Santa Cruz La Laguna | A Short Guide

Planning a day trip or stay in San Juan La Laguna, one of the Lake Atitlan villages?

Our essentials guide has got you covered!

Santa Cruz is a little different to the other towns of Lake Atitlán.

The hostels, eco-lodges, and travellers are largely concentrated down by the water’s edge, with easy access to the lake and sweeping views of two volcanoes.

Perched on the hillside above, the main village is largely residential and runs to the rhythms of Kaq’chikel life.

Although just a steep walk or quick tuk-tuk ride away from each other, this topographic separation means the two areas are largely kept apart and remain distinct.

That may sound like a bad thing, but it’s actually one of the main factors that make Santa Cruz such a good choice as a base. The lakeside offers relaxation and outdoors activities, from sipping coffee with breathtaking views to trails, diving, and kayaking on the serene waters, while heading up to the hillside allows a better insight into Kaq’chikel culture and community.

Without having to catch a boat, those who stay here can easily dip in and out of two distinct environments.

The separation also means that the myriad potential negative consequences of growth in tourism are ring-fenced, whilst the positives can flourish in a more meaningful, harmonious way with local life.

Or that’s the theory at least.

The reality is that backpackers looking for a more chilled, nature-froth setting than San Pedro should absolutely consider Santa Cruz. What it lacks in terms of variety and eating out options, it makes up for in several others ways – especially if you can nab a place at La Iguana Perdida hostel (the place our Instagram followers recommended most).

Santa Cruz is also emerging as one of the better picks for travellers that want to prioritise lake access – not a given in other more popular towns – and really making the most of the relaxing setting and relative isolation over a few days of disconnection, all whilst having easy access to the regular boat taxis and activities.

There are also several stunning luxury accommodations if you’re looking for something special.

For day-trippers and those who only have two or three days to explore Lake Atitlán, the pull to Santa Cruz is perhaps a little less obvious, with most visitors prioritising a visit to CECAP, a community focussed vocational training centre that runs a lovely little restaurant with views out over the lake.

This is our short guide to Santa Cruz La Laguna, with everything you need to know on transport connections, the best things to do, and our picks on where to stay.

HOW TO GET TO SANta Cruz La Laguna

The main transportation around Lake Atitlán is by boat, rather than road.

This is an affordable, scenic, and (largely) enjoyable way to move between the various towns and villages, and there are regular shared services across the lake to / from Santa Cruz.

If you’re ever stuck or in a rush, it’s also possible to commandeer a private boat service.

We’ve shared much more advice on routes, costs, scams, and tips for smoother journeys in ‘How To Get Around Lake Atitlan’ – and we highly recommend giving it a read before you arrive there.

However, for your visit to Santa Cruz, the key prices and times are:

· From Panajachel to Santa Cruz – 12 mins – 25Q per person

· San Marcos to Santa Cruz – 15 mins – 25Q per person

· San Pedro & San Juan to Santa Cruz – 35 mins -25Q per person

The route and stops will usually be Panajachel – Santa Cruz – Jaibalito – Tzunuma – San Marcos – San Juan – San Pedro, and you’ll arrive at the main dock (here on Google Maps)

Services to Panajachel run from 6.30am-6pm, whilst it’s 7.15am-7.30pm for boats going in the other direction toward San Pedro. Boats are every 20-30 minutes.

It’s first-come-first-served for seats, cash only, and paid on board; note that locals pay less than visitors.

Plan / How To Get To Lake Atitlan

THINGS TO DO IN Santa cruz la laguna

Explore the Upper Village | Whilst it would be easy to spend all your time at the lakeside (especially if you’re staying in Santa Cruz), you’d be missing out if you didn’t head up to the village on the hill. Accessible via a steep but manageable walk up the road or a 5Q tuk-tuk ride – be sure to stop and admire the view over the lake as you go – it covers a relatively small area and is easily explored within an hour or so.

The village is also the best place to come buy any supplies you need, and spread your spend.

