The Acatenango volcano hike promises both a challenge and a reward. Nestled in the heart of Guatemala, the Acatenango volcano hike offers intrepid adventurers a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to conquer towering heights and witness not only the breathtaking landscapes of the surrounding area, but also the continuous eruption of the nearby Volcan de Fuego. Travelers and hikers who are up for an adventure, this hike is for you and you will certainly not be dissappointed.
Table of Contents
- Best Time to Hike Acatenango
- Booking the Acatenango Hike
- Pre-Hike Preparation
- the Acatenango Hike
- Acatenango Hike Tips
Best Time to Hike Acatenango
The best time to do the Acatenango hike is during the dry season which typically runs from November till April. However, even then it is impossible to predict the conditions on top of the volcano as the conditions can change very fast. It’s hard to tell if the weather will be clear or cloudy, but chances are greater for clear weather during the dry season.
I did this hike in March. Luckily I didn’t run into any rain, but it was still a bit cloudy at the top of the volcano and the view of Fuego was slightly obscured by the clouds. Later at night, however, the sky was completely clear and I could see the volcano erupting with ease. A couple weeks after me, one of my friends did this hike and had to deal with rain on the trail. It’s hard to tell how the hike will go, so just hope for the best.
Booking the Acatenango Hike
There are several tour companies that do this hike, most leaving from Antigua, Guatemala. There are also multiple options for the type of hike you can do. I suggest booking the tour a few days to a week in advance because the tours do fill up fast.
Soy Tours
I did the overnight hike with Soy Tours and I highly recommend doing it with them too. From hostel pick up to the rental gear to camping overnight, the guides were extremely helpful and organized. All the hiking tours with Soy Tours cost 500 Quetzal or about $63 USD. Soy Tours has the option of the overnight hike, which is what I did and most people do, the 1 day hike, and the 1 night hike.
In each of the hiking tours, the park entry fee is included along with all meals, transportation, and rental gear. The rental gear includes a jacket, warm pants, hat, socks and gloves. Head lamps are available for an extra charge. In addition, you can also hire a porter or ride on horseback to get to the top. If you want to make the extra hike to Volcan de Fuego, that will cost an extra 200 Quetzal or about $25 USD.
Other Tour Companies
Most of the tour companies offer a similar package but varying prices. I picked Soy Tours because I saw great reviews for the camping location and the meals they provided, and they were also reasonably priced. Other, cheaper tours may not offer the same comfort and food that was offered by Soy Tours.
Listed below are some but not all companies offering this tour:
- OX Expeditions
- Wicho & Charlie’s
- Tropicana Tours
- Balam Tours
- Old Town Outfitters
Pre-Hike Preparation
For this hike, there are quite a few things I recommend bringing with you. However, it is also important to keep your backpack as light as possible to make it less difficult to climb with.
- 40-50 liter backpack
- 4-6 liters of water (bring enough water for the entire hike, there are no spots to fill water on the way)
- small snacks (chocolate, gummies, plantain chips, etc.)
- warm clothes in addition to the clothes the tour company will give you (it gets cold up there!)
- altitude sickness medicine, pain killers, and small first aid kit
- good hiking shoes
- cash to pay for the tour (extra cash fir the Fuego hike, pay only if you do this)
- toilet paper and period supplies (a lot of women, including myself, somehow ended up getting their periods on top of the volcano)
- battery pack for phone and electronics
I decided to keep the rest of my luggage at my hostel, Volko hostel, as I was coming back the next day after the hike. Most hostels in Antigua will allow you to store luggage for a night if you tell them you are doing the Acatenango hike.
the Acatenango Hike
Hostel Pick up
The day started early at 7:30. The tour company picked me up in a shuttle bus from my hostel. The shuttle stopped at several other hostels to pick everyone up. I didn’t actually make it to the tour office until almost 8:30am. Once at the tour office, we picked up our rental gear and packed our bags. Soy Tours handed out lunch containers that we had to fit into our bag. This was also when I paid the cost of the tour. We had a quick overview of the hike and then we began the hike around 9:30am.
Hike to Soy Tour’s basecamp
The trailhead is just down the road from the Soy Tours office. Right from the start, I was hiking at a incline. It was a dirt and sandy path that was wide enough for a car. There were limited shady spots and it was very hot. After about 45 minutes of hiking, we reached a small restaurant and coffee shop. I wish I could tell you how many miles in that was but I really have no idea.
From the rest area, we kept hiking uphill another 45 minutes, this time through the woods, until we reached the the park entrance and official trailhead. Here, I had to fill out a form giving basic information.
Then I continued the hike uphill for 30 minutes until we reached a rest area where we had lunch. For lunch we had chicken, rice, pumpkin, fruits, and a small juice box. The chicken was delicious and the whole meal was very filling. This is where I first started feeling symptoms of altitude sickness. In 3 hours we had hiked a high elevation gain, and I’m sure this is the reason why I had altitude sickness. It started with a light headache and quickly went to extreme tiredness and nausea.
I eventually made it to basecamp after several breaks and slow hiking. And then I collapsed. The altitude sickness made me feel horrible with piercing headaches and terrible nausea. The guides had medicine for me so I took whatever they gave me, got in my sleeping bag, and took a nap.
