We did a half day hike with James and a full day exploring the towns by boat. Even though my family is from Guatemala James truly made the experience one... read more of a kind and showed immense interest in the culture that reignited the ties we have to our roots. I was pregnant, and my sister was a teenager but James made it fun for all of us and at our own pace. We had incredible views of the lake and loved the wide variety of art and artisan presence on the lake. Highly recommend for families or anyone really! Thanks again james

  James and his crew made me feel very comfortable and safe as a female solo traveler. Before my trip to Lake Atitlan he had provided me with an itinerary of... read more our Village tour day and made several suggestions to enhance my experience. He also arranged transportation for me from Antigua. I'm not a fan of "touristy" tours and James did not disappoint as he showed me traditional Mayan ways and we stayed away from "touristy" places on the tour. I was very impressed with his knowledge of the Mayan culture; but even more so respected his heartwarming relationships with the locals. It was fun to see locals smiling when they saw him, as that is not always the case being on international tours. I loved being introduced to the Mayan women weavers, their talents shining brightly as they wove beautiful products with their back strap looms. I also enjoyed sipping the coffee from locally grown coffee beans and sampling delicious chocolate from locally grown cacao. Another highlight was meeting a beautiful Mayan family as they welcomed us into their home. The next morning I enjoyed an amazing sunrise from the top of the "Mayan Nose". This was a guided hike that James had suggested and arranged for me. Henry, our Mayan guide, told us Mayan folklore as the sun majestically appeared in the background of the Fuego volcano’s red glow at the summit. It was an amazing experience and one I highly recommend for the adventurous traveler. …

  I did the Lake Atitlan village boat tour, which really turned into a private "create your own tour" (per James' own words!). James was an amazingly knowledgeable guide for all... read more things Guatemala - from coffee to history to current events...he was a wealth of knowledge. Not only did I learn a lot, the tour was (as I mentioned) basically customized to my interests. We took a beautiful boat tour across the late to two of the villages, drank lots of coffee, ate an authentic lunch, visited many sites (chocolate story, weaving store supported by local Mayan women, honey store, etc.) and interacted with a ton of James' local friends. It was neat to hear their stories and see how/where some of them lived. Made the experience much more authentic in my opinion. James and I also had great conversations throughout the day. Overall, I would highly recommend this tour to anyone thinking about exploring Atitlan. James works with you to see what you're most interested in, and you ultimately get a say in what you see. Of note, I was a female solo traveler and always felt very safe.

  After visiting Antigua Guatemala, the old capital city until 1776, we went to Lake Atitlán. The landscape is magnificent, the town of Panajachel on one end has a dock from... read more where you board the boats that take you to the villages around the lake. The boats are too basic in my opinion. We went to visit the town of Santiago de Atitlán, which has a handicrafts market that offers very special items that are not found elsewhere and at good prices. Much better goods than at the rather busy and too commercial Chichicastenango Thursday & Sunday market. The villages on land he lake are authentic and are very colorful. It is incredibly nice looking at the villagers wearing their typical dresses. We stayed two days at Casa Palopó Hotel on the lake in the town of Santa Caterina, which is outstanding! Nice visit! Recommend!