Hostels in Lake Atitlán 
You are looking for hostels in Lake Atitlán? Good news, you have come to the right place.
On this page we list every single city with hostels and other budget accommodations. Hostelz.com helps you to find your Lake Atitlán hostel and compare its prices on the major booking sites such as Hostelworld, Hostelsclub and Booking.com. So you can sleep on a budget and save money while backpacking Lake Atitlán.
All Cities in Lake Atitlán
We list every single hostel in Lake Atitlán and the world. In total, we have 7 cities in Lake Atitlán for you. Please note that not all cities actually have a hostel to stay in. Below you can filter for cities with hostels and with no hostels-type accommodation, but guesthouses and budget hotels. This will help your planning.
All Lake Atitlán hostels on a map
Alright, you are more the visual type? Planning your trip with a map is always handy.
Therefore, this map shows you all cities with hostels in Lake Atitlán. It will help you to plan your trip. Just zoom in the map and click your destination for more details. Just so you know: If we do not have a hostel in a city, it is likely that there is no hostel in that city.
Best Hostels in Hostels in San Pedro La Laguna
We help you pick your hostel like no one else. Check our detailed guides to:
Best Hostels in Hostels in Panajachel
Best Hostels in Hostels in San Juan La Laguna
We help you pick your hostel like no one else. Check our detailed guides to:
Best Hostels in Hostels in Lake Atitlan
We help you pick your hostel like no one else. Check our detailed guides to:
Best Hostels in Hostels in San Marcos La Laguna
Our handwritten guide on Backpacking Lake Atitlán
Lake Atitlan covers a huge area and there are many regions around the lake that have hostels that you can stay in, including San Pedro La Laguna, San Marco La Laguna, Panajachel, Solola and Santa Cruz La Laguna.
Panajachel is the largest of the towns on the lake. It is not overly aesthetically pleasing, however you will find many of the transport hubs here and you can take either buses to other destinations or boats across the lake to the other towns on the waterfront.
San Pedro La Laguna is the second most popular town here and you will find hostels scattered throughout the town. It is known as a party town but also has a large number of Spanish schools where you can settle in and learn to speak some of the language.
San Marco La Laguna has a reputation of being more zen and chilled out and if you are interested in taking a yoga or meditation retreat, then here is the place to do it. The hostels here are also very relaxed and chilled out. Some nights of the week you will find that they have big parties over here and you can take boats to get here from any other regions around the lake.
Santa Cruz La Laguna has limited hostel options, but it's again known for being super chilled but has a massive BBQ and party night on Saturday night that travelers seem to flock to.
All of these places you can get in and around using boats for transport. It is not recommended to try walking between the towns around the lake as there have been many assaults and robberies that have occurred on the roads. The towns themselves however, are more safe.
There are many things that you can do including hiking, markets, school, relaxing on the water, kayaking, horseback riding and so much more, it just depends on the town that you are in and what you like doing. Take a week, hop around the different towns and get among it. There is plenty to do here and it is set to a backdrop of some of the most amazing scenery of volcanoes and water.
Handwritten by local expert for Lake Atitlán hostels Globetrotter
Travel Tips for Lake Atitlán - from the Community
Hey fam! Here are a few more tips from the community, from them to you, and you to them. This space is dedicated for travellers to share their best tips on backpacking Lake Atitlán. Have a closer look - the Hostelz community share real hidden gems, insider knowledge and overall impressions of Lake Atitlán. Everyone is welcome to add something useful, funny, unexpected and the "absolutely necessary to know before you go" - share, share and then share a little more!
FAQ on Hostels in Lake Atitlán
There is a lot of travel planning to do. So let us help you once again by putting together the frequently asked questions:
Finding Hostels and Prices
What hostel booking sites are best to use?
There is several hostel booking sites, such as Hostelworld.com, Hostelsclub.com and Booking.com. While every platform has its pros and cons, there is a universal truth you as a traveler should be aware of: Not a single booking site can always offer the best prices.
This is where Hostelz.com comes in. You can compare all major booking portals with one click.
For you as a traveler, Hostelz.com is the best booking site to actually save money.
How much are hostels in Lake Atitlán?
Prices always vary, depending on various factors. Weekends tend to be more expensive, same goes for special holidays. Please also take into account local vaction time.
You can search for exacty hostel prices in Lake Atitlán here on Hostelz.com. Pick your destination and pick a date. The system will track down the prices to give an idea of what budget and prices you can expect.
When to book hostels?
If you want to stay at the best hostels, it is a good idea to have your hostel booked around 1 month before you travel. For the regular hostels, booking one week before should be okay. Yet again, this always depends.
We dedicated a full article to the topic of when to book hostels.
Safety and Packing
Are hostels in Lake Atitlán safe?
Generally speaking, hostels are as safe as you make them. We highly recommend always to bring your own padlock, using the lockers and taking care of your belongings. Make sure you pick a safe hostel, offering lockers and a safe location. Please always pay attention to the reviews; they can give you a great insight on what to expect and safety tips.
What to pack when staying in hostels?
There is a few basics you should always pack when staying in hostels.
There is more actually. We wrote a complete guide with more details. Read our full hostel packing list.