In April 2024, we visited beautiful and diverse Guatemala. Of course, climbing the Acatenango volcano in Guatemala was at the top of our list. Together with the Fuego (the actual active volcano), these twin giants offer one of the most breathtaking experiences in Central America. The Fuego volcano is one of the most active volcanoes in the world, with eruptions almost every 15 minutes. From the Acatenango you have a beautiful view of the continuously erupting Fuego volcano, by day and by night. With this travel guide, I’ll provide the top tips you need to know before climbing the Acatenango volcano on a 2-day adventure! This is everything you need to know.
Acatenango tours start from Antigua, therefore - combined with the higher altitude - Antigua is the best place to stay before and after your adventure to the volcano.
Check out my favourite hotels and hostels in Antigua:
Maya Papaya (€45), Meson de Maria (€60), Hotel la Galeria (€85), Barbara's Boutique Hostel (€100), Adra hostel (€20 per person), Hotel la Sin Venture (€40)
Day-to-day Guatemala Itinerary coming soon!
The Acatenango and Fuego are two volcanoes near Antigua, Guatemala. The Acatenango is the third-highest volcano in Central America with a height of 3,976 meters, whereas Fuego is 3,763 meters. However, Fuego might be slightly lower, the volcano is highly active, often erupting several times an hour. The volcanos are often visited on a 2-day trip, staying the night at a base camp at the Acatenango. From the base camp, you can take an optional side trip to witness Fuego’s eruptions up close.
Best time to hike the Acatenango: The dry season in Guatemala runs from November to April, which makes it the ideal time to visit the volcano. During the rainy seasons, trails can be slippery and the visibility is often poor.
Total duration: The trip usually takes two days. However, many tour companies host an onboarding session the evening before your departure to fit and rent the gear you need and inform you about the practicalities. The first day involves a 5-7 hour climb to the base camp, where you’ll spend the night. From here, it is possible to take an additional 4-hour tour to the Fuego to watch the sunset and enjoy the Fuego eruptions from up close. The following morning, you can hike to the summit of the Acatenango before descending.
Weather circumstances: As expected at a higher altitude, the weather can change quickly. During the hike, especially in open and sunny locations, it can get quite warm. However, when hiking to the Fuego and waiting for sunset as well as during the night it gets freezing! Therefore, bring sufficient layers and thermo clothes. My top tip is to take 2 warm base layers, so you can wear one during the day and still have a clean set during the night.
An extended trip to the Fuego / Acatenango summit: The hike is quite challenging, although most visitors succeed. Nevertheless, especially extending your ascent to both the Fuego and Acatenango summit can be challenging. Therefore, many decide to choose between the two options. If you choose, I would strongly advise you to hike the Fuego. Especially with clear circumstances, this is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. With regards to the summit, there is a relatively limited added value compared to the views at the base camp, even though the climb is highly challenging.
Porter: There are porters available to carry your gear to the base camp. These porters cost around €12,50 one way. Personally, I would highly advise you to take a porter, as this allows you to enjoy the experience more since the hike is already challenging. Furthermore, this also won’t limit the warm clothes you bring up the mountain. Alternatively – this is what we did – you only rent a porter up the Acatenango. The way down is way easier and you don’t have to carry a lot of water anymore. Furthermore, if you fall when descending the volcano, your bag will break the fall :).
Tour organisation: The right tour organisation can make or break your trip, due to the location of the camp, the time they hike to the Fuego and the gear that’s up for rent. I travelled with Ox Expeditions and have nothing but good to say about them! It’s amazing value for money and the gear they have up for rent is very good. Alternatively, we have heard good stories about Lavatrails. The costs of the trip (excluding the Fuego extension of $29) are $99.
Altitude sickness: Even though it’s just a 1-day hike, in our group quite some participants encountered altitude sickness. In case you’ve had altitude sickness in the past or don’t know how you might respond to higher altitudes, take some medicines with you.
Acclimatize: Spend a few days in Antigua or another high-altitude area before the hike to acclimatize to the altitude. It is advised to spend at least 2 days at a higher altitude before climbing the Acatenango.
First of all, the right gear can make or break your experience. Therefore, it is advised to bring plenty of warm gear! Fortunately, at most tour companies you can borrow a wide range of clothing and additional gear. Nevertheless, I brought one warm layer (thermo) as well as a Merino wool layer and a Northface (fleece + rain) jacket myself.
Hiking shoes and socks: Bring sturdy and comfortable hiking shoes with good grip. This will make the ascent and descent way more comfortable as the trail can be steep and rocky.
