In Santa Cruz La Laguna, the CECAP classes run by Amigos de Santa Cruz carry published prices: a 2.5-hour Guatemalan cooking class at US$40/Q308 per person (minimum two), and beading or backstrap-weaving classes at US$20/Q150 per person. Kayak and paddleboard rental and diving also publish prices (see On the water, below). Around them are a rooftop café, a vocational-centre tour, the hillside Kaqchikel village, and La Iguana Perdida’s temazcal, yoga and trails.
In short: Santa Cruz is a shoreline of hotels below a village on the hill. Book the CECAP classes or tour through Amigos de Santa Cruz (reservations@amigosdesantacruz.org or WhatsApp +502 3728 0944, English or Spanish). Café Sabor Cruceño opens every day, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. La Iguana Perdida runs a weekly schedule, with Sunday as its free temazcal day (2-7 p.m.). For diving and kayak rentals from Santa Cruz, see the linked pages below.
Santa Cruz activities and published prices
Prices as each operator prints them, read 10 November 2026. Dollar and quetzal figures are both the operator’s; nothing has been converted.
| Activity | Operator | Price as published | Length | What you get |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guatemalan cooking class | Amigos de Santa Cruz (CECAP) | US$40/Q308 per person, minimum two people | 2.5 hours | Pepián, corn tortillas, tamalitos and rellenitos; three-course lunch or dinner and a drink on the rooftop terrace |
| Beading class | Amigos de Santa Cruz | US$20/Q150 per person; $15/Q110 per person in groups larger than 3 | 2.5 hours | Make a personalized friendship bracelet with local artisans |
| Backstrap-loom weaving class | Amigos de Santa Cruz | US$20/Q150 per person | 2.5 hours | Held in an artisan’s home; your scarf is included |
| Café Sabor Cruceño | CECAP | No prices in the page text (breakfast and lunch menus are linked) | Everyday, 8 a.m.-6 p.m. | Rooftop restaurant run by CECAP culinary graduates |
| CECAP vocational centre tour | Amigos de Santa Cruz | No fee printed | Not stated | Meet students learning carpentry, culinary arts and weaving |
| Temazcal | La Iguana Perdida | Sunday listed as Free Temazcal Day | Sunday 2-7 p.m. | Traditional Maya sweat lodge in the hostel garden |
The class prices come from Amigos de Santa Cruz’s Spanish-language visitor-classes page, which carries a last-updated date of 25 March 2025. Write to reservations@amigosdesantacruz.org, or call the numbers on that page (US (360) 567-6940 / Guatemala 3020-7961), to confirm the price and a date.
CECAP: classes, a café and the vocational centre
CECAP is Amigos de Santa Cruz’s vocational training centre in the village. The group-tours page invites visitors to meet local men and women and students learning carpentry, culinary arts and weaving, and to combine the tour with a group lunch at the rooftop restaurant and a cooking, beading or weaving class. Tour bookings go through reservations@amigosdesantacruz.org or WhatsApp +502 3728 0944, in English or Spanish.
Café Sabor Cruceño is that rooftop restaurant. Its page says it is run by young CECAP Culinary Program graduates, serves traditional Guatemalan dishes and Western favourites such as sandwiches, pizza and salads, and that all proceeds support the Santa Cruz community. Opening hours: everyday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Groups are asked to call ahead.
The cooking class is taught by Claudia, a Santa Cruz local and CECAP Culinary Program graduate, according to the restaurant page, which says it is available in English, Spanish and Kaqchikel. The class page lists the dishes as pepián, corn tortillas, tamalitos and rellenitos, followed by a three-course meal on the terrace.
The craft classes are run with local artisans. In the beading class you make your own friendship bracelet; in the backstrap-loom class, held at one of the artisans’ homes, you weave a scarf you keep. Amigos also runs the Manos Cruceñas artisan store, listed under its visitor pages.
The upper village
Santa Cruz has two halves. A guest post on Kayak Guatemala’s blog by Rebecca Moy describes one main road that climbs straight up the hill into the Maya village, with the tourist side of town stretched along the lakeshore below. She calls the walk up pretty steep, says most people take a tuk-tuk at the dock for a few quetzales, and finds the walk back down easy. No tuk-tuk fare is published.
Amigos de Santa Cruz describes the village as a close-knit community of Indigenous Kaqchikel Maya, and says it is home to one of the oldest churches in Guatemala. CECAP is up there too, so the class, the café and the village can be one visit.
