Laguna Lachuá charges foreign visitors Q50 per adult; Guatemalans pay Q30 per adult according to the two newest sources (Q25 in older ones). Day visitors must enter by 2:30 p.m., and the lake is an hour’s walk from the gate. The park is run by INAB, the national forestry institute, and sits roughly four hours by road from Cobán. At Banguat’s reference rate of Q7.63 per US dollar (23 September 2026), the foreigner fee is about $6.55.
That combination (an early entry cut-off, a long drive, a walk-in lake and no food inside) is why this page recommends sleeping in the park, not doing it as a day trip. The fee figures come from INAB’s own April 2022 national parks bulletin, a March 2024 fee list published by the tuverapaz.com directory, La Hora (May 2025) and Guatemala.com (December 2025). We show where they disagree rather than picking silently.
Lachuá is known as the mirror of the sky. INAB describes a lake of 407 hectares and 222 metres deep inside a 14,301-hectare belt of rainforest, with more than 200 plant and 400 animal species (as reported by La Hora, August 2025). The lake and its buffer zone were declared a Ramsar site in 2006.
Laguna Lachuá tours and transfers
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What it costs
| Item | Foreigner | Guatemalan | Source strength |
|---|---|---|---|
| Entry, adult | Q50 (~$6.55) | Q30 (~$3.95), older sources Q25 | Foreigner rate identical in all four sources. National: Q30 in Mar 2024 list + Guatemala.com Dec 2025; Q25 in INAB Apr 2022 + La Hora May 2025 |
| Entry, child under 12 | Q25 | Q10 | Guatemala.com Dec 2025; La Hora 2025 |
| Camping, adult (on top of entry) | Q30 | Q20 | Mar 2024 list; La Hora 2025; Guatemala.com gives Q20 without saying for whom |
| Camping, child | Q15 | Q10 | La Hora 2025; Guatemala.com |
| Cabin, adult per night | Q70 | Q50 | Guatemala.com 2023, repeated by La Hora 2025. No 2026 rate found |
| Cabin, child per night | Q35 | Q25 | Same, 2023 |
| Tent rental | — | Q25 | La Hora 2025, listed under nationals |
USD figures use Banguat’s reference rate of Q7.63 per dollar for 23 September 2026. Pay in cash: Guatemala.com warns that other payment methods are not always available.
A worked budget for a foreign couple, one night camping: 2 × Q50 entry + 2 × Q30 camping = Q160, before food, which you must bring. The same couple in a cabin, at the 2023 rate: 2 × Q50 + 2 × Q70 = Q240. For a Guatemalan couple: 2 × Q30 + 2 × Q20 = Q100 camping, or 2 × Q30 + 2 × Q50 = Q160 in a cabin at the 2023 rate.
Hours and the 2:30 p.m. cut-off
- Day visitors: enter 8:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. (Guatemala.com, Dec 2025); the tuverapaz.com directory listing (fees dated March 2024) gives 7:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
- Overnight visitors (camping or cabins): entry until 5:00 p.m. per the tuverapaz.com listing; Guatemala.com says overnight visitors may stay in the area until 5:00 p.m.
- Days: every day of the year per Guatemala.com (Dec 2025). INAB’s bulletin for April 2022 gave Tuesday to Sunday. If you are arriving on a Monday, confirm first.
At the entrance you get an induction talk, and the walk to the lake is done without a guide (tuverapaz.com directory listing). Guatemala.com (April 2023) advises starting your walk back at a sensible hour because the trails are poorly lit after dark.
Getting there: the road is the whole challenge
| From | How | Time | Cost | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cobán (car) | North toward Chisec, then west on the Franja Transversal del Norte to the park road | About 4 hours | — | Wikivoyage |
| Cobán (bus) | Bus to Chisec, then a bus toward Playa Grande; ask for the park | 4 to 5 hours total (about 2.5 h from Chisec) | Playa Grande buses from Cobán’s Terminal de Buses del Norte: Q30 to Q60, per the directory listing | Wikivoyage; tuverapaz.com directory listing |
| Playa Grande | Short ride back along the highway | 15 to 30 min | — | Along Dusty Roads (2014) |
| Guatemala City | By road, the last stretch on the Franja Transversal del Norte | 350 km, about 8 hours | — | La Hora (2025) |
Three things decide your day:
- The access road. Wikivoyage describes it as potholed dirt that is best in a 4WD in the rainy season.
- The last bus. Wikivoyage and a 2014 travel blog both say the last bus passes the park between 4 and 5 p.m.; the blog advises being at the road by 4:00 so you are not stranded. Ask at the ticket office when you arrive.
- The walk in. Between 2.4 km (Wikivoyage) and about 4 km (La Hora; tuverapaz.com listing) from the gate to the lake, about an hour, carrying everything you brought.
Put those together and a day trip from Cobán leaves you only a few hours at the water, which is exactly what the 2014 blog found. For the leg from the capital, see Guatemala City to Cobán, and for the town on the way, Chisec.