Not long before you reach the village proper, you’ll pass KEM Handicraft y Cafe a La Vuelta (maps). Their focus is traditional knitting and embroidery classes but they also have a little shop and make a decent coffee. Worth stopping by on your way up or down!

Unfortunately, we didn’t see anyone around the Mirador Tazanjuyu to head up it ourselves, but it’s 5Q per person if you fancy giving it a go yourselves!

Lunch at CECAP | Within the upper village you’ll also find the Centro de Capacitación (CECAP), a vocational training centre dedicated to empowering locals with practical skills for sustainable livelihoods.

Offering courses in carpentry, cooking, sewing, and weaving, it’s been doing great work for a long time in and around Santa Cruz. The focus is on ensuring students gain valuable skills that improve their economic opportunities, helping to boost the community’s self-sufficiency as well as preserve local culture.

They have a small shop on the ground floor where you can buy various handmade arts, crafts and textiles produced by the students, but most people head straight upstairs to Café Sabor Cruceño. Staffed entirely by students, it offers a practical training space to refine culinary skills while preparing traditional Guatemalan dishes like Pepian, Kak’ik, and fresh tamales, all made with locally sourced ingredients (they also offer a decent selection of tofu-based dishes).

There are seats inside by the kitchen, but we recommend making a beeline for the terrace that offers stunning views of Lake Atitlán and the surrounding volcanoes.

Find CECAP on here on Google Maps.

Top Tip // They also offer three private or group experiences led by locals, including a cooking class focussed on Guatemalan traditional dishes and a weaving workshop in an artisan’s home. It’s a good idea to book a couple of days in advance, and you can find more details on their website.

Hike the Lower Mayan Trail | Extending about 5.4 miles from Santa Cruz to San Marcos, this scenic trail delivers on both natural beauty and local culture. Tracing a route along the water’s edge, you’ll pass through coffee plantations, lush forests, traditional villages and terraced hillsides, all while enjoying stunning views of Lake Atitlán and the surrounding volcanoes.

It takes about 2.5 to 3 hours to complete one-way, depending on your pace, and there are plenty of spots to stop, relax, and soak in the views.

A lot of travellers also just walk the section from Santa Cruz to Casa del Mundo in the neighbouring village of Jaibalito.

The only downside? Whilst some people choose to hike this independently, robberies do occur on this route (sometimes violent). As we’ve mentioned in our main Lake Atitlán guide, this is a longstanding problem in the area and not unique to just this trail, which is why we ultimately decided against it.

That’s why it’s highly recommended that you join a tour instead, or at least hike with others.

Los Elementos Adventure Centre – found a five-minute walk to the left of the dock – offers this as a guided tour, and you can either contact them directly or book online in advance here.

We also had a number of our followers get in touch about hiking tours with a lovely local lady called Elena. As we emotion later on, she offers homestays, but can also arrange day hikes, including the Lower Mayan Trail. To find out more, check out her Instagram page.

For any day-trippers considering this, we suggest going up to the village first, then coming back down to do the trail.

If you do head out independently, then you should catch the boat back from San Marcos.

You can find lots more info on the Santa Cruz to San Marcos route, as well recent safety reports from other travellers, here on AllTrails.

Travel Tip // It actually seems quite popular to walk the Lower Mayan Trail as far as Jaibalito, often to use the facilities at Casa del Mundo on a day pass. We can’t confirm whether this is a safer section of the trail or not,, but we’d imagine it would be more busy.

There is also a short trail along the shoreline in the other direction to Xepok and Paxanax.

Diving & Kayaking | Another big factor to base yourself in Santa Cruz is because of its burgeoning reputation as the place to do outdoor activities on (and in) Lake Atitlán.

As we’ve highlighted in our main guide, first-timers are often surprised by the fact that being out doing things on or by the lake isn’t a big part of many Lake Atitlán experiences, and that mismatch in expectations often leads to disappointment.

Santa Cruz is the perfect antidote for those looking to find the lake’s adventurous side. This is partly because its location on the north shore offers easy and undisturbed access to the water, with much less surrounding boat traffic, but also the presence of a few companies prioritising aquatic activities that you just won’t find elsewhere:

Freediving / Beginners can opt for half-day and full-day introductory courses with Freedive Atitlan, whilst they also offer longer, more intense AIDA courses and fun dives for those with experience.

