San Marcos la Laguna

April 26, 2026

We made our way down to the dock, hoping to catch a ride from San Pedro over to San Marcos. It turned out we were at the wrong dock.

Embarcadero San Pedro La Laguna (opens in a new tab) was the closest dock to our Airbnb in San Pedro, so we tried there first. We were told we'd have to go across town to catch a shared boat, or we could pay about $10 and have a whole boat to ourselves.

To save time, we rented the boat. Having it all to ourselves was a nice bonus.

Jereme and Euri take a selfie on the private boat, with Lake Atitlán and the hills behind them

Empty white benches and orange life jackets inside the blue boat, with a volcano rising ahead

Hippie vibes and higher prices

San Marcos had some serious hippie vibes. From the dock, we walked into pedestrian lanes with plants and vines growing overhead. Posters advertised psychedelic healing sessions and yoga retreats.

The prices stood out, too. Much of what we saw seemed to cost at least twice as much as it did in San Pedro or San Juan. The hippies mastered capitalism in the United States. Why not here?

A narrow footpath in San Marcos under hanging greenery, with painted murals along one wall

Euri stands on a paved path surrounded by dense tropical plants in San Marcos

The other thing we noticed was how quiet those walking paths were compared with San Pedro. Our Airbnb there was outside the main part of town, but tuk-tuks are noisy and people want breakfast, so sleeping in was a challenge.

On the pedestrian paths in San Marcos, we could browse without tuk-tuks passing right beside us.

We had already visited San Juan la Laguna to look at the handicrafts and colorful murals. San Marcos was a different kind of wandering, with narrow footpaths, greenery overhead, and a lot more peace and quiet.

Lunch at Lush

One of the places we ate was La Cocina at Lush (opens in a new tab). The food was amazing, and the hotel looked like somewhere we'd want to stay. Next time we visit Lake Atitlán, we'd like to book a room there.

They also have a fantastic garden:

Orange flowers with dark centers on a leafy vine in the garden at Lush

Yellow flower spikes with small white petals in the garden at Lush

Hanging red and yellow zigzag flower clusters among tall green leaves in the garden at Lush

Two white flowers with dark yellow-ringed spots among long green leaves in the garden at Lush

A yellow three-petaled flower with brown speckles on a thin stem in the garden at Lush

A steep climb to Eagle's Nest

San Marcos has several yoga retreat facilities. We trekked up the hill to Eagle's Nest Atitlán (opens in a new tab), where we had smoothies and took in the view.

The climb took us about half an hour, and it was very steep, so give yourself time for it. The smoothies at the top were well placed. Eagle's Nest is a retreat center (opens in a new tab) that welcomes drop-ins for classes. To skip most of the climb, Passport and Pixels (opens in a new tab) suggests a tuk-tuk from the main street, though about 10 minutes of steps remain.

My wife and I are both into yoga, and the classes we watched looked stellar. We could see ourselves coming back for a retreat.

Eagle's Nest also had the best views of the lake we saw on the whole trip:

A volcano across Lake Atitlán, seen from under a tin roof hung with bulbs and an ornament at Eagle's Nest

Someone does a handstand on the wooden deck at Eagle's Nest, with Lake Atitlán and a volcano beyond

What I'd come back for

My favorite parts were the footpaths through town and all the greenery. Add lunch at Lush and the view from Eagle's Nest, and San Marcos was well worth the boat ride.

The shops were cute, too, but I'm glad we went to San Juan first. Shopping was much more affordable there.

Next time, I'd like to stay a little longer and find out whether those quieter paths mean I actually get to sleep in.

Jereme in a woven shirt with a camera, leaning on a wall beside a brick footpath under hanging vines and flowers in San Marcos

Red stairs with twisted branch railings climb past a painted blue elephant mural in San Marcos

Euri in a straw hat and floral top holding a vine-covered branch overhead against an old plastered wall in San Marcos

Getting there from San Pedro

Learn from our mistake. According to Along Dusty Roads (opens in a new tab), boats toward Panajachel, which stop at San Marcos, leave San Pedro's main dock every 20 to 30 minutes. Santiago boats leave from a second dock across town.

A seat on a shared boat runs Q15 to Q20 per their San Marcos guide (opens in a new tab) (checked October 2026), so our roughly $10 private boat was a splurge. Pay cash and agree on the price first. Living in Guatemala (opens in a new tab) says public dock service ends between 4:30 and 5pm, and earlier in rainy season.

Exploring more of Guatemala? Read about our five days in Antigua: volcanoes, chocolate, and a surprisingly good hobbit village, or browse all of our Guatemala travel posts.