Visiting San Marcos: Practical Tips You Need For Your First Visit

Traveling to San Marcos La Laguna, Lake Atitlan soon? This guide will cover the best San Marcos tips you need to know to prepare for your trip there!

San Marcos La Laguna is one of 11 towns around Lake Atitlan. While it’s known for being a spiritual vortex and place with deep spiritual roots, it’s much more than that too.

And while it’s one of my favorite places in the world, it’s also not an easy place to live. 

This guide is perfect for first-timers or nomads coming to San Marcos to help you prepare for each aspect of the trip. With these San Marcos travel tips, you’ll be able to show up here with confidence and clarity.

I’ll be covering everything you need to know (and everything I wish I knew) for your first visit there – from safety to currency to how to get there.  Let’s dive into the San Marcos La Laguna tips! 

How to get there

Getting to the Lake is somewhat straightforward, but getting to San Marcos can be a little bit tricky.

You’ll either be coming from Antigua or Guatemala city. Either way, the options are similar and the prices will only vary slightly. Here are all the ways you can get to San Marcos

Option 1: Take a shuttle

• Whether you’re coming from Antigua or Guatemala City (straight from the airport), you can take a shuttle to the lake.
• The shuttles are around $20/30. They’ll usually drive around town picking up other travelers which can take up a chunk of time. They’ll throw your luggage on top of the van and strap it down, so keep your laptop or valuables with you.
• The shuttles will usually bring you to Panajachel. This is the commercial hub around the lake and is a good jumping off point for all of the towns around the lake.
• Once you arrive in Pana, head down towards the docks (just straight down from where the shuttle drops you) to hop on a boat. They run every few minutes and will leave once they’re full.
• WARNING: They are not comfortable! As someone with a bad back, this is not my preferred way to go. The boats have plank seating and you’re often quite squished in.
• If it’s wavy or bumpy, it is really unpleasant on your back and can cause sea sickness, so be prepared
• Just tell the boat driver you’re going to San Marcos and they’ll announce when you’ve made it to the right town.
• Luckily, once you’ve arrived to San Marcos, you just walk directly up from the docks to get into town through the Hippy Highway, so it’s easy enough to navigate.

Option 2: Private transfer

• If you’re looking for something that’s a bit more comfortable, you can opt for a private taxi transfer.
• We did this from the airport this year and it was great – super easy, not too expensive if you can split the cost, and no unnecessary stops.
• This should cost you around $80/90 USD. If you can find 2-4 people to share the car with, it’s a good deal.
• Driving directly to San Marcos, you have to go up and down over a mountain, so be prepared to encounter windy and narrow roads.
• Still, I found this to be much preferable to taking the boat.

Option 3: Shuttle to San Marcos

• I haven’t personally done this but I believe this is an option as well. There are far less shuttles going TO San Marcos directly, so it might not always be available.
• You can definitely take a shuttle directly back from San Marcos to Antigua or Guatemala City, so you can always try the boat on the way there and do a direct shuttle on the way back.

Whatever option you choose, you’re in for an adventure!

If you want the most cost effective solution, take the shuttle to Pana. If you prioritize your comfort, hire a private transfer.

ATMs and Cash

Cash and payment can be a little tricky in San Marcos, so here are my best tips for managing it.

The first year we traveled to Guatemala (2024), we almost always used cash in San Marcos. We struggled to have enough cash on hand and not many places wanted to take cards.

But in 2025, things seem to be changing. There are definitely still some places that are only cash, but more and more shops and cafes are accepting cards as payment.

Regardless, it’s definitely a good practice to come to San Marcos with a solid amount of cash, just in case. 

There are only 2 ATMs in San Marcos, and to be honest they rarely work. So if you come without enough cash, you might have to spend the day traveling to another town such as San Juan just to use the ATM.

Alternatively, many shops around town will exchange your USD for local currency, but they have to be extremely crisp dollar bills. You’ll see signs for shops that offer this such as the health food stores or Il Giardano. 

Things you should definitely have cash for: certain cafes (like Hidden Garden), yoga classes if you don’t book them online, the boats between towns, buying goods from local artists.

Places you can likely use your card: accommodation (check ahead to make sure!), certain restaurants, shuttles, grocery stores.

Even at the places that always accept cash, there can be power outages or issues with their machine, so always be prepared to have some cash on hand.

The local currency is the Quetzal.

Things around town

Noise

The next thing I want you to know before you travel here is that it can be noisy. While San Marcos is also incredibly peaceful and filled with lots of spaces for you to connect with yourself, Guatemala is also loud!

You’ll likely find construction noise, dogs howling, loud music that travels through thin walls, chickens squawking, and more.

The noise level varies around the town. I actually found that at places like Eagle’s Nest – which is located far up the hill – the city sounds are much louder. Maybe because they travel up the hill? Who knows. 

If you stay right along the lake, you’ll be likely to hear less surrounding noise. So if you’re sensitive to this, keep it in mind when booking accommodations. Anything right in the center of town or off of Hippy Highway could be a bit noisier.