Swimming rules (read these before you pack)
Guatemala.com reported these in December 2025:
- Swimming is allowed only up to 50 metres from shore
- No snorkel or diving gear
- No soap, shampoo or sunscreen in the lagoon
The tuverapaz.com directory listing also lists firearms, machetes, slingshots, alcohol, and inflatable floats or air-filled life jackets as prohibited. Wikivoyage adds that no lifeguards are on duty, so you swim at your own risk. La Hora lists Morelet’s crocodile among the species the park shelters. The lake is 222 metres deep according to INAB.
What to bring
The park has no restaurant or food service, so bring food and enough water, plus bags to carry all your rubbish back out (tuverapaz.com listing; Guatemala.com). There is a small shop at the park entrance selling drinks, snacks and non-perishable groceries (Wikivoyage). Water sources exist inside, but Wikivoyage recommends filtering, treating or boiling it.
- Food for every meal and water (or a filter)
- Swimsuit, towel and a change of clothes
- A torch for the camp and the trail
- Cash for fees
- Rubbish bags
The camp has basic services, latrines, showers and a dining area (tuverapaz.com listing), and Wikivoyage says the cabins include cooking facilities.
When to go
La Hora describes a rainy season from June to October and a relatively dry season from February to April, with an average annual temperature of 25.3 °C. Guatemala.com notes the sky-mirror reflection is clearest in the morning, when the weather is more stable, which is one more reason to wake up at the lake rather than arrive at noon.
Where to sleep: in the park, with Cobán before and after
Sleep inside the park, in a cabin or on the campground, for the night of your visit. Overnight guests can enter until 5:00 p.m. instead of 2:30, you get the morning reflection, and you do not have to race the last bus. Cabins are few (Guatemala.com), and INAB’s 2022 bulletin said camping needs a prior reservation; that bulletin listed 3013-9721 and WhatsApp 5988-0736 for the park, numbers that date from 2022.
The park’s cabins and campground cannot be booked through the hotel map below, and CONAP’s tourism portal blocked our fetcher, so we could not confirm an online booking route. Book a bed in Cobán for the night before (to leave early) and the night after. Live availability in Cobán:
Where to stay in Cobán
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For the city itself, see our Cobán guide and the Alta Verapaz department page. For how Guatemala’s protected areas are administered, see our CONAP guide.
Related
- Grutas de Lanquín and the sunset bat flight
- How to get to Semuc Champey
- Guatemala safety guide
- All Guatemala activities
Sources read 24 September 2026: INAB national parks bulletin (April 2022), La Hora on INAB’s parks (22 August 2025), Guatemala.com (30 December 2025 and 19 April 2023), tuverapaz.com/guiagt.com park listing (fee list dated March 2024), La Hora (17 May 2025), Wikivoyage, Wikipedia, Along Dusty Roads (2014). Full citations in our research ledger.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How much is the entrance fee to Laguna Lachua?
Q50 per adult for foreign visitors and Q25 per foreign child under 12; every source we found agrees on the Q50. For Guatemalan adults the published figure is either Q25 or Q30: INAB’s own April 2022 bulletin and a May 2025 La Hora article say Q25, while a March 2024 fee list and Guatemala.com (December 2025) say Q30. The two newest sources say Q30, so budget that. Guatemalan children pay Q10. Bring cash.
What time does Laguna Lachua open?
Day visitors must enter between 8:00 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.; if you are camping or staying overnight the limit is 5:00 p.m., per Guatemala.com (December 2025) and the tuverapaz.com directory listing (fees dated March 2024), which gives the day-visit window as 7:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Guatemala.com says the park opens every day of the year; INAB’s April 2022 bulletin gave Tuesday to Sunday for that month, so on a Monday it is worth confirming before you drive four hours.
Can you stay overnight at Laguna Lachua?
Yes, in small cabins or on the campground in the park. Published cabin rates are Q70 per foreign adult and Q50 per Guatemalan adult per night, but those figures date from 2023 (repeated in a 2025 article), and Guatemala.com warns the cabins are few. Camping costs Q20 per Guatemalan adult and Q30 per foreign adult on top of the entry fee. INAB’s 2022 bulletin said camping requires a prior reservation.
Can you swim in Laguna Lachua?
Yes, with rules. Guatemala.com (December 2025) reports swimming is allowed only up to 50 metres from shore, snorkel and diving gear are not allowed, and soap, shampoo and sunscreen are banned in the lagoon. Wikivoyage notes there are no lifeguards. Inflatable floats and air-filled life jackets are on the prohibited list published by the tuverapaz.com park directory.
How do you get to Laguna Lachua from Coban?
It is about a 4-hour drive: AV-9 toward Chisec, then west along the Franja Transversal del Norte to the park access road, per Wikivoyage, which calls the access road poor and best done in a 4WD during the rainy season. By bus, go from Cobán to Chisec, then take a bus toward Playa Grande and ask to be let off at the park, about 2.5 hours from Chisec and 4 to 5 hours in total. The last bus back usually passes between 4 and 5 p.m.
How far is the walk from the park entrance to the lake?
Sources disagree: 2.4 km on a marked jungle trail according to Wikivoyage and a 2014 travel blog, or about 4 km according to La Hora (2025) and the tuverapaz.com directory listing, which puts the unguided walk at roughly an hour. Plan for an hour each way, and remember you carry in everything you need, since there is no restaurant in the park.