Thermal layers: The temperature drops significantly at higher altitudes, especially during your trip to Fuego (very windy) and during the night. A good thermal base layer keeps you warm. Preferably bring 2 to have a set during the day and a set during the night or change your base layer (e.g. sports legging).
Sports outfit: During the day, I like it best to walk in some quick-drying clothes, so I brought sports leggings and a sports shirt (long and short sleeve)
Buff or scarf: The volcanic ash and dust can be intense, especially when it is windy and during a rapid descent. A buff will protect your face and next to that, protect you against the cold.
Hat: To prepare yourself for the colder temperatures.
Next to the appropriate clothing, don’t forget the following to bring to your adventure:
Walking poles: Don’t skip the walking poles, they are invaluable for maintaining balance. It is possible to rent walking poles (wooden sticks) when starting the hike.
Sunscreen: Don’t forget to protect your skin!
Wet wipes: There are no facilities on the trail, so wet wipes are a must for freshening up from the dust and getting yourself refreshed after the hike.
Snacks and candy: Bring high-energy snacks like nuts and energy bars for during the hike. Also, I would highly advise bringing some candy as a sweet treat was all we needed after the hike! (Fortunately, we had lovely group mates).
Water: Of course hydration is key, so bring at least 5 litres of water per person.
Small tripod: A small portable tripod is perfect to try and capture long-exposure shots of the eruptions at night (although, this didn’t work for me).
Headlamp: Essential for navigating in the dark, during the Fuego hike or early morning summit hike. It is possible to rent a headlamp at most tour agencies.
Cash: Bring sufficient cash in case you want to hire a porter or rent hiking poles.
Backpack or backpack cover: If your tour organisation lends you backpacks, I would highly advise doing so. This will keep your backpack clean. Alternatively, bring a backpack cover to be prepared for sudden weather changes and the ash.
Toiletries: Of course, bring some of your toiletries to prepare for the night and don’t forget some painkillers in case you need some.
We arrived at the office of Ox Expeditions at 7 am, from where we drove to Rainbow Cafe for breakfast before continuing to the trailhead. The hike begins with a tough uphill climb through farmland, which was one of the toughest parts of the hike. Afterwards, you’ll arrive in cloud forests with a more steady ascent before continuing on alpine terrain. The changing landscape is a highlight that distracts you from how tough the hike is. With basic endurance, you can reach the top, even though the climb is steep.
Once you arrive at the base camp on the Acatenango volcano in Guatemala, you’ll set up for the night. With Ox Expeditions, you sleep in little 6-person cabins on small mats (really small), however, this way you also keep each other warm. The little cabins have windows, so you can admire the erupting volcano at night.
From the base camp, you can take an optional hike closer to Fuego, which takes about 3 hours round trip. Most definitely, this is a must-do experience where you will be able to get an up-close view of the eruptions. However, you have to be lucky with the weather conditions as unfortunately, it can get quite cloudy that close to the volcano. Also, take plenty of warm clothing, as at the Fuego, many tour companies wait for the sunset, when it becomes very chilly. If you want to do only one additional side trip, I would highly recommend the Fuego over the Acatenango summit. However, it is important to note, that this part of the hike is more challenging and requires good physical condition. After ascending around 1000 meters to the Acatenango base camp, there are 800 meters more ascending to do (round-trip) when visiting the Fuego.
If you choose to hike to the summit of the Acatenango, be prepared for a very early start as most people leave at 4:45 am. The final ascent to the peak is steep and often cold, however, reaching the top offers panoramic views. Nevertheless, it is a very tough climb and some people were sent back by the guides as they wouldn’t make it anymore for sunrise.
Alternatively, you can enjoy sunrise and beautiful views from base camp. Personally, I’ve heard plenty of stories that the hike to the summit is not fully worth it, especially if you don’t have an excellent physical condition.
Note: the sunrise pictures below were taken from base camp.
After enjoying sunrise at the summit or basecamp, it is time for breakfast. After breakfast, you’ll pack your backs and it is time to start the descent. This took us around 2 to 3 hours, before we arrived back at the trail head around 12pm.
All in all, climbing the Acatenango was an amazing experience. Witnessing an erupting volcano by day and night is a once-in-a-lifetime adventure and was the highlight of our trip to Guatemala. So definitely make sure, you won’t miss out on this experience. Moreover, add the hike to Fuego to your trip, as you might never get this close to a volcano. Lastly and most importantly, enjoy the experience!
Are you seeking more volcano-related travel inspiration? Check out my blog post on Mount IJen!