One of my best tips for dealing with noise in San Marcos is to make sure to bring ear plugs for going to sleep! I will say I’m a sensitive sleeper, but it hasn’t stopped me from enjoying the town and getting a good night’s rest.

Dogs

Speaking of noise, there are a lot of stray dogs around San Marcos. As an animal person, this can be super challenging. They aren’t all well cared for and it can be hard to not want to help them.

They also cause a lot of the noise in town and add to some of the “rough around the edges” feel. 

I share this just to let you know what to expect!

On a brighter note, I do feel like San Marcos is quite the cat town. There are almost no stray cats but many that are taken care of by Airbnb’s. Eagle’s Nest itself is a cat-only zone! 

You might even see on some apartment listings that you’ll be responsible for taking after a cat that lives there (my dream).

Safety

I will preface this section by saying I have felt safe in San Marcos (and Guatemala) 98% of the time. That being said, you should still always be aware of your surroundings and know what to expect.

San Marcos has a large community of travelers for how small it is, but this doesn’t mean that there isn’t crime. The most common occurrences are break-ins. So if you’re staying at an Airbnb, make sure to keep your valuables with you or hide them away.

Some apartments are behind a gated community, so this can provide an extra layer of comfort if you’re concerned.

Muggings and robberies can also happen – mostly at night if you’re walking alone or on roads between the towns. Stay vigilant, and never try to travel between San Marcos and the other towns at night.

Again, I have always felt pretty safe here. The locals are kind and the community is supportive. So don’t let this stop you from having a good trip! 

Power and wifi

San Marcos – while an absolute gem and haven – is still underdeveloped. This by NO means equates to it being a bad or unlivable place. It’s just something to note.

There are occasional scheduled power cuts throughout all of Guatemala, and it is just unavoidable. If you’re here during a power cut, it will only last for a couple hours. But secret tips – if you’re in San Marcos and if you need to get work done, you can always visit Amo Atitlan since they have a generator and always have wifi.

I’ve only experienced one power cut in my time here, and I went to Amo and had a great day.

Sometimes you’ll experience power outages outside of these scheduled cuts. Hopefully, you can communicate with your Airbnb host or hotel staff to get things back up and running.

Overall, the wifi is pretty strong in San Marcos! There are so many wonderful cafes around town that all have great wifi to get work done or connect with friends. Anywhere you stay should have solid wifi as well. 

Showers

This might seem silly, but I have a lot of opinions on showers! And I’ve experienced some of the best and the worst here in San Marcos.

Our first year, we stayed at a magical Airbnb right on the waterfront. The views were epic (and we had 2 apartment cats) so it was still amazing to stay here. BUT – the shower was absolute crap. 

It would fluctuate from scalding hot to freezing cold with no warning, and the shower head wouldn’t stay up on the wall so my partner had to hold it up for me while I yelled at him to move it away when it got too hot. Ah travel.

On the other hand, Eagle’s Nest has one of the best showers in the entire world. I swear. It’s an outdoor stall for the whole community there, but you get to look out over the lake at the volcanos while standing under a rain shower with delicious hot water. Honestly, I would stay here just for the shower.

So when you come here, you don’t really know what you’re going to get! It’s always worth checking if a place offers hot water or reading reviews about the showers before.

Before you Go

Packing

San Marcos La Laguna might not have the weather you expect, so I think it’s important to mention to BRING LAYERS! 

The climate here is consistent basically year round. In the daytime, you can see temperatures around 60s and 70s, maybe 80s on a good day. And at night, it can drop into the 50s and 60s.

Because of the lake setting, it can be quite windy and brisk, especially at night. I’m always surprised by how chilly it can get, so packing layers is the way to go.

I recommend bringing a fleece sweater, a light jacket, a rain jacket, a scarf, a beanie, and some cozy pants.

Spanish

While many people here speak English, it’s good to have some basic Spanish when you visit here as well.

Knowing how to order food, ask simple questions, or even just greet people can go a long way. My Spanish is nowhere near perfect, but being able to at least understand people has helped a lot.

So practice up on some basic phrases so you can confidently navigate when you come here! And if you don’t know any Spanish, you’ll still survive with google translate. 

TL;DR – Most important tips

• Bring cash
• Arrive before dark
• Pack layers & rain gear
• Bring earplugs
• Be dog-smart
• Expect wifi/power cuts

Final thoughts 

Guatemala is one of my favorite places in the world. It’s also not the easiest place to travel to, but that’s part of what makes it so special!

Hopefully reading this guide of San Marcos travel tips has helped you feel more prepared and comfortable to take a trip here. None of this is meant to scare you away, but just to know what you’ll find when you arrive.

It’s beautiful lake views and volcanoes. It’s intentional community and spiritual experiences. It’s also loud noises and windy roads! It’s all part of the journey.

Do you have any questions about what you need to know to come here? Let me know below or reach out on Instagram!