Top Things to do in Solola Department
What to do and see in Solola Department, Western Highlands: The Best Classes & Workshops
Discover the best top things to do in Solola Department, Guatemala including Mayan Kitchen, Ixmucane Holistic Healing, Santa Cruz Beading and Weaving Artisan Classes, TinteMaya, Santa Cruz Cooking Classes, JABEL TINAMIT Spanish School, Orbita Spanish School, Teixchel Weaving Association, Sarah Cronin, Multicolores.
Restaurants in Solola Department
1. Mayan Kitchen
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 267 reviews
Are you looking to experience Guatemala in an authentic and personal way? Experience the taste and flavors of Guatemala cooking at the Lake Atitlan Maya Kitchen. This class will help you understand how our Mayan culture and Spanish colonial influence blended together in a perfect harmony through food. You will have lots of hands-on fun learning how to cook up three authentic Guatemalan dishes during this 3-5 hour Guatemala cooking class. Learn how to prepare traditional recipes that are unique to Guatemala, and come away with all the skills you need to prepare them in your own kitchen. Our classes start at 9am. with a tour in the local Market, where together will purchase our ingredients, buying organic vegies from local people productors so in that way We are supporting their projects and giving them opportunities too.
Reviewed By Gapyeartravelers
Anita’s cooking class was our favourite activity in San Pedro !! We had the best experience, from buying fresh produce from the market in the morning to cooking up the yummiest meal in the most beautiful kitchen. There were 3 of us in the class which was the perfect number to all get involved and always have something to do ! Anita was the best host, so accommodating, knowledgeable about Mayan culture and open to sharing her own amazing story. Preparing the meal and then sitting down altogether to eat it was so rewarding and it tasted amazing !! I couldn’t recommend this Mayan cooking class more to anyone of any age. If you are in San Pedro it is absolutely a must !!!!
2. Ixmucane Holistic Healing
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 9 reviews
Ixmucane is a place located in Lomas de Tzununa. We offer Therapeutic Massages -Hot Stones Therapy - Deep Massages -Neurolymphatic massage -Swedish with Acupresure -Holistic Pain Relief -Sacred Sound and Harmonics therapies Emotional and energy work: -Bach Flowers -Reiki -Chakra Balancing -Meridian Psychotherapy (EFT) -Counseling Courses: massage, Reiki, Emotional Healing. Retreats meditation and sound. Women Circles
3. Santa Cruz Beading and Weaving Artisan Classes
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 6 reviews
Learn to bead or weave with local Santa Cruz artisans while enjoying a fantastic view of Lake Atitlan. All proceeds support the community of Santa Cruz La Laguna through the local nonprofit Amigos de Santa Cruz which runs education and economic empowerment programs
Reviewed By droscarin
A nice hike took us to this awesome Café with the BEST view ever. Thanks Alex and all your wonderful staff for letting us appreciate the amazing work you are doing. Perfect timing for some shopping, handmade items from Sta Cruz ladies. Let’s support local business ????.
4. TinteMaya
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 44 reviews
Women Weaving Better Lives TinteMaya is comprised of 25 artisan women from San Juan La Laguna, a small community by Lake Atitlan, Guatemala, who are working together to promote these values: Equal opportunities for women. The local culture in Guatemala does not offer many economic opportunities for women, leaving the men in control over the family’s finances. TinteMaya enables each individual woman to transform her weaving skills into an economic opportunity and allow the work to be done at home while still taking care of the family. The sale of each product ensures a fair wage to the woman or women who made it; with this money, they can make spending decisions and contribute to the wellbeing of their children. Every purchase pushes gender equality and independence in the right direction. Ecological Sustainability. The use of plant dyes promotes local biodiversity and plant health, minimizes water pollution and creates organic waste for fertilizer. In order to divert waste, Tinte Maya uses recycled material in some weavings by harvesting thread from used sweaters and other sustainable techniques.
Reviewed By oliviassaurman
My friend and I had the pleasure of learning and connecting with these beautiful women over two days. Our first day was spent with Amalia, who taught us about the natural dying process taken to create the beautiful textiles you see all over Guatemala. We hand picked sacatina leaves and cinnamon leaves to create our dye baths, which yielded a beautiful blue and a deep red wine color. We mixed these with achote to create a beautiful mix of colors to dye our pants with. On the next day we returned to participate in the weaving workshop offered by Tintemaya. This was equally an incredible experience. I spent time learning how to weave a bag while my friend worked on a scarf. If you’re traveling around Lake Atitlan I highly recommend stopping by San Juan to participate in this beautiful experience offered by Tintemaya. I feel so lucky to have been able to learn from these women.
