Gretchen Stuppy Carlson
This is truly one of the most amazing hikes in the world. Imagine spending the night watching lava explode out of the top of a volcano!
In this guide I’ll share exactly how to plan and do the Acatenango Volcano Hike for Views of Volcan Fuego. We did this hike with our whole family (3 teens and 2 adults) and our friends two teens. The best tours offer 2 days with a full day followed a night sleeping on the side of Acatenango Volcano and a morning sunrise ascent before returning downhill. We did our tour with V Hiking, but I’ll offer insight into the tour and what to expect whether you are using them or another tour company.
If you are planning a visit to Guatemala, you might also like this coffee tour in Antiqua.
Get our An Amazing 1 Week Itinerary to Guatemala: Antigua, Volcanos and Lake Atitlan
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Quick Action: Need to Know for the Acatenango Volcano Hike
I’ll go into more details below, but if you need some quick action to get started here you go.
The Best Acatenango Volcano Hike Tour: V Hiking offers fantastic tours to the Volcano – this is the tour we did and the guide below is based on this experience.
Other Great Tours: This tour from CA Travellers is a great option. We did another tour by this company and they have a great model and they get great reviews.
How Hard is the Hike: This is a hard hike that is made more challenging with the altitude. We came from sea level and teh altitude made a huge difference. The hike to basecamp is just over 4000 feet of elevation over a few miles so it’s steep. I go into more details below.
What to Pack: Pack warm clothes. Seriously. It was wet on our first day and we got wet and cold. You need jackets, hats and plenty of warm clothing.
Why is the Acatenango Volcano Hike and Volcan Fuego Famous?
Acatenango stands at 3,976 meters (13,045 feet) above sea level, making it the third-highest peak in Guatemala and one of the highest volcanoes in all of Central America. From the streets of Antigua, you can look up and see both Acatenango and its neighbor looming over the valley.
But Acatenango alone isn’t what makes this hike legendary. It’s the neighbor- Fuego!
Acatenango is part of a volcanic complex that includes the neighboring Fuego volcano, the two are often referred to as “twin volcanoes” because of their close proximity. While Acatenango is currently dormant, Fuego is one of the most active volcanoes in Central America, frequently erupting with spectacular displays of lava and ash. The Volcano is currently erupting 15 times an hour on average.
What makes the hike itself so memorable is how much the landscape changes on the way up. During the ascent, you pass through entirely different ecosystems, first farmland, then cloud forest, then high alpine forest, and finally through the volcanic zone to the very summit.
The Volcan Acatenango Hike
Here’s what to expect on the hike up Volcano Acatenango. This is based on our experience with V Hiking, but there are several excellent tour operators and most of them offer a similar tour experience.
Starting the Morning
We met the vans in Antiqua at 7 am at several meeting points in town. This was a smooth and easy pick up and we quicky started our drive up to San Jose Calderas and the breakfast location. Breakfast is served in the tour owners home, although this house has been converted into a breakfast area and gear room. We were served breakfast and had the opportunity to rent extra gear (like hiking poles, jackets, etc). You can also refill your waterbottles here, leave your extra gear and they gave us a packed lunch for the hike.
Overall there were about 30 people on the tour. After breakfast we took the short drive to the trailhead. There is a public and a private trail up the mountain and your trail will depend on your tour company.
Trailhead to Basecamp
At the start of the hike you will need to pay a small fee to enter this part of the hike.
From the trailhead to basecamp is a hard hike with over 5,000 feet of elevation gain. The trail ascends uphill steadily right from the start with a series of switchbacks. The hike up Acatenango passes through four distinct ecosystems: farmland, tropical cloud forest, high alpine forest, and finally volcanic terrain. While we ascended steadily, our tour group made several stops to wait for other hikers to catch up with us. There is a stop about 2/3 of the way up with a small shop where you can buy water or a drink and snack.
The last part of the hike is the easiest and traverses the mountain instead of ascending it which is a nice break from the strenuous uphill.
The entire hike up took about 4-6 hours and we arrived at basecamp around 2 in the afternoon. We hike a lot and this was a HARD hike.
Basecamp
Just before basecamp, you pass through another gate and will need to pay a second fee (it was 50 Q when we did the hike.
Arriving at basecamp is a great feeling and they will show you to your hut for the night. Since our hike up was in the rain, this gave us a good chance warm up and eat lunch. Our basecamp was a series of huts all with windows facing the volcano. Most of the huts sleep 2 people although there are a few huts that sleep more. We spent the night in a hut that slept 5 people. Each person is supplied with pillow, a sleeping bag and heavy blanket. While it was cold outside, we were plenty warm in our hut overnight.
