Guys, this was the hardest volcano hike I’ve ever done. I know what you are thinking…”it’s probably the only volcano you’ve ever hiked.” Au contraire! How many times do you have to do something for it to be considered a hobby? Anyway, three. I have climbed three volcanoes and Acatenango was the second one…and the hardest, like I said.

Why Hike Acatenango Volcano?

Aside from causing yourself physical anguish, the real benefit of completing this overnight hike is the impeccable view of the Fuego Volcano. Fuego means fire (in the event Pitbull did not make that clear enough for ya.) Fuego is an active volcano situated right next to Acatenango, well 4km according to the Interwebs. The night we spent on Acatenango volcano, there was great visibility and Fuego was erupting and spewing lava all night long. The amazing photos exist only in my memory as the iPhone cannot handle night photography. So that was a spoiler alert if I’ve ever written one. The hike is worth it!

Do You Need a Guide?

Is it required? No. But I highly recommend it for so many reasons.

  1. You are helping the local economy
  2. The hike is hard. Though the trail is pretty evident most of the time, there are times that it is unclear. It also gets freezing cold and nobody wants to be lost in that.
  3. They carry your dinner for you (and cook it)
  4. They motivate you and make you take breaks when you’re trying to be a hero
  5. They set up your tents and build a fire
  6. They can teach you things about Guatemala, volcanos, flora, and fauna. You learn way more with a guide.

And on that note…

Who Should I Book a Trip With?

Gilmer. Book a trip with Gilmer. Who is that? A local guy who began a business with his family, hired licensed guides (who also run rescue missions for the Red Cross), and donates the proceeds from the trip back to the community. They maintain a ratio of 1 guide per 5 hikers and do an excellent job of motivating the group. You can hike at your own pace, but they use the much-needed breaks as an opportunity to ensure the entire group is together. The guides are willing to do anything to make sure you successfully complete the hike, including helping with bags. Gilmer doesn’t hike with you, but is the master organizer. His trips leave daily and they don’t run out of space, they simply add more guides. You can find his number on TripAdvisor and contact him via Whatsapp. At the price of 300Q (roughly $40), it is significantly cheaper than the major tour operators in Antigua. I can’t comment on quality of the other providers, but go with Gilmer, you won’t regret it!

With that said, the information below is specifically for Gilmer’s tour, though may be a rough guide for other providers.

What is Provided?

  • Tents: they have varying sized tents based on group size (2-4 person tents). If you are hiking alone, you will probably get grouped with some other solo hikers.
  • Sleeping Bags
  • Foam Roll Mat
  • Lunch, Dinner, Breakfast
  • Hostel pickup and drop-off and transportation
  • Guides…duh

What Do I Need to Bring?

  • A backpack (a big one!) Why? Because you will be carrying all of the equipment they supply you with and life is easier if you are not strapping everything to the outside leaving the potential for it to get wet.
  • A rain cover (though plastic bags will be provided)
  • Water (I think I drank over 3L)
  • Snacks
  • Sunscreen
  • A raincoat
  • Warm Clothes including hat and gloves
  • Change of clothes
  • Hiking boots (though many people wore sneakers and seemed to fare just fine)
  • Flash light
  • A walking stick (available for rent at the base of the hike 5Q)
  • Local cash (to pay for the tour, tips, and any additional items you may need to rent)

What if I Don’t Have Everything I Need?

You are able to rent a variety of necessities from Gilmer prior to the hike. Maybe you are backpacking through Central America and maybe didn’t anticipate the need for a winter coat…they’ve got you! These are the items available for rent:

  • Winter hat
  • Winter gloves
  • Large backpack (let him know in advance)
  • Winter coat
  • Porters: Don’t think you’ll be able to carry your bag up the volcano? You can pay a local porter to do so for you.

How Far from Antigua is the Volcano?

The drive is about an hour or so plus all of the time to collect the other hikers.

How Long Does it Take?

It takes about 5 1/2 hours for a normal person to reach the base camp. It takes about an additional 1 1/2 hours to reach the summit which will be accomplished early the following morning. To compare to an abnormal person (read: the trained guides), they can reach the summit in 1 hour and 50 minutes. I kept reminding myself of that when I thought my lungs were going to fall out (not pictured).

You Said It’s Hard, How Hard is Hard? Tell Me Everything!

Well it all started when we woke up at 6:30am to prepare for our 7:30am pick up… Just moments later the entire Airbnb was shaking while I eloquently stammered, “this is an earthquake. This is an earthquake,” for the entire 30 seconds until the shaking subsided. This was shockingly not the first trek I embarked on that started with an earthquake. (You can read about that other time in Uganda here.)

You will be picked up and brought to Gilmer’s home at the base of the mountain where you can leave any additional items you do not plan on carrying. They will assign you equipment, pass out lunch and breakfast, and help you repack your bags. The sleeping bags are not small, you will need a big bag to fit everything. You will also pay for the trip at this point.