5. Santa Cruz Cooking Classes
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 53 reviews
Learn to cook authentic Guatemalan dishes like Pepian and Tamalitos while enjoying a fantastic view of Lake Atitlan. All proceeds support the community of Santa Cruz La Laguna through the local nonprofit Amigos de Santa Cruz which runs education and economic empowerment programs (check out Amigos de Santa Cruz Foundation on Facebook for more information) Call 5003-8877
Reviewed By Meander275647
My friends and I loved learning to cook authentic Guatemalan cuisine from Chef Claudia. She did a wonderful job dividing up the duties so even the youngest children in our class could help prepare the meal, and we all learned a lot about traditional Mayan foods. At the end of the class, we sat down at the CECAP patio, perched among the Santa Cruz rooftops, and the kitchen staff presented our meal with a culinary flair. Enjoying our beautiful food along with beautiful views of the lake was a fantastic way to end our trip to Lake Atitlan.
6. JABEL TINAMIT Spanish School
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 69 reviews
We offer effective and fun ways to learn Spanish in Guatemala and online. Located in Panajachel by the stunningly beautiful Lake Atitlan, our school is the only Spanish language school in Panajachel, Guatemala, that is Mayan owned. You can learn Spanish in one to one classes, or with a small group of friends. We also provide online Spanish lessons. We're sure you will have a great time learning Spanish with us in Guatemala.
Reviewed By EvaSUK - Bedford, United Kingdom
We were traveling around Guatemala when my husband put forward the idea of intensive Spanish lessons for one week. Why not? We researched various schools and Jabel Tinamit seemed to get overwhelmingly positive feedback. I can honestly say it was one of the happiest and most rewarding times of our lives. We only planned to stay 1 week and ended up staying 3 - and would have stayed for months if we could have. The set up is so efficient and effective and the team felt like family. We had 4 hours of one to one classes in the morning and had our afternoons free. I cannot recommend their professionalism, humor, hard work, techniques and passion enough. I would also recommend a homestay as that really made us converse in Spanish and we grew very close to our host family in Pana (Magda and her family are incredible). The school itself is like a small paradise: I had my classes on the roof and most days looked out to the Lake and volcanoes wondering "Am I really here?". We took part in the activities and loved them all (cooking class is fantastic - thank you Elizabeth and Julia). We have continued with online lessons because we couldn't say goodbye - if you are lucky enough be taught by Gladys, you are in for a treat. She is the best teacher I have ever had, period; she feels like a friend. The online component is also very good; we are making progress despite the distance and the teachers are very flexible. Please choose Jabel Tinamit, you will speak Spanish in no time and have an unforgettable time in the process! Thank you all, Eva
7. Orbita Spanish School
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 48 reviews
Reviewed By tarragriffith
I spent a month studying and living at Orbita, and the experience was just incredible. The curriculum is progressive and challenging, and the outdoor "classrooms" have sweeping views of the lake. I stayed in the private room/private bathroom (option 5 on the website), with a huge terrace which also doubled as my classroom. Rene and Milca took great care of me, and even booked my doctors appointment when I was met with an itchy rash. Vincenta, Marie, and Eduardo were exceptionally great as well. Orbita is the Elizabeth Olsen of Spanish schools in San Pedro - lesser known in the public eye, but with more talent and critical praise than it's competitors. They also offer Skype lessons for continued learning, awesome!
8. Teixchel Weaving Association
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 1 reviews
At TEIXCHEL we do not only weave because it sustains us economically, but we weave because it is our culture. The knowledge of why we as Maya weave and what it means has diminished dramatically and we hope, through our work, to revive the culture and tradition of weaving with every product we create and sell to you! Our association consists of women weavers from San Pedro La Laguna, Guatemala.
9. Sarah Cronin
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 1 reviews
Sarah is a certified 200 hour Vinyasa instructor and registered Yoga Alliance teacher (ID: 242090). Sarah's classes are modeled in the style of Yoga to the People with the philosophy that yoga should be accessible for everyone. Sarah has teaching experience with students of all experience levels, ranging from 4 years old to 40+ years young and everywhere in between! In addition to teaching daily classes at Hostel Fe, Sarah also offers customizable group classes and private lessons.
10. Multicolores
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 14 reviews
Multicolores is a non-profit association of Mayan women artists who design and create hooked rugs and embroidered art. Working with 9 groups of women in 7 communities in the Guatemalan Highlands, Multicolores offers creative education, fair pay, and health and leadership programs to artists. Visit Multicolores’ headquarters to shop our exclusive gallery of contemporary textile art.
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