Volcano Acatenango Budget Hike Review

Hike Volcano Acatenango on a Budget (Guatemala)

Have you ever felt the earth shake beneath your feet while watching an active volcano erupt?

If you answered NO, then you should seriously consider going on a overnight Acatenango hike!

Keep reading for our review of this budget trek that can change your life!

Hike Volcano Acatenango in Guatemala on a Budget

But where is the volcano at anyway?

Acatanango and Fuego Volcanos are located in Guatemala nearby the picturesque town of Antigua.

Climbing Acatanango while seeing his younger brother Fuego erupting is one of the most popular things to do when visiting Antigua and absolutely lives up to the hype. We completed this hike in late 2022 and we can definitely confirm that watching the show of nature sipping a cup of hot chocolate was a highlight of my time in Central America!

Most travellers (excluding locals) will climb the Acatenango mountain as a part of a guided hike (it is a national park with certain peculiarities and, by law, you cannot go solo) which always include return transfers from your accommodation in Antigua to the mountain.

We will show you the budget company that we opted to go with, but first some photos of what you can hope or expect to see on your adventure!

Choosing your hike company

We researched all of the main budget hike companies in Antigua and found that they offered a similar service except for the quality of food, sleeping arrangements and free use of winter gear which can all make a big difference. For example – some companies offered instant noodles for dinner and a communal sleeping area with up to 16 people in the same hut while others offered a bit more comfort with tents for 2 or 3 people, liners for the sleeping bags and home-made food.

We read tons of reviews and understood that even in the warmer season nights on the mountain could be really cold. We were in winter season, so we were expecting freezing weather. Humidity is pretty high and the climb will be a hard one – not sure noodles will be enough to keep our moods up.

All things considered, we decided to book with CA travellers – a mid range service company – as they offered private tents, good looking food, free winter gear rental and a affordable total price. There was also a big plus with booking with them – they respected the resting times of their local guides that climb the mountain and their organisation seemed flawless.

They did cost a little more than the lower range companies, but we wanted to guarantee a good night sleep!

We paid 475 QTZ (60.89 USD; 54,3 euros) at their booking office in Antigua and we were happy with everything they provided. Further note included a plant-based menu, free winter gear hire and breakfast on the first day.

For other companies we did some inquiries while climbing the mountain to fellow travellers and Wichos and Charlies was also highly recommended (online reviews also backed this up).

Make sure to see the weather prediction before booking!

What to take in your backpack?

This depends a little bit of the company you go with but below is a list we made that you can take a screenshot to your device.

Main thing to consider: Take no more than your body can carry up the mountain. The minimum possible.

Also note, there is no electricity or running water at campsites.

Ah, almost forgot! Take poket money for tips, for renting walking poles and/or for a geting a porter, if needed.

And dog treats, there are many pupies in this mountain!

What to expect on the first day ?

We were picked up at 8:15 am from our accommodation and driven to the companies depot where we re-packed our bags and had the option of storing anything that we didn’t need on the hike. We jumped back the van with everything and 40 minutes later we arrived.

The hike begins at the base of Volcan Acatenango at 2400 m above sea level and the camp site is at 3700 m. Next up was about 4 hours of uphill climbing.

The hike itself is very challenging because of the humidity and the weight of the backpack and 3 L of water. It seemed to keep on going up and up with little to no respite for our efforts, but we made it!

We had time for plenty of little rest breaks! Make sure to take advantage of them!

Carol hired a porter after the first rest stop which was her lifesaver. If you are concerned about your fitness or you haven’t done much uphill hiking in the last little while, we would recommend hiring a porter as well. They will likely only be available in the first section of the hike which is also the hardest one if you are not climbing Fuego itself.

You’ll walk through pine and rain forest before having your lunch break after 1pm. Our lunch was tasty and included BBQ chicken with rice plus some fruit. The serving was huge so we had some left over for the rest of the hike! We continued through the beautiful rainforest before reaching our campsite in the mid-late afternoon.

We were super unlucky though because the clouds had set in so we couldn’t see volcano Fuego, but we could sure hear and feel the eruptions!

Night time: Eruption viewing

Luckily, just after our dinner the clouds moved away and we had an hour to see the captivating eruptions. It was an amazing experience, with no two eruptions being the same. Some explosions even threw molten rock down the mountain side! In a instant, all of the hard work to get up the mountain was forgotten.

But then the clouds came back, and we had to say goodbye for the time being. Apparently, this happens quite frequently and one of our group members was on their second trip, because they didn’t see anything on the first.

Make sure to check the weather for your trip!

We had a lovely cooked dinner by our guide and then hot beverages by the fireplace. The next morning we would have to rise really early to continue the climb. We had a decision to make: climbing Acatanango (the dormant volcano) or Fuego (the active volcano – the one we see in the pictures). We had no idea which one until next morning.

I might add…some of us did not sleep at all because a sight like this is worth to wait up!

The morning after

We woke up at 3:30 am and were offered the option of continuing to the summit of Acatenango volcano or heading to a closer viewing point on Volcano Fuego (200 QTZ extra). We must have been delusional or we really wanted to see past the clouds so we headed for a closer look! We were the only ones in our group to rise earlier still to start the hike. Us and, of course, our lovely guide.

The hike was a whooooole lot harder than on the previous day (see the pictures below!). The slope was harsh and the terrain was sandy and lose volcanic rock. We took 45 min going down (almost running) and 1:45 h going up the base of Fuego to the viewpoint.

The weather was clear all the way up but as soon as we got to the viewpoint we saw the clouds “climbing” their way up mountain as well. We were treated to 10/15 minutes of close eruptions before the clouds set in again. We did not take photos – there was no time – and we just enjoyed the earth shaking, the lava going down the sides, the eco of the volcano bouncing back and forward from the adjacent mountain. We felt like tiny little ants, insignificant, and the thought came to mind that when we, humans, are long gone from this earth this volcano will keep being this powerful and this magnificent. Soon after the clouds came and we just kept quite, us and the guide, listening for the next blast.

The way back was faster and breakfast was waiting for us when we returned. We quickly ate and packed our bags before heading back down the mountain.

The rest of the group shared the photos and the experiences of going up Acatanango. Admittedly they did not feel the power of nature and the voice of Fuego as we did, but DAMMM they had a pretty nice view! I confess for this view of the sunrise with the volcano on the side I would probably stick with the initial plan of just climbing to the top Acatanango for next time… Below you can find the photos of their experience.

The hike down was enjoyable as everyone was in good spirits and we felt as if we had know our group for a lot longer than 24 hours!

Our advice going down is to again take your time as most people complained of sore knees by the end. Once we made it back to the base of the mountain we took a final group photo and headed back to the depot where a smoothie and fruit was waiting for us.