Fire and fury: Camping on Volcán Acatenango
Jutting up into the sky with their peaks often hidden by a ring of clouds, the volcanoes of Guatemala tower over many of the country's towns and cities like ancient guardians. These imposing forces of nature dominate the skyline and are responsible for much of the panoramic beauty in places like Lake Atitlán and Antigua. With over 30 volcanoes in this relatively small nation, travelers from all over the world visit for a chance to witness some of the geologic activity and the formation of new terrain firsthand.
Along our route in Mexico, we had met several fellow travelers who recommended hiking to the summit of these volcanoes. We'd been told that it was even possible to camp overnight for the chance to see an eruption of a neighboring up close. Having seen some of the jaw-dropping photos of glowing lava and fireworks of molten earth, we itched for an opportunity to see it ourselves.
After doing a bit of research, we learned that Antigua is the gateway to Volcán Fuego, one of the most active volcanoes on earth. When we arrived, we found several tour agencies that offered overnight adventures to the top of Volcán Acatenango. The last eruption of Acatenango was in 1927, but from there, one has a direct view of Fuego. This is what our travel buddies had talked about.
It is possible to do the trip alone, but is highly discouraged. One can easily get lost in the maze of trails, and more important, guides are familiar with the weather conditions and volcanic activity. We learned that several hikers have died in recent years due to sudden changes in weather and inexperience with the terrain.
After shopping around a bit, we decided to book our hike through Tropicana hostel, which was about $65 USD per person. Along with an experienced local guide, the trip included transportation to and from the base of the volcano, camping gear, entrance fees, four meals, coffee in the morning, and even a bit of wine in the evening. A huge advantage for going with Tropicana is that they have a permanent base camp near the summit. Your tent and sleeping gear are already at the campsite, so you don't have to hike up Acatenango with much weight in your bag.
When deciding which day to book your hike, do yourself a favor and check the mountain report here. This site offers in-depth forecasts including temperature, wind, precipitation, and visibility at different altitudes along the volcano. Reserving our spots for the sunniest and clearest day saved us lot of stress. Others were not so lucky. The day before our trek, the weather was pretty crumby. When we arrived at Tropicana early in the morning on the day of our trip, we learned that the prior group of hikers had had to make an emergency decent at 5 am due to bad weather. Visibility had been terrible, so the poor hikers climbed to the top of Acatenango only to be berated by hail stones, freezing winds, and no sight of Fuego.
Although the weather looked pleasant from the ground, we knew that things at the peak could be very different. We were repeatedly warned by the staff at Tropicana that we needed to bring lots of warm clothes. Conveniently, the hostel allows trekkers to rent a few extra items such as a heavy coat, which definitely came in handy. Because both of us really hate cold weather, each of us was prepared to wear about seven layers of clothes!
After about an hour-long ride to the base of the volcano, we reached our starting point. A local man rents out hiking poles to travelers, so we each forked over Q5 ($0.70 USD) to have the extra stability and were so glad we did. A bit nervous, wind whipped hair across our faces and we noticed an aura of heavy mist all around the volcano. Our guide, noticing our anxiety, assured us that low clouds in the day was a good sign that we would have high visibility later that night. Not sure if he was telling the truth or just trying to comfort us, away we went.
Since we only needed to pack extra clothes, four liters of water, and some snacks, our bags were fairly light. Chatting with our friendly companions and guide made the going easier. It is certainly a challenging hike, but it wasn't as difficult as some online bloggers had led us to believe. Having done challenging hikes throughout the US, our biggest concern was altitude sickness. But our guide was patient and allowed the group to rest frequently for snacks and water. We were certainly grateful to have our sturdy hiking boots and poles with us, as the vertical, sandy terrain can be unforgiving at points.
Along the way, we ran into other groups and occasionally came upon base camps where locals had stationed themselves with hot chocolate and coffee. We could feel the temperature slowing dropping, but the energy exerted from hiking was more than enough to keep us warm. Bit by bit, as we ascended, the mist was dissipating so we could glimpse rays of sunlight and occasionally a view of the vast landscape below.
After about five hours of strenuous hiking, we began to hear a low rumbling. Asking our guide, he confirmed the noises we were hearing was indeed the great Fuego. He suggested this was another good sign, and we became more and more optimistic. At this point, no difficult terrain could stop us from racing to our destination. A short time later, we saw it. Just a few thousand feet away from us, with only a slender ridge separating us, we could make out the top of Fuego. Every minute or two, we would shout with excitement as we could see a bit of lava spurting from the peak. Little did we know, that was only the beginning.
Around 4 pm in the afternoon, we reached our base camp and settled in for the night. Not only did we have a direct view of Fuego, but we were surrounded by a majestic carpet of clouds. The sun was shining magnificently on these cumulus formations as we took in the views from this heavenly vantage point.
As we snacked and took pictures, Fuego continuously spewed fire and rumbled like thunder. The guide told us that we were extremely lucky. Not only was the weather perfect with little wind and high visibility, but the volcano rarely displayed this kind of continuous activity. In fact, he said, continuous eruptions like these usually only happened three or four times a year. We later found out that we were witnessing Fuego's first eruption of the year.
After nightfall, the crater's activity only became more violent and wonderful. The lava itself glowed much more intensely, and we could see flows pouring down at incredible rates. Eventually, after a generous meal and some wine, we bundled up and attempted to sleep. Neither of us had any luck though. While we were plenty warm thanks to our seven layers, it was simply too difficult to ignore the excitement of what was happening outside our tent. Like an amalgamation of freight trains and dynamite, the volcano was a constant cacophony of sound and light.
Around 4 in the morning, we prepared to make the one-hour climb to the very top of Acatenango to see sunrise. We left most of our things at base camp, which made the nearly vertical hike a bit easier. At the summit, we found a crowd of onlookers readying themselves and their cameras as the first orange glow of the sun began creeping over the horizon. The interplay of colors from the sky on the massive plumes of smoke growing from Fuego was otherworldly.
After hearing about the terrible experience of the hikers who had climbed Acatenango the day before, we couldn't believe our luck. A front row seat during an eruption like this was truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Witnessing the earth's core project itself to the surface, forming entirely new terrains in the process, allows one to appreciate the awesome power of geology that has created the world we inhabit. On both a physical and temporal level, one cannot help but feel small and humble. And that feeling of being but a speck in nature's majesty is one we've both been chasing all our lives. Needless to say, the night we spent among the volcanoes of Guatemala is one we'll never forget.
