Eco Cottage on Lake Atitlan

Important: First arrival must be by boat. Cozy, off-grid eco-retreat with epic volcano and lake views. Swim, sunbathe, paddle-board, and stargaze from your private beach and dock. Explore 10 Mayan villages by boat. Sustainable living with solar power, dry compost toilets, and solar showers. A peaceful sanctuary for nature, culture, and adventure on Lake Atitlán. The space Eco-Permaculture Retreat on Lake Atitlán Our ecological, permaculture-based property features four unique listings: Eco Cottage, Eco Nest, Las Nubes, and the Cozy Eco Cabin. Located in Pasajkap, just 1.5 km from San Marcos La Laguna and Tzununá, and only steps from the lakeshore, the land offers breathtaking views of Lake Atitlán and its three dormant volcanoes—Tolimán, Atitlán, and San Pedro—as well as the distant Acatenango and the active Fuego near Antigua. At night, you can often witness Fuego’s fiery eruptions glowing against the sky, a rare and unforgettable sight. The lake itself is mesmerizing, cultivating peace, tranquility, and well-being. Winding through terraced gardens and stone steps, you’ll find our houses nestled among avocado trees, dragon fruit cactus, papayas, and medicinal herbs—an abundant food forest designed with permaculture principles. We are fully off-grid. Electricity comes from a small solar system, providing light at night and limited device charging during peak sunlight hours. Water is sourced sustainably: lake water (for washing and showers) is solar-pumped to tanks, while rainwater catchment (for drinking and cooking) flows by gravity to each house. To protect the lake, we use sawdust dry compost toilets and solar-heated showers. We are also a zero-waste property: organic scraps feed our chickens and enrich the soil, while guests are asked to carry out non-organic waste, recycle in local village programs, or repurpose plastics into eco-bricks with containers provided. Nothing is burned here—everything is returned to the earth. This is more than a stay; it’s an eco-living experience where you reconnect with nature, witness the rhythms of the earth, and enjoy a sanctuary of sustainability and serenity on Lake Atitlán. By spectacular views we mean that, visible directly across the lake, the ancient landscape here encompasses 3 dormant volcanos: Toliman, Atitlan and San Pedro. Also visible in the distance (approx. 50 KM to the south-east) are two of the volcanos situated around Antigua: Volcan Acatenango and Volcan Fuego. Fuego is an active volcano and its frequent eruptions are visible day and night. The dark, puffy clouds of smoke are distinct from normal clouds and at night you can catch the fiery eruptions hurling glowing lava high into the sky and running in rivers down the slopes. The view of the lake itself is mesmerizing, captivating the senses, cultivating feelings of peace, tranquility and well being. Through terraced gardens and stone stairs you reach our houses, nested amongst avocado trees, flowing vines, dragon fruit cactus, papaya trees, edible and medicinal herbs & plants - a food forest following permaculture principles. Electricity is provided by our small solar system, designed only for illumination at night and charging phones/computers. There is no refrigeration available so all food brought in must be able to be stored at room temperature. Please charge devices only during peak sunlight hours, in order to minimize the strain on our system. There are two separate water systems: lake water, used for washing dishes, hands, and showering, is pumped by solar power to a tank located at the top of our property and distributed by gravity to the houses. The other system is rainwater catchment, for drinking, brushing teeth, and cooking, collected from the roofs and pumped to a different tank at the top of the property, also distributed by gravity to the houses. Our property uses only sawdust based dry composting toilets, to protect the precious lake waters from pollution and produce humanure for organic compost. The solar heated showers provide hot water during peak sunlight hours. This is a zero waste facility. We happily collect all organic waste, food scraps, etc., for chicken feed. Please place it in the provided green plastic container, found in the kitchen. If you like, you can take it to the chicken coop or simply leave it by the door for our caretakers to collect, before 2pm each day. We ask that you take all non-organic waste out with you when you leave. You may reduce some of it making Eco-bricks with provided plastic containers. All of the local villages have recycling programs where you can deposit your non-organic waste. We do not burn any trash or waste materials on our property. Guest access The property is best accessed by boat. Boats pass by every 10 minutes during day hours, to or from Panajachel or San Marcos. Private boat service is available upon request. From our private dock, “Muelle Columpio”there is easy access by boat to all lakeside villages. There is also a foot path through the Tzan Kumibal Reserve, where you may enjoy a fantastic but challenging hike with amazing views of the lake and surrounding volcanoes. We DO NOT recommend coming this way to anyone with mobility issues or with luggage because there are 98 steep, “mountain type” stairs to get to a beautiful lakefront path. Other things to note A Tranquil Eco-Sanctuary on Lake Atitlán This is a quiet and secluded retreat, perfect for those seeking the solace of nature. Here you can enjoy birdwatching, sunbathing, stargazing, or simply resting in the peace of the landscape. Our property is more than a stay — it’s a model of conscious, sustainable living by design. Guests are invited to experience: Solar-heated showers & solar power for lighting and charging Rainwater catchment and charcoal & silver filtration for safe drinking water Dry composting toilets producing compost for our gardens Chicken coop composting & worm composting systems A permaculture food forest of fruits, herbs, and medicinal plants Local, natural building materials & techniques Solar-pumped lake water and natural graywater filtration To settle in with ease, we recommend bringing food for your first evening and following day. Afterwards, you can shop in San Marcos or at the health food store and local market in San Pedro. We provide 2 rolls of toilet paper per stay (more can be purchased in local tiendas), filtered rainwater, clean sheets, warm covers, bath and kitchen towels. The kitchen is equipped with everything you need to prepare delicious home-cooked meals. Wander through the gardens and discover the abundance of our land: fresh herbs, medicinal plants, and — depending on the season — jocote fruit, dragon fruit, nísperos (loquats), lemons, oranges, edible herbs, and berries. Here, every detail is designed to let you experience sustainable living while reconnecting with the natural rhythms of Lake Atitlán.