Lake Atitlán, Sololá

Lake Atitlán
Sololá

Population (Sololá)
307,661 habitants

Postcode
07000 (Sololá)
07010 (Panajachel)
07014 (Santa Cruz)
07018 (San Pedro)
07019 (Santiago)

Location
110 Km. of capital city

Altitude
2.113 msnm

Languages
Spanish, kaqchikel, k'iche' y tz'utujil

Territorial Extension
(Sololá) 1,061 km²

Weather
Cold

Major tourist attractions
Panajachel
San Pedro la Laguna
Santa Catarina Palopó
Santa Cruz la Laguna
Santiago Atitlán

We recommend you put this on your list of places that are a must see while here in Guatemala.

We always tell travelers they have not experienced Guatemala until they have experienced Lake Atitlan and all that it has to offer.

Located a short 2.5 hour bus or shuttle ride from Antigua or 2 hours from Xela, Lake Atitlan is the perfect place to visit after a long week of Spanish school. Ringed by three volcanoes, San Pedro (3020m), Toliman (3158M), and Atitlan (3537m) all of which paint the most dramatic backdrop no matter where you are staying.

When you first see the lake while descending from Solala Atitlan may appear small in size, but in fact it is 8 km across from North to South and 18 km from east to west, with an average depth of 300m. Arriving at the lake in the early part of the day you will notice the lake is very clear and calm with few waves. Arriving in afternoon and you will likely see something very different.

There is a phenomenon on the lake locals like to call the Xocomil, which consists of winds like clock work come up in the early afternoon stirring up the waters. If you plan on crossing the lake by lanchas to stay in one of the lakeside towns, we advise you to arrive as early as possible in order to miss the famous xocomil. Lanchas to all the villages around the lake can be found at the end of Calle embarcadero.

Always waiting to take eager travelers to villages at a reasonable price.

General Information / Overview of Lake Atitlan

Emergency Phone
Volunteer Firefighters. +(502) 7762.2759
Health Center. +(502) 7762.1258
Municipality. +(502) 7762.1081
National Civil Police. +(502) 7762.1120, +(502) 7762.4129

Inguat in Lake Atitlán
Inguat provides schedules for buses, billboard events, tours and information related to travel.

INGUAT
Calle Santander 1-87 zona 2
Panajachel, Sololá
Centro comercial San Rafael, local #11
Fax. +(502) 7762.1106
info-panajachel@inguat.gob.gt
www.visitguatemala.com