How to Visit Chichicastenango Market from Lake Atitlan

Colourful textiles, clothing items, wooden masks, the smell of burning incense and the noise of vendors and visitors. Welcome to Chichicastenango market, one of the most colourful in Guatemala.

In this blog post you’ll find everything you need to know about how to get to Chichicastenango from Lake Atitlan, including a step-by-step guide on how to get there on the chicken buses. We’ve also included many useful tips for visiting the market such as when the best time to visit is, how long to stay for and what else there is to do around the town whilst you’re there.

If you’d also like to see our visit to Chichicastenango market, then make sure to watch our dedicated Lake Atitlan video on our YouTube channel. For more Guatemala videos, you can also check out our Guatemala series.

About Chichicastenango Market

Chichicastenango (or Chichi, as most people refer to it locally) is located about 40km to the north of Panajachel on Lake Atitlan. The town sits at 1,965 m (6,447 ft) above sea level and is home to the K’iche’ indigenous people, one of Guatemala’s 22 different Maya communities. The majority of people living in the town speak both K’iche’ and Spanish.

Just like in many cities and towns across the highlands of the country, you’ll see people wearing their traditional clothing here too.

Every Thursday and Sunday this small town hosts one of the most colourful open-air markets in Central America. Thousands of people come to Chichi to either sell or buy various products, from colourful textiles and traditional clothing to ornate pottery and other goods. It reminded us of Otavalo market in Ecuador, which is also one of the largest indigenous markets in Latin America.

How to Get to Chichicastenango Market from Lake Atitlan

Tourist Shuttle

An easy and convenient way to get to Chichicastenango Market from Lake Atitlan is on a tourist shuttle. You can book your return trip at most tour agencies. Of course the cost will be higher than taking public transport there. However, if you don’t want the hassle of travelling on 3 different chicken buses and navigating hectic bus stops, the tourist shuttle is probably more suitable for you.

A few agencies we saw advertising the trip to Chichi had 8 AM departures on their schedule. Based on our research, they normally leave the town around mid-afternoon which gives you plenty of time to wander around the market.

Chicken Bus (Camioneta)

For the adventurous and/ or budget travellers amongst you, we recommend travelling to Chichicastenango market from Lake Atitlan on chicken buses. It’ll require a few changes, some navigational skills, a handful of Spanish knowledge and good arm strength to keep your buttocks on the seat whilst you tear round tight corners way faster than you should.

Below we’ll share our step by step guide on getting there independently with the chicken buses.

Step 1. Travel to Panajachel (Pana)

Camionetas to Chichi market leave from Panajachel, aka Pana. So, if you’re staying in a different town along the shores of Lake Atitlan, your first step will be to travel to Pana.

From places like San Pedro or San Marcos the easiest way is to get the water taxi (lancha) over to Pana. This of course will add an extra 30 minutes to an hour onto your journey. We wrote a detailed post on how to get around Lake Atitlan if you want to check it out before your trip.

If you’re already staying in Pana, then you can ignore this part of the journey.

Step 2. Chicken Bus from Pana to Solola

Once we arrived in Pana, we walked up a street called Calle del Embarcadero from the boat dock and waited for a chicken bus at this bus stop on Calle Principal heading towards Solola. They come pretty regularly but you may have to wait a few minutes or so. The driver’s assistant will shout the destination but confirm with him again if you’re unsure before hopping onto the bus.

A one-way ticket was Q5 per person. The bus dropped us off at Solola’s main square (Parque Centro America de Sololá).

Top Tip. If you want to know where you are along your journey, make sure to have an eSIM or local SIM to stay connected.

Step 3. Chicken Bus from Solola to Los Encuentros

Once we got off the bus in Solola we headed over to the corner of the square marked on the map as Bus stop Los Encuentros. This is where the next camioneta to Los Encuentros leaves from.

Once again the driver or his assistant will be shouting the destination Los Encuentros. As always, it’s worth double checking if you’re on the right bus. This journey cost us Q7 each, however, on the way back we only had to pay Q4 each.

Top Tip. Make sure to have enough small change before you set off.

Step 3. Chicken Bus from Los Encuentros to Chichicastenango

We had to get off the bus at this junction in Los Encuentros. It’s a popular interchange spot so we saw a lot of camionetas and other colectivos here. It was similarly chaotic to the bus terminal in Xela (Quetzaltenango) although on a slightly smaller scale.

As we got off the bus people were shouting all sorts of destinations. To make your life easier just start saying Chichi so people can direct you to the correct bus. Once we found the right one, we had to pay Q10 each for this section of the journey. Now, this part of the drive was probably the craziest because of the steep uphill climb this huge old bus had to do. Make sure to hold on for dear life, especially coming downhill on the way back!

The driver’s assistant announced when we arrived to Chichi. We got off in front of a petrol station somewhere along here.

Step 4. Chicken Bus from Chichicastenango to Pana

On your way back wait for the bus somewhere along the same road you got dropped off on and do the exact same journey in reverse order.

