Something Else To Do In San Pedro

San Pedro is the undisputed party capital of the lake, but there are still a healthy proportion of visitors looking for activities not involving dope or booze. Here’s a scope of some healthy, safe and fun activities around town if you’re a straight edge or just need a break after a wild weekend.

Atitlán Adventures, a new enterprise between El Barrio and Buddha Bar, is the place to go for outdoor activities. From spear fishing tours to kayak, row-boat, bicycle and horse rentals, this place has new offers almost every day. They also organize non-profit monthly hikes to Indian Nose to help protect the environment by collecting rubbish before awaking to a stunning sunrise over the lake.

For a relaxing massage or some yoga classes, Casa Dharma near Zoola is recommended. After getting your fill of bio-energies, you might want to try a pizza baked from strictly natural ingredients in a hand-made solar oven at Solar Pizza, run by a charming English-Canadian couple in front of Punta Cometa on the trail. They also make kayaks from empty water bottles, so if you’re interested in environmental recycling and great conversation, give them a visit.

Most places have a small collection of books, although they’re usually comprised of a few dusty Lonely Planet issues from the past century and a couple of Stephen King paperbacks. Zuvuya Books, not far from Casa Dharma, is a cute little bookstore offering travel literature, books about Mayan and Central American history, loads of mp3 music and movies for rent or purchase. Buddha Bar, Alegre and D’Noz show mainstream movies with the occasional independent flick, while Mikaso and Nuevo Sol have lots of documentaries and artsy movies all week, including specials about the civil war and indigenous tribes.

Not all bar activities have to be alcoholic. Nightly card games and all-night Texas Hold’em tournaments at El Barrio draw all sorts of people: professional gamblers, psychologists, beer tasting professionals and friendly poker-maniacs. A bit farther down, Buddha Bar organizes a pool tournament every Wednesday, and depending on the number of players involved, the winner can walk away with more than Q240! Also at Buddha, musicians can find their place at the Open Mic Jam Session every Monday, where traveling singers and musicians meet each other for a good night of jammin’ around.

An entrance-free swimming pool party and grill afternoon takes place every now and then on a Sunday at La Piscina - not far from Santiago Dock - but you can visit any day of the week. Los Thermales, a lush garden with several hotwater tubs, is another refreshing option. Of course, if you like it natural then just take the road that leads to the finca to take the path to Playa Dorada, the prettiest stretch of beach this side of the lake.

Our intrepid San Pedro correspondent, Aron Bedouin, will be hiking trails, crashing parties and drinking until the wee hours of the night to bring you the scoop on all things San Pedro. For more of his writing and fantastic photography, check out his blog here.