Hiking Volcano Acatenango, Guatemala

All I know about the hike to see active Volcan Fuego is that it’s difficult, draining and so worth it. Climbing with my mum I knew would be a great experience with immense views. We went with Lanquin Tours for a few reasons, the main companies were booked as it was last minute, it only has up to 10 people, where some tours have up to 30 and I heard it’s too many people. Most hostel ran companies make the money instead of local companies, so we went with this travel company and it only cost £30. We got what we paid for, a basic few meals, a young guide, and basic sleeping gear, but it was an unforgettable experience.

We arrived by shuttle to the beginning of the trail, backpackers and locals were all preparing in their groups for the hike. The beginning of the trail before even arriving at the volcano was difficult, mum was puffing a little and I had concerns this trail was going to be the hardest yet. It defiantly was, but also the most rewarding. We hiked in our little group of 5 people and our guide. Mum, me, a French couple who were hilarious and a lovely American man, it was a great number of people and it made everything feel that much more personal. Around 3 hours into the uphill hike through dense forest and sandy mud, we stopped and ate lunch in the jungle. Chicken, rice and vegetables, by this time a lot of people began to get altitude sickness. If you hike, defiantly bring some sort of prevention medication as the hike affects everyone differently, and some people don’t feel it at all. I began to feel slightly numb and sick once we were around 2500 meters in the air, but I got over it and carried on the mission.

As we walked up it was extremely cloudy and I worried about the views as we headed to the top, I knew I had to see lava fly from Volcan Fuego. When we reached the top 5 and a half hours later, we relaxed at basecamp, exchanged stories, and were proud of the immense hike only crazy people take part in. It was still misty but in a way it made it all the more exciting, every time a cloud passed over in a matter of seconds, we jumped up to inspect the volcano, waiting for a glimpse of an eruption. The fog didn’t properly clear until around 10pm. We woke up at 4am and had a perfect view of the volcano doing what it does best, Fuego’ing lava from its mouth. Eventually, the sun started to rise in a fluorescent rainbow overlooking Volcan Agua, you didn’t know where to look. To my left was a perfect sunrise, and to my right was volcanic ash spilling down the volcano.

The group of us ate some breakfast and began our 3-hour hike descent down the mountain. The sky was much clearer than the day before and the views were perfect, the more we walked with our sticks holding us up because there was inevitably a lot of slipping over, the more layers of clothes we took off. By the end of the hike, we felt so proud of what we had achieved and seen, we then got a shuttle back to Antigua, reminiscing on the pure beauty of Mother Nature.