Guatemala: Mexico border > Lake Atitlan

Oct 2025 |

Here' details on the 2-part ride from the border to Lake Atitlan via Coatapeque.

Ride 1: Mexico Border to Coatapeque

After starting the day in Tapachula and crossing into Guatemala at the Hidalgo border (read more), I decided to ride as far as I could for the day. I stopped at Coatapeque, a fairly nondescript large town. The accommodation offerings on Agoda and Airbnb were limited, so I did a walk in at Hotel Maryshen, booked a basic room $20. I also got a Guatemala SIM card here (I couldn't find one at Ayutla, the first town I crossed in Guatemala).

Ride: 50 km / 1 hr

Stay: Hotel Maryshen / $20 / **

Ride 2: Coatapeque to Lake Atitlan

The next day, I was up early and on the road. I started on the CA2 riding south, then cut up the QUE-03, a very nice ride around a volcano and through a scenic valley. This route bypassed Quetzaltenango, the largest city in the area, then followed the CA-1 into some high altitude terrain, where the temperatures went down to 13c, requiring me to turn on my heated grips (which I didn't think I'd need in Central America).

Lake Atitlan comes into view at the edge of the crater it sits in, where you get epic views of the surrounding volcanic peaks. My destination was Panajachel, the main town on the lake. Getting there involves a steep descent. Thanks to Google Maps, I was directed down some seriously steep cobblestone side roads that are not suitable for my top-heavy, overweight T7 (I had more incidents with this type of road surface in Central America).

Lake Atitlan is one of the premier tourist destinations in Guatemala, and it's easy to see why: the place is just stunning and has a relaxing vibe. In every way, it's very similar to Lake Toba in Sumatra. I booked a room at Hospedaje El Viajero, a decent guesthouse with a menagerie of pets, the most notable being a green parrot (that almost bit my finger off).

While I considered riding my bike around the lake and exploring other towns, I didn't journey more than 200m from my hotel the 3 days I was there. When I departed, I followed a route around the lake, and the road was much worse than I expected it to be (more details to follow in my next post).

Ride: 175 km / 4 hrs

Stay: Hospedaje El Viajero / $25 / ***