San Marcos La Laguna
San Marcos La Laguna is a village on the western shore of Lago Atitlán in the Sololá Department of Guatemala.
The village is northwest of three volcanos Volcán San Pedro, Volcán Tolimán, and Volcán Atitlán. The village has an outdoor amphitheater and a few hostels
About San Marcos La Laguna
The village of San Marcos La Laguna is considered the spiritual haven of Lake Atitlan. Known for all things spiritual it has yoga retreats, meditation centers, alternative healing clinics, and massage centers. This village seems to attract a younger crowd and has many hostels and economical hotels.
If you’re looking for short or long-term rental, located approximately a half mile out of the town of San Marcus is the serene and beautiful compound of Pasaj-Cap Vacation Rentals. They have six modern and spacious vacation rentals. We had the opportunity to stay at Pasaj-Cap for a few months and we would highly recommend it.
Pierre, the owner, has created a magical and serene environment that has beautiful gardens, and stunning views of the lake, and they offer exceptional customer service. If you stay during the rainy season you will see some of the most incredible lightning storms heading to the lake between the mountains and the San Pedro volcano.
While the majority of the activities in San Marcos are based around relaxation and connection there are opportunities for kayaking, swimming, rock jumping, and hiking. In fact, one of the unique features of San Marcos is that there is only one road coming into it from one side only. San Marcos itself is mainly connected by footpaths that offer spectacular hiking opportunities.
One of our favorite hikes is to walk the road from San Marcos to San Pedro which not only provides panoramic views of the lake but takes you through incredible coffee fincas.
The walk from San Marcos to San Pedro is safe and will take you anywhere between two and three hours.
San Marcos provides a great day trip or an extraordinary place for an extended stay where you can relax, rejuvenate, and refresh your soul.
How to reach San Marcos La Laguna
To get to San Marcos from the village of Panajachel, known by Pana to the locals you can take a lancha from the public boat dock located one block from Calle Santander just ask for the San Pedro, San Marcos, Santa Cruz boats and the locals will give you directions and let you know which boat to get on. Public lanchas or water taxis depart every 20 to 30 minutes. The cost is Q20 and will take approximately 45 minutes.
From San Pedro La Laguna to San Marcos you can either travel by lancha or by tuk tuk. A tuk tuk drive will take you through the coffee fincas along the shore line of Lake Atitlan where the views are incredible.
San Marcos is small and unlike some of the other villages around the lake shopping is limited. There are a few tiendas selling basic daily need items and a small local market.
San Marcos is known for its vegetarian cuisine and is a vegetarian haven. If vegetarian food isn’t your thing, no worries, there are plenty of restaurants serving a variety of specialties.
Some of our favorites are Moonfish Café, Restaurant Fe, El Dragón Restaurant and Lakeview Terrace, Los Pyramides, Aaculaax, and Paco Real Restaurant.
If you’re looking for sushi there is a restaurant by the name of Allala located behind the soccer field that has you covered. Seiko, the owner, has created a bohemian style shack that serves some great miso soup, tempura platters, and raw tuna dipped in soy sauce among her other specialties.
Lake Atitlan Tours
Lake Attitlan Tours