| Volcano Toliman |
| Volcano Atitlan |
Lake Atitlan is located in the highlands in the west of Guatemala. It is estimated to be around 340 m deep, making it the deepest lake in Central America. The lake was formed from a collapsed volcanic crater, known as a caldera, around 84,000 years ago. It is what is known as an endorheic lake, which means it is an isolated body of water, with no outflow to rivers or seas. The lake has an area of 128 square kilometres and is surrounded by three large volcanoes. The area around the lake was made a national park in 1955. Three years later they introduced the Black Bass to the lake in the hope of attracting anglers and increasing tourism. The bass, however, was a vicious predator and ended up erasing two thirds of the native fish species in the lake. Nowadays, Lake Atitlan is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Guatemala. There are a number of different towns and villages along the shore of the lake. The largest town, with the best transport connections is Panajachel on the northwestern shore, popular with foreign tourists and expats. Other popular towns are Santiago Atitlan on the south shore and San Pedro la Laguna in the west. San Marcos la Laguna on the north shore is a more peaceful place, famous for its Las Pir?ides meditation centre. Santa Catarina and San Antonio on the east side of the lake below Panajachel are peaceful indiginous villages, less frequently visited by tourists. |
| Guatemala |
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Picture by Evan Ravitz