Soy Tour’s basecamp and Acatenango
Soy Tour’s basecamp is on the west side of Acatenango Volcano. Since the camp is on the side of a volcano, the camp is split into three levels. When I arrived at basecamp, I arrived on the second level which holds a large white tent with smaller tents inside, the viewing platform and cooking area. There is a level below, a very short but steep hike down, that holds another large white tent with smaller tents inside. This is where is was sleeping. There is a third level, the highest level, that is a short but steep hike away that has the toilet. The toilet is really nothing more than a small shed with a toilet places over a deep hole. There is no running water or electricity throughout the camp. The guides assign you a tent that you may share with other people.
The camp has a great view of Volcan de Fuego from any of the levels. I arrived to the camp around 4pm. The sun was still out so I wasn’t able to see an lava flow from Volcan de Fuego, but I did see and hear eruptions every 20 minutes. The view was stunning despite a few clouds.
Night on Volcano Acatenango
After about an hour of rest at the basecamp, those that wanted to do the hike to Fuego left. Since I was so sick, I wasn’t able to do the hike. I along with several other people that decided to stay behind hung around the camp watching Fuego erupt. As night fell, the eruptions grew more dramatic because we were able to see the lava flow from each eruption. It was spectacular to see this right infront of you and I’m sure it must have been even more amazing for those people who did the hike to Fuego.
The guides that remained at the basecamp cooked dinner which was a basic but delicious noodles, beans, and tortilla. I was still very nauseous so I didn’t eat too much. I eventually went to bed around 9pm after watching Fuego erupt a few more times. Around the same time, the people that hiked to Fuego had returned and were eating dinner.
The tent and the sleeping bag they gave us was very comfortable and warm. The sleeping pad that was under the sleeping bag was very thick and comfortable. It got very cold at night so I put on my layers and ended up sleeping with my jacket on. I was actually very warm and cozy, but that was only because I was prepared with extra warm clothing. The hike to the bathroom was too far and difficult to do in the dark, so many of us that were sleeping on the first level just went outside the bigger tent over the volcano. Be sure to bring your own toilet paper!
Hike to the Summit of Acatenango
I woke up very early around 3:30am to get ready for the hike to the summit of Acatenango. We started the hike around 4am in the dark and made it to the summit right before sunrise around 5:45am (I did this hike in March). The hike was no different than the hike up to basecamp, except this time with the added difficulty of doing it in the dark.
I sat down on the top of Acatenango for about 40 minutes watching the sun rise. It was an emotional experience for me only because I was still feeling a little sick and I was just proud of myself for making it after putting my body through everything. Sunrise was beautiful. I felt as if I was on top of the world being higher than the clouds. Seeing the sun rise right infront of me was so surreal.
Leaving basecamp
Back at basecamp the guides had pancakes and fruit ready for us. There was also tea and coffee to drink. After breakfast, we packed up all of our stuff and began the decent down at around 8:30am.
Hike back down
The hike back down was much easier and faster than the hike back up as it always is. We went down the same trail we had come up, passed a few groups at the entrance who had just started their hike, and eventually made it back to the Soy Tours office. Those who did the hike to Volcan de Fuego paid the extra $25. We all returned our rental gear and lunch boxes and then piled into the shuttles that would take us back to our hostels. I was back in my hostel around 1pm.
Acatenango Hike Tips
- Book the tour in advance. The tours fill up so contact the tour company in advance to secure your spot for the day you want.
- Acatenango is a difficult hike. If you are not comfortable hiking the whole way, consider taking a horse up or hiring a porter to carry your bag.
- Altitude sickness is real. Arrive a few days earlier to Antigua to get acclimatized to the elevation before doing this hike. While doing the hike, go slow. Be aware of altitude sickness symptons such as headache, nausea, and extreme fatigue. Bring medicine with you and take as needed.
- Bring warm clothes in addition to the rental clothes. It gets very cold at the camp so you definitely want to layer up.
- Bring plenty of water. I would overestimate how much water to bring because this is the water you will also be using for eating lunch and dinner and brushing teeth. I recommend bringing 6 liters.
- Bring a battery pack to charge your phone or other electronics. If you’re anything like me and take a million photos a day, you will definitely need to recharge your phone. The scenery here is amazing and you will definitely be taking photos.
- Pack light. You really only need one outfit for the hike and some extra sweatshirts, jackets, sweatpants, and socks. It is WAY too cold at basecamp to change clothes and you will likely end up wearing the same clothes for the entire hike. If you’re worried about cleanliness, don’t worry, you will survive 24 hours in the same underwear. This way you can have more space in your backpack for essentials like water, snacks, and medicine.
- Other things to bring: sunscreen, headlamp (only really necessary if you are hiking to Fuego, otherwise phone flashlight works fine), plenty of cash, poncho or rain jacket.
Read more about things to do in Antigua, Guatemala.
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We only had one quick day in Guatemala and always wanted to go back. It looks like we will need to put the Acatenango volcano hike on our plans on a return trip. We would want to visit when the skies were clear for the great views. Spending the night with a view of the volcano must have been amazing.
That looks like an awesome hike. Summiting around sunrise must be the best.
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