Lake Atitlan Transportation Schedules

Lake Atitlan Transportation Schedules. We recently wrote 2 blog posts about Lake Atitlan Boat Schedule and Prices. Please find links to both articles.

Lake Atitlan Transportation Schedules we felt would offer travelers to Lake Atitlan information on the various means of Transportation around Lake Atitlan.

We have not included Shuttles in this article, the reason we are focusing on getting around Lake Atitlan. Getting to the Lake from Antigua and the Airport will be a different post.

This article will be broken down by areas of Lake Atitlan which will help those arriving at the Lake and depending on where, how to best find your way around using all Local Transportation.

Lake Atitlan Transportation Schedules

Flete is a pickup, mostly around Lake Atitlan they are Toyota Pickups appear to be the choice of the drives or groups that operate the Flete service as one might call it. Flete means freight. Another term used is Colectivo which can mean to collect or collective. Vans are also used in some areas around the Lake.

Bus in our terms of description is a Chicken Bus, those brightly colored old School Buses that Guatemala and other Central American Countries have salvaged and turned into colorful forms of Transportation.

A Chicken Bus ride is an experience all who visit Guatemala should part take in. While some online reviews talk about not-so-great experiences, we have ridden Chicken Buses to and from Guatemala City hundreds of times without a single event.

TukTuk Tuk Tuk is a mechanized three-wheeled taxi-like vehicle that is found in almost every village around Lake Atitlan. Similar to a Chicken Bus exterior owners of Tuk Tuk’s around Lake Atitlan take pride in adding exterior decorations to mostly draw attention for the purpose of stopping those in need of a ride.

Boat service is one of the primary forms or means of getting around Lake Atitlan quickly for the most part. Launcha is also another term used by the locals to describe a boat service. Every Village around Lake Atitlan has a boat or Launcha access, even the most remote areas of the Lake like San Lucas Toliman offers some form of Boat service.

Lake Atitlan Transportation Schedules

1. In each Village, Town, City around Lake Atitlan, you will find these services and options.
2. TukTuk’s are more for local transportation around each Town.
3. Flete or Colectivo runs between the village and mostly feed larger villages.
4. Chicken Buses are more of the long haul type runs, from Santiago to San Luca Toliman.
5. Chicken Buses also pick up from around the lake at 4:30 and at 7:00 in the morning to take workers to Guatemala City and Xela.
6. Boats cover the Lake.

Lake Atitlan Transportation Schedules Boat Schedule

Finding where these means of Land Transportation start out can be a problem. As these forms of transportation while available to Tourists visiting Lake Atitlan are 90% for Locals living at the Lake. The general rule of thumb is in each village mostly in the center of the village or at the village square is where these land-based services start out to the next location.

Other than Chicken Buses and Boats all other forms of land transportation by a vehicle around the Lake begins services at 6:00 in the morning and operate normally till 8:00 in the evening.

Panajachel is considered the gateway to Lake Atitlan, consider Pana as it is called the hub. Pana has 2 boat docks one services San Pedro La Laguna and  San Juan La Laguna and the Villages on that side of the Lake. Santa Cruz, San Marcos.

The second Dock in Pana Service Santiago. Prices for boat services across the Lake are Q25, meaning from Pana to Santiago or San Pedro La Laguna, San Juan La Laguna.

Flete operated out of Panajachel from three different locations. In front of Dispensa, Across from Palopa Bar, and across from the Market in Pana. There are no specific schedules for Flete’s they operate regularly and you might wait 15 minutes at the most. Flete service Santa Catarina Palopo, San Antonio Palopo and Godinez. Flete prices range around Q3 to Q5.

Chicken Buses heading to Solola and Guatemala City are found at the Market and in Pana. Bus prices start at Q3.5 and go up depending on the distance traveled.

TukTuks service Panajachel and will take you to Santa Catarina Palopo, San Antonio Palopo. For the local Panajachel service, the cost is Q5 per person. Prices go up from that point.

Enjoy this information, hope it helps you get around Lake Atitlan