San Andrés

San Andrés is a small town on the north shore of Lago Petén Itzá in Petén.

Street scene in San Andrés

Get in

To get to San Andrés you can take a local bus (colectivo) from the main bus terminal in Santa Elena. The ride is usually around 45 minutes and is by far the cheapest way to get there.

Colectivos run every day from 6am until 5pm between San Andrés and Santa Elena.

Get around

The cheapest way to get around town is to walk, but on very hot days and for visiting neighboring town San José you might wish to take a tuk-tuk. They are very cheap and readily available around town.

See

It's all about the lake here, and on ridiculously hot days it is just the perfect place to be, deep down in the crystal clear waters of Lake Peten Itza.

• Motul de San José. Unrestored Maya ruins with some large pyramids some 4km north of neighbouring San José. (updated Feb 2016)

Do

• Learn Spanish

San Andrés is a lovely little town where the local people are very polite and helpful. This is particularly pleasant and useful when you are undertaking intensive Spanish classes in the town. The language schools are all community based projects and include home-stays as part of the study package. The people of San Andrés although mostly of Maya Itzá descent, speak Spanish exclusively and they speak the language well.

Neighboring San José has a very similar option for learning the Spanish language through Bio Itza .

Eat

A local specialty is a home made ice-cream named Helado Loco (Crazy Ice-cream). Various homes in the town and some smaller shops will be able to sell them on some days. Apparently it is a great antidote to a hangover, but sure worth trying since the ingredients include Coconut and Jabanero Hot Sauce (among many other things).

Sleep

• 1 Hotel Bahia Taitza, San Jose. Check-in: +502 79288125. pool, restaurant/bar, bbq grills, kayaks, lakeside location (Lago Peten Itza). (updated Aug 2020)
• 2 Gucumatz Lakeside Inn, San Pedro, ☏ +502 57292183. homestay type of place on the lake. (updated Aug 2020)