Scuba Diving / Whilst many people visiting Central America save their dives for the warm waters of the Caribbean (ah, Utila how we miss you), it’s quite possible to blow bubbles in Lake Atitlan.

The fact it’s both the deepest and highest altitude lake in Central America probably sweetens the deal too; as one would likely expect, the visibility isn’t perfect and you’ll just need a much thicker wetsuit, but the experience of diving in a volcanic lake would be pretty unforgettable​. Honestly, we were gutted that we still didn’t have time to do this despite being on the lake for a week!

ATI Diving is based on the shore and offer one-day discover scuba diving for those who want to give diving a try, whilst they also offer all the PADI courses for those wanting to learn or progress. For certified divers, they also do good value one or two-tank fun dives

It’s part of La Iguana Perdida hostel by the way, and dorm accommodation is included for course students.

Kayaking / Kayaking is a pretty popular activity in most villages across Lake Atitlan, and Santa Cruz is no exception – and one of the best places to set off from too. Whilst many properties here provide free kayaks for their guests, if you’re staying somewhere that doesn’t, Los Elementos Adventure Centre near the village dock (maps) is a good place to rent one for a few hours.

They also offer tours if you’d prefer to head out with a group – find out more by contacting them directly, or alternatively you could book this highly-rated full day option

Most accommodations can also arrange SUP board.

Plan / If you’re on a slow backpacking trip in Central America, and want to learn how to dive in the perfect place, then we can personally only endorse heading over to the little island of Utila in Honduras. That where we got our Open Water and Advanced certs, and we’d go back tomorrow if we could.

Unwind in a Temazcal | Part-sauna, part-holistic experience, a temazcal is a traditional mesoamerican ritual designed to cleanse both body and soul, and you’ll find them all over Guatemala. Taking pace within small dome-shaped constructions, where volcanic stones are heated alongside medicinal herbs to create a restorative steam, it offers both a physical detoxification and, according to Mayan culture, spiritual renewal.

We actually got the chance to experience an authentic Temazcal during our three-day trek from Xela to Lake Atitlan, and whilst we can’t say we experienced any great spiritual shift, it was the perfect remedy for sore muscles and a wonderful way to warm up in the chilly highlands.

Several of the accommodations in Santa Cruz have on-site temazcals, including Elena’s Homestay and Sacred Tree. Alternatively, if you’re staying elsewhere but are really keen to give it a go, you can join Elena for an evening temazcal and dinner – find out more here.

Top Tip // If you want to learn more about the role of medicinal plants in Mayan culture, then stop by Johanna’s herbal garden and shop for a free tour in Spanish or English – here on Google Maps

WHERE TO STAY IN santa cruz

As mentioned, Santa Cruz should be on your radar if you’re looking for a base that’s:

· quieter and more chilled than San Pedro, but with a good traveller social vibe

· prioritising a lakefront setting and water-based activities, especially diving

· somewhere that doesn’t have lots of day-trip traffic

· a spectacular lakeside stay for two or three nights in somewhere that feels isolated, yet is connected

If you’re someone who requires lots of different restaurants and bars to choose from, it’s probably not the best pick.

Hostels in Santa Cruz

La Iguana Perdida | Probably the most well-known accommodation in Santa Cruz, and the most recommended place to stay by our Instagram followers (we were pretty upset to find them fully booked when we visited), this lakeside hostel offers affordable dorms, cosy privates and treehouse style bungalows. Providing a relaxed and social vibe, the communal dinners are legendary, the bar alive in the evenings, and with its epic lake access for kayaking or swimming, you’ll never want to leave. As we mentioned earlier, it also has an on-site dive shop, ATI Divers.

Another popular hostel in Santa Cruz is ‘Free Cerveza’, which offers glamping tents in a prime lakeside location. The reviews are fantastic, but it’s on the pricier end.

