HERMITAGE
discovering
LAKE ATITLAN
•
Beautiful Lake Atitlan is a sacred lake in the Guatemalan Highlands, a little hidden away world where an indigenous Mayan way of life is still preserved and a stunning, quiet natural beauty abounds.
The Hermitage is set on the shores of beautiful Lake Atitlan, surrounded by towering volcanoes, native trees and wildlife.
Before or after your stay, you may like to visit one of the villages nearby, or perhaps spend a day or two in beautiful Antigua, the cultural capital of Guatemala, full of arts, crafts, markets and local food.
‘ We miss the real by lack of attention, and create the unreal by excess of imagination.’
– Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj
lake atitlan
IN GUATEMALA
Guatemala is centered just below Mexico and above Costa Rica and Nicuragua in Central America. It is a country of around 17 million people with a strong Mayan heritage and indigenous customs that are still very much alive today.
•
Antigua is the beautiful colonial city just forty-five minute drive from the airport, and is a popular stop for travellers and lovers of art and culture.
The city is small and comprised of cobble stone streets, spanish architecture and modern restaurants and cafes to suit all tastes and fancies. The local market and crafts markets are feasts for the eyes, full of colourful fabrics and colourful people speaking in spanish and their local dialect. Antigua is a beautiful place to spend a day or two on your way to The Hermitage.
The Hermitage is set just on the outskirts of San Pablo la Laguna, a Mayan village with around 8,000 inhabitants and no tourism. You may like to visit the local Sunday vegetable market, or perhaps one of the other local villages nearby before or after your retreat.
San Marcos is known for it’s spiritual tourism and is full of yoga classes, vegetarian restaurants and sounds ceremonies. San Juan is a beautiful mayan village filled with women’s cooperatives with naturally died fabric, chocolates and weaving. San Pedro is a bountiful tourist town with many fantastic restaurants and a lively local produce market. Panajachel and Santiago are the biggest towns on Lake Atitlan, each with large and colourful craft markets.