Tour to Lake Atitlan from Antigua Guatemala

Amazing tour, less amazing transportation

The boat tour itself is amazing! All three cities visited are so unique, giving you plenty of opportunities to explore the culture, food, and sites of the local communities. The boat was comfortable, with both of our guides ensuring we were safe at all times! It is a decent amount of walking (uphill) so make sure you have comfy shoes!! The reason for my lower rating comes down to the communication and transportation. We had booked our tour on Palm Sunday, which (as we found out) closes down the streets of Antigua. We received a message at 8pm the night before our tour, from a different company than we booked with, (it appears they outsource their transportation) that we would be required to be picked up at a spot that was a 30 minute walk from our hotel. Normally, I would not be upset about a little walk, but we needed to be at the pick up point at 5:30am, and so we were already in bed. If I hadn’t checked my messages once more, we would have missed our tour!! Palm Sunday is on the calendar for an entire year in advance, so there’s zero reason that communication needed to be so last minute. Although I will say, the original tour company did offer to try to send a car for us to get us to the pick up spot. We ultimately chose to walk to see a bit of the festival before leaving, but the offer was much appreciated! We also had problems getting back onto a bus after the tour. The outsourced transportation company started messaging me (while I’m waiting with the guide and 3 other couples) asking where we were as the driver was looking for us. The pick up point to go back to the hotel should be communicated with the guides prior to the tour, not left to questioning us as tourists when let’s be honest, we have no idea where we’re going. Again, the tour was one of the best we went on during our trip. The guides were very informative and helped us easily navigate the cities. They just really need to figure out their transportation.

Response from the operator: Hi! 😊 Thank you so much for your detailed review—we truly appreciate you taking the time to share your experience. We’re very happy to hear that you enjoyed the boat tour, the destinations, and the guidance throughout the day. It means a lot to us that this was one of your favorite activities during your trip! We would also like to sincerely apologize for the inconvenience you experienced with communication and transportation. As noted on Viator, we operate as official resellers of this activity. Although Palm Sunday is a well-known date, what complicated logistics this time was the decision by local authorities to fully close certain streets in Antigua Guatemala, something that in previous years did not happen in the same way and still allowed for normal pickups. Even so, we completely understand your frustration, especially regarding the last-minute communication. This is not the experience we aim to provide. Our intention in offering to send a vehicle was to make things more comfortable for you, and we truly appreciate your understanding in that moment. We also agree with your point about the return—this should absolutely be coordinated in advance with the guides and not left uncertain for travelers. Thank you for bringing this up, as it allows us to work directly with our providers to improve this aspect. We truly value your feedback and will be following up to ensure better coordination and communication in the future. 💙

via Tripadvisor

Mediocre

Firstly, they wont pickup at your hotel. They tell you a spot and you wait which i did over an hour in the dark morning. Packed to capacity which was uncomfortable for 3 1/2 hours. Then arrive where you get breakfast. Boat ride, the boat kept breaking down in the middle of the water. Taken away from our tour time I understand there is a lot of walking involved. It sometimes seems a little bit rushed, and one time we barely had 20 minutes that wasn’t enough to do anything then at the end of the ride they don’t take you back to where they picked you up at they drop you off with no care in the world for your well-being of getting back to where you started. They weren’t very helpful in that part, and that alone made me dislike this tour. I actually wanted to do a different tour, but this is the one that was available and I wish I would’ve just waited. I can say Billy did make the tour somewhat pleasant. I can give him that but the drop off is what really did it.

Response from the operator: Hello, we’re sorry that your experience was perceived that way. Before confirming the reservation, we asked for your hotel information since we have specific pick-up areas. In the case of Altamira Mountain, we do not offer pick-up as it is located outside the urban area, so we provided you with an accessible meeting point. You arrived well ahead of the agreed time; we always inform our guests that there is a waiting period while we pick up the rest of the participants. We understand that the wait may have felt longer since you arrived approximately one hour early. All of this information was communicated via WhatsApp before confirming the reservation, and it was accepted at that time.

via Viator

Amazing trip

It's a whole day trip . The transportation is very comfortable , nice busses. Everybody was on time , the tour guide was very knowledgeable and extremely helpful. The lake is amazingly beautiful, the towns are very interesting and different. Lots of good food . Would recommend for families

via Tripadvisor

a must do tour

Highly recommends the experience is unique and Alex our tour guide was excellent. The lake is beautiful and the people are amazing.

via Viator

Scam Tour to lake Atitlan and towns

It takes 2 hours and 30 minutes to arrive to Lake Atitlan from Antigua, Guatemala . Reservation was made through Viator. They picked us up at the hotel 6 am , it was a van for the 7 members of the family , stopped at a decent place for breakfast and continued on the roadtrip up to the Lake. There is nothing extraordinary at the Lake, just the views of the volcano and the mountains; They offer as a tour a boat trip to 3 horrible towns , San Juan, San Pedro and Santiago. First of all it s inconceivable to see that the Lake itself is full of garbage, pet bottles floating on the surface! The guide said the government in this place doesn’t care! So there s no one cleaning and there are non conservationists helping. The towns lack inconsistent water supply, nonexistent drainage, show a frustrating mix of rapid modernization layered over fragile, outdated infrastructure! This tour is a scam for tourists ! The guide maquiabelicly says nice things about each town, but do not deserve a visit. The guide just takes you to the places where he gets a commission if the tourists buy , the leather shop in San Pedro( all leather comes from the city of Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico!) not Guatemala! , the bees tour shop where actually you do not see any hives or bees around , prices of items not shown , if you were interested in something at the cashier , SURPRISE, it s not quetzals its dollars! , And finally Santiago town , the biggest but the one with the most fragile infrastructure, the visit is at an art shop not a gallery ! Victor, All this tour is a Scam ! Definitely Not Recommended!

via Tripadvisor