You will then be transported about 5 minutes to the base of the volcano where the saga begins. From the get-go, the hike is steep. There are cracks and crevices which make for uneven walking. The guides even pointed out small splits in the ground, results from the earthquake that morning. Throughout the morning the air was quite hot, it would rain on and off and the views were particularly cloudy.

Cloudy Acatenango Volcano hike
Like this…

 

Cloudy view on Acatenango Volcano hike
And this…

 

It is really steep most of the way. At points the guides will describe the terrain as flat, but in reality it was just less steep. I read online that people said that the first two hours are the hardest. I am going to be real here. It was all the hardest. Totally doable, but not easy. You take breaks about every 30 minutes, but they are much appreciated and needed. If you have even the most basic level of fitness, I believe you will be successful on day 1 if you are determined.

We finally reached base camp around mid-afternoon. It was really cold and I was wet from a rain/sweat combo. It was actively raining so the process to set up the tents and change clothes was delayed. And the view…oh the view…there was no view! It was super cloudy and rainy. Someone who likes to whine and complain may call that present situation miserable. Not me! Just someone…Also, I will take this opportunity to drill the point home about bringing warm layers and quick drying clothing. It’s important!

Staying positive when you are wet and cold yields great reward:

Fuego volcano view from Acatenango
Look what was hiding behind the clouds!

The group’s excitement level went through the roof! We were hearing eruptions from Fuego Volcano but we couldn’t see a thing. And then suddenly, there it was! The giddiness carried through dinner and sunset when we could actually see lava erupting from the volcano. I do not have the written literacy to begin to express how incredible a sight this was. We then called it an early night because there was more hiking to do, bright and early…ok, not even bright, just early, 3:30am.

View from the tent on Acatenango volcano
Tent with a view

 

Fuego volcano erupting
LAVA! Terrible photo, I know…But just imagine something 1000x cooler than this photo

Day 2: The 1 1/2 hours to the summit is steep AF. And really, really hard. Personally, I moved extremely slowly. Two steps forward one step back. I mean you are hiking on like volcanic ash. You are continuously slipping backwards. It is dark. It is cold but you are sweating. So many sensations. But DO NOT GIVE UP. The guides are there to help and motivate you. You also leave your big backpack at camp which makes a difference. Use your walking stick. The views at sunrise are gorgeous. You will feel so accomplished.

City views from Acatenango in the dark
Lights in the city…it is still dark (obviously)

 

Sunrise over Acatenango volcano
See???? And it is more beautiful in person!

 

We made it to the top of Acatenango volcano
We made it! My face is frozen so I couldn’t smile properly…yeah, that’s my excuse

 

Beautiful views from Acatenango volcano
Worth the pain, worth the cold, worth waking up at 3:30

Seriously the most fun part of the entire hike was the way down from the summit to camp. All of that loose volcanic ash makes it super easy to descend/slide most of the way down.

Descending Acatenango volcano summit
Have accomplished quite a bit and it is barely past 6am

 

Fuego volcano erupting
“Ten cuidado con el fuego [volcano]”-Pitbull
Posing in front of Fuego Volcano
Getting into position for this photo proved extremely difficult. A portion of Acatenango volcano now lives in my hiking boots

We reached camp and had a leisurely breakfast and packing session and began the final descent close to 9am. Going down takes about half the time as going up. While going down is much easier than the ascent, be sure you have good shoes! I had some toe rubbing issues with my hiking boots which slowed me down quite a bit. You will also cross paths with Gilmer’s group that is on the way up for that night. And you will be so glad you aren’t them!

Last shot of Fuego Volcano
A final farewell from Fuego

 

Do I Need to Train?

About two weeks prior to leaving for Guatemala, I had an “oh shit” moment after realizing how volcano-ous Guatemala really is. And obviously I really wanted to climb them. So for about two weeks I went running (not far, running is hard) and did some Insanity workouts (like High Intensity Interval Training) and I was glad I did. It was my way of giving my heart, lungs, and muscles a slight wake up call/warning. Could I have completed the hike without those few days of exercising? Probably…but the little endurance I built up in those two weeks came in most handy, especially during the 1 1/2  vertical (it’s not vertical) ascent to the summit.

Will I Experience Altitude Sickness?

I don’t know…In my group, a few people did, most didn’t. The peak is 13,000 ft which is pretty high! I was actually fine from the nausea standpoint which surprised me because I felt pretty woozy in Cusco, Peru for example. So there is hope, just because you have felt sick from the altitude in the past, doesn’t mean it will happen every time! Shortness of breath while hiking is a more prevalent symptom.

What is the Food Like?

The food was good considering it needed to be carried up a volcano without access to refrigeration. Lunch was a “hot” meal, meaning it was hot at one point. Fried chicken with rice and salad. It was also packaged with breakfast for the following morning, so you can essentially choose which bits are lunch and what you’ll need for breakfast the next day (hint: the cornflakes are not lunch). There was also a bread roll and an apple. I definitely recommend supplementing these meals with snacks.

