Volcan de Acatenango is located close to Antigua and is considered to be Guatemala’s third highest volcano! Acatenango stands 13,040 ft tall with two different peaks, one on the northern side and the other on the southern side. The views from Acatenango are outstanding! Being close to two active volcanoes, Fuego and Pacaya, is an experience you can’t beat!
STAGES OF THE ACATENANGO HIKE:
Stage 1: Farmland is all things agriculture. You walk through fields and pass local farmers picking crops. In my opinion, this was the second hardest and most boring part of the entire hike. The farmland stage consists of deep rich soil so it makes the incline much harder.
Stage 2: Cloud Forest is the hardest part of the hike in my opinion. The elevation really starts to incline, the attitude changes, and there is much more loose terrain. It’s very important to have good hiking shoes, or you will fall a lot in this stage!
Stage 3: High Alpine Forest is definitely one of the best! You finally feel like this tough hike is paying off. The panoramic views begin and the incline becomes slightly more level. The trees and plants are truly stunning in the alpine forest, and it makes it a much more interesting hike.
Stage 4: Volcanic Zone is hard. It’s slippery with all of the volcanic rock, and the temperatures become very cold. However, it’s hands down the coolest part of the hike. There is nothing like standing on top of a volcano…absolutely nothing. I have never felt like I was on top of the world until I stood so high up.
DIFFICULTY LEVEL:
Acatenango is definitely an advanced difficulty level. However, don’t let that stop you! As far as the elevation and terrain goes. It’s all uphill with a lack of switchbacks that makes it more difficult. Each agency or company will take you to different basecamps on Acatenango. The other components that add to the difficulty level are the altitude change and carrying a backpack with all of your belongings if you don’t use a porter. If you are looking to challenge yourself and want to push to a max difficulty level then you should choose to carry your 20-40 pound backpack. However, If you are looking to enjoy the hike a bit more and aren’t looking to push to an extreme, you have the option to pay a porter (someone that carries your belongings up the volcano). Even if you don’t carry your own backpack, it will still be a huge accomplishment when you make it to the top!
TRAINING:
I personally didn’t train specifically for climbing Acatenango and Fuego but would definitely suggest doing some kind of training. I’m an active 20 year old who plays a lot of tennis so it wasn’t impossible for me to do without training. However, it would have been much easier if I had done some training in the months prior. After completing the hike, here are some sample exercises I think would help especially with endurance:
- Stair climber with a weighted backpack slow and steady for an hour
- Weight training for legs with higher repetitions and short rest periods
- Progressively longer hikes with elevation and weighted backpack
- Moderately-paced running for at least 30 minutes
MUST HAVES:
As I said prior, I did the overnight hike with my list based on that experience. If you are doing a day hike, most of this will still apply. An important reminder…you or someone else will have to carry it up and down the volcano so choose wisely!
- Hiking shoes (Salomon Speedcross are excellent for this type of hiking by the way)
- Hearty snacks (nutrient filled snacks, energy chews, etc)
- Layers
- 1 pair of leggings
- 1 pair of warmer pants to go over leggings
- 1 short or long sleeve shirt
- 1 pullover or coat liner
- 1 wind and rainproof shell
- 2-3 pairs of socks
- Gloves
- Hat
- Headlamp
- Walking sticks
- Wet wipes
- Small portable charger
The company I chose to go with provided sleeping bags, sleeping pad, tent, meals, and rental gear such as coats, headlamps, and walking sticks, but I would suggest bringing your own coat, headlamp, and walking stick. The rental quality is average but available for use if needed.
WHICH AGENCY TO HIKE WITH?
First of all, it is extremely important to hike with an agency or reliable guide that has a good verifiable reputation. Hiking a volcano can be dangerous, and you need someone experienced and proven reliable to be with you. Being with someone that knows the activity level of an active volcano, has knowledge about weather, and knows how to stay safe during the hike is make or break. I know there are multiple agencies to hike with, and after some research, I chose OX Expeditions. I’m sure some other agencies are just as good. Just do A LOT of research first!
OX Expeditions: I may be biased but my experience could not have been better. If you haven’t already settled on a different agency, check out OX Expeditions! They were phenomenal and our guide Chino was fantastic. They have a basecamp located so you have a great view of Fuego, checked all of the safety boxes, and were so fun to be around! Keep in mind that this agency requires you to carry your own tent or pay a porter to carry it. Others preset tents or camps for their customers.
Other Agencies: I don’t have personal experience with these but have heard about them! Tropicana, Soy Tours, Trek Guatemala, etc.
MY EXPERIENCE:
From my personal experience I chose the overnight double whammy volcano hike with OX Expeditions. The double whammy involves hiking both Acatenango and Fuego volcanoes. This hike took us up to our basecamp on Volcan Acatenango. After setting up our base camp, we headed across the steep horseshoe between Acatenango and Fuego and up the knife-edge ridge towards the Fuego crater. We could look over at Volcan Acatenango and see the huge eruptions of Volcan Fuego right in front of us! After returning back to basecamp, we settled in front of the fire for an evening meal and watched Fuego erupt all night! After a little bit of sleep, there is an option to trek up to the summit of Acatenago for sunrise and see outstanding views of Antigua. In the end, this may be the most difficult hike you will ever go on, but it is SO WORTH IT. I have never felt anything quite like being on top of an active volcano watching it erupt!
