price 1000$

However if you’ve got the money, you can always take a helicopter direct from Guatemala City Airport to Lake Atitlan for between 1,000-1,400$.

Can’t decide between the public and private transport options? Check out our guide entitled The Best Way To Get From Guatemala Airport to Lake Atitlan.

From Antigua To Lake Atitlan

If you’re coming from Antigua, it’s extremely easy to get a shuttle bus to Lake Atitlan. You could either book a shuttle through your hotel or get a ticket at any travel agency. The price is advertised as 12$/85Q but you can usually haggle the price down to 10$/70Q .

Shuttle – 05:30am – Antigua to Panajachel $12 p/p
Shuttle – 08:00am – Antigua to Panajachel $12 p/p
Shuttle – 12:30pm – Antigua to Panajachel $12 p/p
Shuttle – 04:00pm – Antigua to Panajachel $12 p/p
Shuttle Thu and Sunday – 7:00am – Antigua >> Chichicastenango Market Day 9:00am>> to Panajachel 02:00pm $24 p/p

Rent A Motorcycle

Now that you’ve made it to Lake Atitlan, you might want to consider your transportation options. If you’re staying in Pana, San Pedro or Santiago, renting a motorcycle will definitely be the most exciting way to explore and potentially even the most cost effective. For the only company around the lake with motorcycle and scooter rentals, check out Ride Atitlan.

Decide Which Town You Want To Visit

There are 5 main towns that lie along the banks of Lake Atitlan. Each town offers a different experience and view of the volcanoes. They are Panajachel, Santa Cruz, Jaibalito, San Marcos, and San Pedro. While some of these towns are accessible by road, many can only be visited by boat. Either way, if you’re coming from Guate City airport, we always recommend you first go to Panajachel (the lake’s primary transport hub / dock), and then take a boat from there. If you’re looking for a private boat, taxi or tuktuk, definitely check out the Ripple app. It was developed by friends of ours, and is basically like Uber but specifically for the lake.

For a quick overview of the towns, check out The Towns Of Lake Atitlan. For information on ways to get to these towns, check out Transportation Around Lake Atitlan.

Conclusion

Flights are relatively cheap and shuttles are quick and comfortable. Although Lake Atitlan isn’t the easiest place to get to, when you finally arrive, it’s that much sweeter.