La Iguana Perdida: temazcal, yoga, trails and weekly nights
The lakeside hostel La Iguana Perdida publishes a weekly schedule: Sunday free temazcal day (2-7 p.m.), Monday quiz night, Tuesday pool tournament, Wednesday open mic, Thursday chill night, Friday games night and Saturday costume party. It serves a family dinner every night, cooked by local women, with a vegetarian, vegan or gluten-free option.
Its activities page also lists:
- Temazcal: a traditional Maya sweat lodge in the garden, where herb-infused water is poured over heated stones.
- Yoga: a studio among the trees, with classes for beginners and experienced students.
- Trails: the shoreline path from Santa Cruz to Jaibalito and Tzununá; a waterfall hike in the hills above Tzununá with natural pools; and a sunrise hike, several days a week, from the hostel to a viewpoint with a 210-metre elevation change.
- Weaving and cooking with local women: a backstrap-weaving workshop from preparing the thread to making a small piece, and a cooking class.
- Spanish: beginner and intermediate classes, from a single class to a week-long immersion with accommodation and meals.
The page prints no prices for these; ask the hostel which ones are open to people not staying there and what they cost.
The shoreline walk to Jaibalito, with its timing and the lancha fare, is covered in our Lake Atitlán hikes guide.
On the water: diving and kayaks
For diving from Santa Cruz, dive and course prices, and the dive centre’s rule about not leaving the lake on the day of your last dive, are on our scuba diving in Lake Atitlán page.
Kayak Guatemala, which gives its address as Los Elementos Adventure in Santa Cruz la Laguna, rents kayaks and stand-up paddleboards. Its rental listing shows $12 as the headline price and, under additional information, $10 per hour then $4 for each additional hour, with a one-hour minimum; ask which applies when you book. Rentals elsewhere on the lake are compared in kayaking Lake Atitlán.
Getting there
The lancha fare and the dock are covered in Panajachel to Santa Cruz La Laguna. To compare Santa Cruz with the other lake villages as a base, see Lake Atitlán towns.
Sources
- Amigos de Santa Cruz, Clases para Visitantes (cooking, beading and weaving classes; page dated 25 March 2025): https://amigosdesantacruz.org/clases-para-visitantes/?lang=es — read 10 November 2026.
- Amigos de Santa Cruz, Group Reservations and Tours: https://amigosdesantacruz.org/group-reservations-and-tours/ — read 10 November 2026.
- Amigos de Santa Cruz, Café Sabor Cruceño restaurant: https://amigosdesantacruz.org/restaurant/ — read 10 November 2026.
- La Iguana Perdida, Activities: https://laiguanaperdida.com/activities/ — read 10 November 2026.
- Kayak Guatemala, Kayak or Stand Up Paddleboard Private Rental: https://kayakguatemala.com/tour/kayak-paddle-board-guatemala/ — read 10 November 2026.
- Kayak Guatemala blog, Rebecca Moy, “Santa Cruz La Laguna Stole My Heart” (guest travel account): https://kayakguatemala.com/lake-aitltan-tours/santa-cruz-la-laguna-stole-my-heart-a-slower-wilder-side-of-lake-atitlan/ — read 10 November 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is there to do in Santa Cruz La Laguna, Lake Atitlan?
Take a cooking, beading or backstrap-weaving class with CECAP graduates and artisans (Amigos de Santa Cruz), eat at the rooftop Café Sabor Cruceño, tour the CECAP vocational centre, visit the upper Kaqchikel village, use La Iguana Perdida’s temazcal, yoga and trails, and find diving and kayak rentals.
How much is the cooking class at CECAP?
Amigos de Santa Cruz lists US$40/Q308 per person, minimum two people, for 2.5 hours of cooking traditional dishes (pepián, corn tortillas, tamalitos, rellenitos) plus a three-course lunch or dinner and a drink on the rooftop terrace. Its class page was last updated 25 March 2025; confirm when you book.
Is there a weaving class in Santa Cruz La Laguna?
Yes. Amigos de Santa Cruz lists a 2.5-hour backstrap-loom class in an artisan’s home for US$20/Q150 per person, including the scarf you weave. La Iguana Perdida also lists weaving workshops with local women but prints no price.
What are Café Sabor Cruceño's opening hours?
Its page says everyday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. It is the CECAP rooftop restaurant, run by graduates of the CECAP Culinary Program, and asks groups to call ahead to reserve a table.
How do you get to the upper village of Santa Cruz?
One main road climbs straight up from the dock to the Maya village. A guest writer on Kayak Guatemala’s blog calls the walk up pretty steep, says most people take a tuk-tuk at the dock for a few quetzales, and that the walk back down is easy. No fixed fare is published.
