Lake Atitlan: From one extreme to another!

Lake Atitlan is a water-filled crater created by a super volcano and now surrounded by impressive volcanoes itself, one of which Stewart climbed in record time, without a guide, making him somewhat of a hero in our teachers’ eyes! 

There are a number of towns around the lake, each with its own distinct character which you can visit in a pleasant public water taxi. Some are Mayan, like San Juan below, others are more commercial and some are only reachable by boat.

The first town we stayed in was San Marcos: a ‘hippy-dippy,’ crystal-loving yoga oasis for fairly well-to-do expat types. It was lovely; the lake views were stunning and our cabin was in a perfect position looking out across the bay away from the town. There were a few niggles: the noise from the passing traffic was brain-shaking and our AirBnB host was as rude as they come! But we spent our time walking, food shopping, taking a couple of boat trips to other towns and planning out the next steps of our journey, in a fabulous setting… whilst burying our head in the sand about how scary going to live with a Guatemalan family, in San Pedro, the following week, was going to be! 

In trepidation we waited at the school the following Sunday afternoon, for ‘our familia’ to collect us. The school has beautiful gardens and it is away from the road in a green space, but the area it is in is a little grim! The roads are broken, with dog poo everywhere and the shops thin out with lots of broken or boarded up spaces between. 

Two girls arrived to collect us – maybe 14 and 17 (actually 11 and 21) … They led us up the street; the youngest was quite chatty asking lots of questions in Spanish. 

Every turn they took, we wondered if it was this shack or that broken down yard but eventually we arrived, up a fairly grim poo-dotted passage, to a big 3 storey square building with a roof terrace. 

When we entered I was thankful that it had tiled floors and we were on a separate floor with another student, Sarah (French, living in Switzerland). At least we weren’t in the ‘spare bedroom’ of a 3 bedroomed house. Stewart was less relieved than me. He’d hoped for something better on a value for money basis. It probably works out as economical for one person but paying twice the single price is not good value. 

In the day it seemed okay to me but later that night when we were in our room with no amenities (access to a kitchen, bedside tables, lamps etc) it felt rough. Let’s just say I was glad there was no light over the sink in the corridor to the shower! 

Obviously it’s all about speaking and listening Spanish so I was still open to that. 

When we had arrived, the parents had introduced themselves and we’d managed a broken conversation. It was funny hearing them trying to remember and pronounce Stewart’s name – they either said Eduardo or eStu-warrrt. They struggle with words starting with S so he would have to be Estuardo, all week! 

The next day, after an awkward first breakfast where three of the family stood up and watched us eat, we were ready to check out and find a cheap hostel! If there was no ‘immersion’ in the language then the bathroom sink wasn’t worth gagging over, to brush your teeth! 

However, lunch-time after our first morning at school was a success! We had long conversations in Spanish and the family ate with us! Phew. Maria, the mum, the ‘jefa,’ was very good at posing level-appropriate questions at each student. One of the students, Mark, had just started Spanish; Stewart had a month of Babbel lessons, and knew the basics. I have enough to hold a poorly worded conversation and Sarah was B1 level – she could hold a decent, fluid conversation. Mealtimes were fun because Maria would tease poor Mark and we’d interpret for him and then relay back his answer. Pablo, dad, was a beautiful man and the children were great. Both parents had been or were primary school teachers so they were very good at explanations and differentiation! Jessica, 21, was on a home-break from Uni, and studying sociology every day. Nanci was 11 going on 18 – so confident at first but the as the week went on, the little girl emerged. We shared a mutual appreciation of soft cream cheese! 

We were only in the school for a week so I think the teachers have less of an organised approach in this case; they just converse with you where you are at and re-iterate verb conjugations. This suited Stewart who wanted to lead what he was taught (restaurant phrases etc) but I was desperate for structure. (I know, surprised, right?!) All in all though, I have never talked so much Spanish in one week and now feel like I’m a ‘talker’ rather than a ‘learner’ which is exactly the shift it is supposed to create. 

Practical information: 

We got a shuttle from Antigua which can be bought from multiple tour shops – no problem. It was Q170 each.  It took 3 hours. We were dropped off in San Marcos centre. 

A Tuk-Tuk is Q10 per person for a journey from A to B in the area. Flat-rate. Don’t let them say higher. (2025)

Most ‘lanchas’ across the lake from one bigger town to another are Q20-25 per person each way. You pay at the end of a trip – so just hand them the right money, preferably Q20 each person, folded, and then walk on. If you engage you could be getting into a conversation about it being more. 

A couple we met from Canada said they’d paid less by buying a ‘return.’ We didn’t hear this. They’d managed Q15 each way. 

We bought a shuttle back to Antigua with Benjy’s Travels – 4 offices in San Pedro. Q110 each. Leaving 3x a day. They do another stop after Antigua to Guatemala City. 

Cost of Spanish school: Q950 each for 3 hours of lessons a day for 5 days. 

Homestay: Q1050 each for double room and shared bathroom with 3 meals a day. (We negotiated this down part way through the week by leaving on the Friday morning) 

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