Guesthouses & Hostels in Santa Cruz

Arca de Noé | This cosy family-run lodge located right by the boat dock offers rustic bungalows and budget-friendly rooms. With pleasant outdoor spaces, and a private dock, it’s all about simple, no-frills charm. The on-site restaurant serves hearty Guatemalan meals, and the peaceful atmosphere makes it an ideal for travellers looking for an affordable, authentic stay with stunning lake views.

Sacred Tree | A collection of five private bungalows, each boasting stunning lake views and designed with a natural, minimalist and ever so slightly industrial aesthetic. The villas range from cozy one-bedroom units to larger two-bedroom spaces, and all featuring a fully equipped kitchen, private deck, and jacuzzi. The grounds they’re set within are lush and there’s also a temazcal.

You can find all the listings here.

Hotel Isla Verde | This stylish, eco-friendly boutique hotel offers spacious, cosy cabins built into the hillside or beautiful suites, all with stunning views of Lake Atitlán. The on-site open-air restaurant serves home-cooked, locally sourced meals, while the sun deck is perfect for sipping cocktails or smoothies and enjoying the surrounding natural beauty. It’s a peaceful spot for those seeking comfort and scenic views away from the crowds, at an affordable price point. Find all listings here.

Villa Eggedal | Spread across ten acres of manicured gardens just 150 metres from the water’s edge you can choose between seven separate properties of varying sizes, from four-bedroom houses to one-bed apartments. The interiors are comfortable, homely and combine modern amenities with traditional Guatemalan design. A super popular choice in Santa Cruz, they also have a swimming pool for guest use. Find all listings here.

Casa Prana | This secluded luxury retreat is probably the fanciest place to stay on the lake (we’re actually kind of astounded at how fancy it is!). The interiors of are warm, minimalist with a touch of opulence, and the earthy tones, natural stone finishes, and wooden accents, creat a calm, inviting atmosphere. Beyond the suites, you can also relax nine acres of beautifully maintained gardens or take a dip in the stunning infinity pool that overlooks the lake. There’s also a yoga pavilion, spa services, and farm-to-table cuisine.

Airbnbs, Apartments & Holiday Homes

Casa Sirena | This almost-lakeside house consists of three excellent apartments, all kitted out with modern amenities including a Starlink internet connection. The best bit? The large terraces overlooking the water, and floor-to-ceiling windows that really make the most of the view. See all listings here.

Casita del Sol | This charming little hillside casita is ideal for those seeking a peaceful, private and quiet retreat with exquisite views over the lake from the lovely little terrace – an ideal spot for a morning coffee. Traditional in its decor, it’s perfect for a single traveller or couple. It’s also really affordable.

The Sweet Spot | If you’d prefer something a little more contemporary, be sure to take a look at this gorgeous one-bedroom casita, hidden amongst foliage. Filled with light, it has a modern aesthetic of poured concrete accented with handcrafted wooden furniture and local textiles. Good internet for remote workers and has a lovely little terrace and roof access for relaxing.

Another one-bed that caught our eye is the lovely Casa Serenidad.

Sunrise Chalet | Probably the most incredible two-bedroom property in Santa Cruz, this is where modern meets Maya. Set across two floors with a contemporary loft style layout, the large windows flood the rooms with light and offer expansive views out over the lake (each bedroom also has their own private balcony). No wonder it’s so popular!

If you’re planning to visit Lake Atitlan with a large group, and would like to be based in Santa Cruz, be sure to take a look at both Casa el Suspiro and Casa Toli.

OUR LAKE ATITLAN TRAVEL SERIES

We are right in the middle of publishing all the guides to help you travel better by the lake, so keep an eye out or visit our Guatemala page for the latest posts.

13 Wonderful Things to Do in Lake Atitlan

Our Lake Atitlan Travel Guide

Where to Stay in Lake Atitlan

Short Guides / San Pedro – San Marcos – San Juan

Santiago – Santa Catarina Palopó

How to Get Around Lake Atitlan By Boat

How to Get to Lake Atitlan

Plan For Guatemala With Our Guides