Our Tips on Taking the Chicken Bus to Chichicastenango

• We believe that it’s beneficial to be able to speak and understand some basic Spanish if you want to travel by chicken buses. Of course you can get by just saying your destinations, but when paying it’s good to understand the required amount otherwise you’ll likely end up paying more than you should. There won’t be much time for Google Translate as everything happens very quickly.
• The bus can be pretty noisy, so you might miss when your stop is shouted. Hence why it’s always good to be able to follow the map on your phone.
• The road to Chichi is very windy and steep, and the bus drivers don’t mess about. They drive in a fast and furious manner, even passing cars and lorries on bends! Whilst we don’t have experience with the tourist shuttle, we can only assume that they at least try to drive a little more safely.
• If you suffer from motion sickness then, first of all, we’re sorry, and second of all, definitely take some medication! Even the tourist shuttle won’t be able to do much against the crazy curves.
• Riding the chicken bus will be a full body workout and you might end up with a few bruises as you’re trying to keep your bottom half on the seat. It adds to the overall experience for sure.
• As mentioned before, make sure to have enough small change on you and don’t try to pay Q5 with a Q100 note.
• Stay vigilant! Many people on the buses had their phones out, and we definitely used ours to follow where we were on the map. We didn’t have any problems, but we also didn’t have it out all the time and didn’t use it at all when we were standing because the bus was so crowded.

Things to Do in Chichicastenango

1. Chichicastenango Market

Of course the main reason tourists make the effort to visit Chichi is because of the market. It takes place over a large area of Plaza y Mercado Santo Tomás. Every street around the central area of town becomes part of the open-air market.

You’ll be able to buy anything here, from colourful textiles and traditional clothing to wooden masks, pottery and plenty of other souvenirs.

Our Tips for Visiting Chichicastenango Market:

• If you’d like to take photos of locals, make sure to ask their permission first.
• The market is busy with both locals and tourists. It can be a bit overwhelming and there won’t be many places to just sit and relax as you explore.
• It’s a very colourful and beautiful market but it did feel a bit touristy too. We would say around 50% of the sellers we interacted with were a little too pushy. Many of them just wanted to say hi and invite us into their stall but some walked straight up in our faces with their merch and followed us for what seemed like forever. We had some short conversations with a few vendors, who told us about the different patterns on the textiles and their meanings. Some were pretty funny actually and their sales pitch was very clever. We had a good laugh with a lady whom I told that I could not possibly fit her huge blanket in my backpack. Without hesitating, she said that she could sell me a big enough one to fit everything I own in and more.
• Prices will vary from vendor to vendor, so have a wander around and don’t settle on the first offer. You can always negotiate a little, as they’ll definitely try to upsell you on the price first.
• Be careful with your valuables. Keep your money, phone and camera close to you. Pickpocketing can happen easily in crowded places like this market even though we felt very safe walking around.

2. Church of Santo Tomas (Iglesia de Santo Tomás)

At the corner of 5a Avenida and 8a Calle you’ll find the Church of Santo Tomas. It was built over an existing Maya temple. On the steps leading up to this 400-year-old church we saw florists sitting with their flowers as well as priests doing rituals whilst burning incense and candles. Each of the steps represents a month in the Maya calendar.

From the top of the steps we were just about high enough to see the streets of the market stretching out in all directions like a spiderweb.

We highly recommend visiting inside the church, but note that you can’t take photos of the interior.

3. The Colourful Cemetery (Cementerio De Chichicastenango)

We’re aware that people don’t normally visit cemeteries when they travel to new places, and recommending a visit to one does feel a little odd. However, just like the way Mexican’s celebrate the Day of the Dead, the afterlife in Guatemalan culture is also significant. This is easily noticeable in the large and colourful tombstones you’ll see across the country.

We visited the cemetery in Xela before coming to Chichi, so couldn’t pass up the opportunity to see an even more colorful one. It was definitely worth the short walk from the hustle and bustle of the market. The mausoleums were impressive and colourful, and since the cemetery is located on a hill, we also got some beautiful views of the surrounding area.

4. Capilla del Calvario and Parque Municipal

As we stood atop the stairs in front of Santo Tomas Church we could see another white church in the distance. We made our way towards it through the market and discovered the main park (Parque Municipal) alongside a church called Capilla del Calvario.

Since it was a market day (obviously), we couldn’t really relax in the main plaza. Although even this extra bit of space was a welcome relief from the packed streets surrounding it.

Capilla del Calvario is located on the west side of the square. It is a slightly smaller church than Santo Tomas, but you may get the chance to see some ceremonies taking place in front of it. Again, you can go inside but can’t take photos of the interior.

Best Time to Visit the Chichicastenango Market

Chichicastenango Market takes place every Thursday and Sunday, so we recommend timing your visit on either of those days when planning your Lake Atitlan itinerary. There are some tourist shuttles that depart from Antigua too, in case those days don’t work with your plans.

Tourist shuttles leave Panajachel around 8AM and return to the town around 2PM. We also left Pana around 8AM and got to Chichi around 10AM. We started waiting for our return chicken bus just before 1PM. That was about enough time for us to walk around the market, check out the churches and walk around the cemetery. With the tourist shuttle you’ll get a similar amount of time, which we believe is plenty before you start to feel a bit overwhelmed.

Final Thoughts on Visiting Chichicastenango Market in Guatemala

We enjoyed visiting Chichicastenango market during our 2-week stay on Lake Atitlan, even though we feel it has definitely become more of a tourist attraction than an authentic market experience. We went with the mindset that it’d be very crowded and the prices would be much higher than in the markets around Panajachel for example. Of course, this didn’t stop us from buying a few small items but we also didn’t go crazy with our shopping. (And not just due to the lack of space in our backpacks!)

For us, getting to the market on the chicken buses was the most authentic experience. Navigating the camionetas, holding on for dear life and seeing 3 people crammed on seats that are barely large enough for two adults, all whilst watching Apocalypto on the tv monitors, ended up being the most memorable part of our day trip.

Have you ever been to Chichicastenango market before? If so, how did you get there and how was your visit? If not, would you add this day trip to your Lake Atitlan itinerary? Let us know in the comments below.