Panajachel

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Overview

The busiest and most built-up lakeside town, Panajachel ('Pana') is the gateway to Lago de Atitlán for most travelers. Strolling the main street, Calle Santander – crammed with travel agencies, handicraft hawkers and rowdy bars, dodging tuk-tuks all the way – you may be forgiven for supposing this paradise lost.

Attractions

Must-see attractions

Reserva Natural Atitlán

Panajachel

A former coffee plantation being reclaimed by natural vegetation, this reserve is 200m past the Hotel Atitlán on the northern outskirts of town. It makes…

La Galería

Panajachel

Overflowing with art by Guatemalan painters and sculptors, this gallery functions as both an exhibit space and cultural center, hosting lectures, films…

Casa Cakchiquel

Panajachel

Pana's cultural center started life as one of the first hotels on the lake, built by a Swedish countess in 1948. Now it holds a radio station, Japanese…

Museo Lacustre Atitlán

Panajachel

Inside the Hotel Posada de Don Rodrigo, this museum has displays on the history of the Atitlán region and the volcanic eruptions that created its…

Iglesia San Francisco

Panajachel

The colonial-era church is the heart of old Panajachel. Its extremely broad stone facade, with four tiers of windows between double columns, resembles a…