Dinner was a hot meal that the guides cooked over a fire. There were ramen noodles, beans, a meat-like fillet, and tortillas. The pasta, beans, and tortillas were essentially bottomless so you could really fill up if you felt so inclined.

Spoiler alert: they also make hot chocolate and provide marshmallows to roast over the fire. I definitely outdid myself with the marshmallows.

Also worth noting, there was hot coffee at breakfast!

Do I Have to Pee Outside?

Yep.

Would You Do it Again?

Um, volcaNO! Jk…I totally would, but give me about a year to recuperate.

Have you hiked a volcano? Tell me about your experience in the comments!

Everything you need to know about hiking Acatenango Volcano in Guatemala. What to bring; which tour to book; how hard is hard?

 

 

29 thoughts on “Hiking Acatenango Volcano in Guatemala”

  1. Wow, the hike really does look and sound intense! But it seems that it’s all worth it – I can’t get over how wonderful the panoramic views are from atop!

  2. I feel I am always told how tough hiking volcanoes and mountains will be, and yet I am still always surprised when it is difficult. I alternate between crippling self deprecation and inflated ego issues. Love the post! Now I want to hike Acatenango…

  3. Okay this is officially on my bucket list. I have a friend that was just over in Guatemala doing some volunteer work, and some of her pictures were unbelievable! Thanks for sharing, $40 is so cheap for a guide! :)

    1. You’ll love it! Especially after it’s all over! I couldn’t believe it was only $40 for EVERYTHING and that they donate the proceeds!

  4. Wow, what an accomplishment! I’m not a great hiker, so I would probably die doing this! If I were to attempt this hike…I would most likely train like some of the people in your group and hire a guide. No way I’d trust myself with this! Love your pictures!

  5. Wow that sounds like an arduous hike! Congrats on completing it!! While I would love to see a volcano from that height I’m not really the long hike type… but what a cool experience!

  6. Those views from the summit though! I probably would have chickened out after the earthquake and went straight to the bar (not that they are open at 7am, ha) I love that you can see Fuego erupt from Antigua. I remember when I was there we lounged in hammocks all night watching the eruptions.

  7. Such a great hike it must have been. A volcanoes in itself is exciting enough, but you got to see lava too! The picture may not be perfect but your memories of the experience are priceless.

  8. Well done. Sounds like it was pretty tough, but somehow it still made me want to do this too. Guatemala is pretty high on my list and hiking is one of my favourite things as well. I saved your post and will come back when the trip is about to happen. Very useful information.

    1. So glad you found it helpful! I was dying to do it too before I went, despite how hard it seemed! Definitely worthwhile.

  9. This reminds me so much of my hike up Mount Cameroon! About the same height, it took us about the same time to get there just to find out there is an annual marathon and locals jog up there in flimsy shorts and shirts in 2 hours. The only thing we didn’t have was an active volcano to look at. We just had the sea.

    BTW: I appreciate the detail in your post. It’s so useful if I find everything in one place to copy a tour. Thank you!

    Happy continued travels!
    C

    1. Thanks so much! I’m glad you found it useful! I also can’t believe these amazing athletes who just run up mountains, no big deal!

  10. Wow! I don’t know if I could do that hike. That does look really trying – but the photos are stunning and the experience looks amazing. Great information here, too.

  11. This actually looks really exciting! But not sure it’s for me if the hike is that cold lol… I hiked a glacier in Iceland once, and the temperature for that was miserable, so no more cold hikes for me! (and it was only one day, or part of a day I should say). & I’m all for hiking with a guide! Especially outside of your home country, they are super useful and totally know what they’re doing!

    1. Haha! This hike was so conflicting because if you stopped hiking, it was cold, but if you kept going, you were so tired and aching.

  12. Hiking Volcano mountain is something I’ve been longing to do. Thanks for the detailed write-up. I’ll mark this read important next time I plan a Hike Trip.

  13. Whoa. This is difinitely added to my bucketlist. What great post you have here. I love the detailed guide you put in your blog and the pictures are amazingggg. This is indeed helpful to hikers who will climb Acatenango Volcano. So thank you so much for sharing. 😍😍😍

  14. The hike looks absolutely amazing! I’d love to do something similar one day but I’m so unfit at the moment I feel like I’ need to train really hard. Seems totally worth it for that view though!

  15. Wow! Stunning! I’m going to Guatemala in the winter (dry season) and im really considering doing this hike looking at your pictures!!! :D what did you bring clothing wise? was it enough to keep you warm?

    1. Awesome! I hope you decide to do it! At night, I wore a long sleeve tshirt, two sweaters, a vest, a windbreaker/raincoat, and gloves. I was cold during dinner, but warm enough in the sleeping bag to sleep. I was also very cold at the summit during sunrise the following morning. I definitely recommend a winter hat and a thermal/long underwear type layer. I think I would have been in much better shape if I brought those too!

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