In addition to the huts there is a small room that serves as a kitchen and there is a stand alone bathroom.
Optional Hike to Fuego
In the late afternoon there is an optional hike to the ridge of Fuego – there is an extra fee for this hike. While a few of us were feeling the impacts of altitude, Dave and Finley did this hike. The trail descends and then ascends up onto Fuego Volcano. This is a hard hike but gets up up close to the erupting volcano where you can see see rocks and lava blowing up from the volcano every few minutes. This extra hike takes a 4 hours and includes the time at the top looking at the volcano – bring extra warm layers!
Dave and Finley made it back to basecamp around 7:30.
For dinner we had pasta with chicken.
Sunrise Hike
The next morning there is an optional sunrise hike up to the summit of Acatenango. The wake up for this was around 4 am. The hike ascends another 1000 feet to the summit of the dormant volcano. You can see across to Fuego and watch the sunset. Make sure to check out the triangle shadow at sunrise.
Most of this hike is on very loose volcanic soil. The hike is good, BUT you can also get a fantastic view at sunrise from basecamp. After doing all the optional hikes, but Finley and Dave agree that the optional hike to Fuego is better than the sunrise hike.
The descent down from the summit is very fast. There is some tea and bread for a quick snack before you start the descent to basecamp.
Desent
The descent back to the trailhead is fast and only takes about half the time as the ascent. Since we hiked up in the rain, it was great to get a clear day to see the views on the way day. Once you arrive back at the trailhead, there is a breakfast before you get back into the shuttle to return to town.
Things to Know About the Acatenango Volcano Hike
Here are a few important things to know about the Acatenango Volcano Hike.
The Food
During the hike you get 4 meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner, and breakfast the next morning. The food was filling and good, mostly eggs, fruit, beans and tortillas for breakfast, rice and chicken for lunch, and pasta and chicken for dinner. We do recommend bringing a few granola bars for between meals – we were glad we had them!
They recommend brining 3 liters of water for each person. We did this but we didn’t use quite all of it. We would have drank more if it was warmer on our way up.
The Weather
The weather on this hike is unpredicable, but is generally cold. Compared to the weather in Antiqua, you can expect colder temperatures and wind. You should plan warmer clothes than you think you need, mostly because there are many breaks on the hike up so if you are sweating, you will get chilled when you stop.
It is possible that you hike up to the basecamp and it remains overcast for the entire trip. It’s also totally possible that you can hike up in the rainand the clouds will clear overnight.
Altitude
Do not underestimate the altitude of this hike. We came from sea level and only spent 1 day in Antiqua before the hike. This was not enough. Basecamp is at about 12,000 feet. of our family of 5, 4 of use experienced issues with altitude. Hadley and Freja both had headaches and didn’t sleep well, while Finley and I both got acutally sick with vomiting. There were many other people on this hike who also felt the elevation. At a minimum it will make the hiking more difficult.
If possible, spend a few days in Antiqua before the hike if you are coming from sea level and make sure to drink plenty of water.
The Guides and Porters
The guides on this hike are incredible. They are helpful and do everything to make it a good trip!
In addition to the guides, you can also hire a porter to carry your bag. This is a good option if you are worried about the difficulty of the hike. The porter costs extra and will be based on the weight of your bag. You should plan a little extra money to leave as a tip for your guides.
How To Prepare To Hike Volcan Acatenango
Once you’ve booked your tour, the next step is to make sure you are in share for this hike. We hike a lot and this was a challenging hike – think of lots of stairs! You should also plan to acclimate if you are coming from sea level.
What to Pack for the Acatenango Volcano Hike
Your packing list depends a little on the hiking company and where you are staying (cabins versus tent, etc) as well as the food provided on the tour. Here what we brought:
- Headlamp
- t-shirt (we brought 2)
- shorts
- Hiking pants
- Raincoat
- Long Sleeved Layer
- Warm Layer (fleece or puffy)
- Hiking Socks (2 pairs)
- Hiking shoes
- Warm Hat
- Gloves (optional)
- Granola Bars
- 3 Liters of Water
- Sleeping Bag Liner (optional – adds warmth and is nice for inside a public sleeping bag)
Final Thoughts
This was an incredible, once is a lifetime hike and experience. We loved this experience even though I was sick for most of the hike! We highly recommend this experience and had a good experience with V Hiking.
