If you are coming to Panajachel and spending a few days, then visiting San Juan La Laguna is a definite must-see. San Juan is known for its artists and murals, that can be admired all over town, as well as their coffee and chocolate!

Whenever going to see any of the towns around the lake, it is important to plan your days early if your traveling by boat. The earlier you leave, the earlier you come back, which in this case is important because of the rough water that may come of you leave San Juan too late (no later than 2:30pm!) When going by boat you have two options: 1. Public boat which costs about 50Q round trip per person 2. Private boat which coasts anywhere from 150Q and up. It does not include the parking tax of your boat, so that the boat can park on the dock while you explore. Each have their pros and cons. The public boat can be cheaper if you are a solo traveler but might be too time consuming because the boat won’t leave the dock until there are a minimum of 15 passengers. So you may be waiting awhile. Pro-tip: you pay upon the arrival of destination! Pros with taking the private boat, they are on your time, so they leave immediately. They might also include a mini tour alongside the lake to see the other surrounding towns. If you have a larger party, it might come out cheaper going on a private boat and you go with only your friends! Let’s go to San Juan La Laguna!

Must-Sees:

Xocolatl @sanjuanxocolatl

This was one of our favorite tours in San Juan La Laguna, it is located right off the dock, about a 2 minute walk up and to the left. The tour was witty and an over all great time. A plus is that it’s free (as were the other two tours we took), we bought some items to compensate for the great time we had. We got a few chocolate bars, chocolate-lavender soap, and some chocolate-banana rum. Yum! We learned quite a bit about chocolate, like how it isn’t really “chocolate” until you add the sugar. The tour lasted about 25 minutes but do offer quicker tours if in a rush. We were able to taste the raw cacao seeds, roasted cacao seeds, cacao tea, and cacao rum. Over all a must-see and filled with a lot of great information. We explored San Juan without tour guide or any third-party to show us around and is certainly something anyone can do on their own.

Flor del Café @flordelcafe.07

This was another great tour, especially if you are a coffee fanatic! This coffee shop is located across diagonally from Xocolatl. This tour lasted about 15 minutes and learned about how the natives drink coffee as a oppose how we are use to drinking coffee. They also explained the whole process of going from a coffee fruit, up until you drink it. You also learn what makes for a good cup of coffee. They were also so kind enough show us how to use the different machines to make a cup of coffee. Each technique and machine makes the same roast of coffee, taste slightly different. After the tour, we went to their upper terrace and enjoy a cup of coffee along with an amazing view of the lake.

Xunah Kaab’ @xunahkaab

The last tour we took in San Juan was a bee tour at Xunah Kaab’, which means honey from the flower in Protomaya. It is owned by a 3rd generation bee keeper, Don Lucas Cholotío Peréz and his wife Silvia. To reach this local bee farm you do have take a quick 5 minute tuk tuk ride (about 10Q). Pro-tip: Only take a tuk tuk that has the pueblos name written on it. This means they are a local and are well known amongst the townsmen and are in good hands. This was unique bee tour because these are stingerless bees. There about 30 different species of bees that don’t sting and in Xunah Kaab’ they house 5 of them. During the tour, they explained the different types of bees and their uniqueness. Towards the end of the tour, you will get to sample the honey made from the bees that do stings and those that don’t. You will also learn about the different products that can be made from honey. At the end of the tour you will be guided to the gift shop, which we highly recommend you pick up some items!

The last stop we recommend you see is the Catholic Church of San Juan La Laguna. From where you get off the boat, it is about a 10 minute walk up. It is a beautiful piece of architecture and a must-see to get a since of the town’s history. We hope you put San Juan La Laguna on your list of places to visit and support the locals.