Hiking Acatenango
What an experience. Acatenango. This hike has been on my list of dream hikes since I saw it on TikTok a little over a year ago. When I landed in Guatemala I stayed in Antigua for two days, went to Lake Atitlan for two days, then headed back to Antigua for another two days before doing this hike. This is so so SO important! You might not realize the altitude you’re in on the first day in Antigua, but you will realize it on the mountain. Staying in Antigua for at least 48 hours will really help your altitude sickness. If you’re like me though, you may be more sensitive to it and experience the sickness anyway.
The Night Before Hiking…
I went with OX Expeditions and they were amazing! The night before hiking at around 5 pm everyone meets in the lobby for a pre-hike meeting. Here, the guide (mine was Miguel, outstanding fellow) explains everything you need to know about the hike for example what to bring, what to expect, and answers any questions you might have.
Ox Expeditions is a bit more expensive, but the only tour left considering I waited (like always) until the last minute to book it. I paid a total of $140 USD and this is…
what it included:
all rental gear (backpack, hat, gloves, sweater, down jacket, head lamp, sleeping bag)
one night accommodation on base camp
luggage storage
lunch, dinner, and breakfast the next day
What it did not include:
trekking poles (paid an additional $10 for rental at the trail head)
hiking boots (I cannot stress how important it is to have decent footwear)
snacks and water
electricity (there is zero electricity at base camp, charge your phones and bring a power bank)
DAY 1:
First things first, wake up! I got up bright and early at 5:30, packed up my bags and headed on my 25 minute walk to OX expeditions. I arrived at 6:29 when we were told specifically to arrive at 6:30 so that part went perfectly. Something not so perfect… *flashback to three days before the hike… I dropped my portable charger on my foot and broke my pinky toe on my right foot. That’s all. Okay back to the hike. So I shoved my swollen foot and purple toe into my knock-off Amazon Air Force’s and limped inside at 6:30 completely unprepared for what I was about to do.
The FIRST thing I noticed? I was the only hiker who did not have hiking boots. The only one. It is imperative that you have good hiking boots, but anyway. I had already received all of my rental gear the night before. We were quickly given community items to carry up the mountain (for example, coffee, pasta, sauce, wine) and after that was distributed we went to via coach bus to get breakfast. I was so nervous as I had hiked Pacaya a few days before and found that to be extremely challenging. I forced myself to eat the beans, eggs, and coffee served. Before I knew it, we were back on the bus for a one hour drive to the trail head. At the trail head we were able to rent the trekking poles ($5 USD each way) and pay for Porter 200Q or about $25 USD per way. Remember most of this (if not all of this is cash only) be prepared!
Because I had broken my toe, I paid for a porter. Now that I’ve done this hike I can confidently say that I would happily pay for one again even in perfect health. Porters are so worth it, they know the hike inside and out. I see it as a win / win! They are paid well (make sure to have enough cash for the cost and gratuity!) and it might not make your hike easy persay, but far more enjoyable!
Starting the Hike
We began hiking, an immediate uphill, but weirdly I kept up no problem. I hadn’t been hiking (other than Pacaya Volcano) in a long time, so I was expecting to be in the back of the group, but I found myself doing alright. After each break I tried to at least start up at the top of the pack and try to keep up. I did alright, but they don’t leave you behind. There’s a certain point that they’ll tell you it’s essentially the point of no return, but you’ll know for sure when you get to that point if you can continue or if you should stop. There was one guy in our group who had to turn around, but his friends said he slammed like seven margaritas the night before. Anyway. After the farm land uphills there seemed to be interminable hair pins (switchbacks). It just kept going, but the good news is that right after the switchbacks it’s lunch! After lunch it’s the easiest portion of the hike to base camp.
Then you’re just… at base camp. There was ZERO visability. Honestly it was not nearly as difficult as I thought it was going to be, but still seeing the volcano in any capacity would’ve been ideal. The guides were fantastic, but they can’t control the weather. Be sure to bring at least 100Q of cash, I think it was 50Q for entrance fees that they collect mid-hike. The other 50 is for any water or snacks you might want to buy.
Then the dreaded question… Do you want to hike Fuego? Ugh.
Fuego
I had handled the base camp hike so well, I thought… “Well I’m in Guatemala, I may as well.” I should not have done that. Fuego is another beast and there wasn’t an ounce of visibility. Fuego is extremely difficult. I could barely keep up, but that’s because we also took hardly any breaks. We got to the top and froze nearly to death for about 30 minutes. Then it started to rain. The entire way down we hiked in the dark, getting pelted in the face with volcanic ash and dirt. The wind was so strong, the dark was all encompassing. It was awful. But see, the hike isn’t just an up and down. From base camp we hiked down to this valley, then up. So on the way back, we had to do the same. On our hike back up to base camp we took ZERO breaks. None at all. I was frozen. I couldn’t even eat. Turns out I was about to get a gnarly case of altitude sickness.
Day 2:
I could barely breath, I felt like my chest wasn’t expanding correctly and I shared a tent with 3 guys who snored allll night. I decided that I live by my dreams, I don’t die for them. I just couldn’t summit. All for the best anyway, because those who did summit didn’t see anything and said it was a waste of energy. So I woke up again at 7.30 and had some awful coffee, but the actual breakfast was edible so that helped. I was glad to have brought snacks though.
The way down rained the whole time. It was a mudslide, and I found myself ankle deep in mud and convinced my shoes were about to come off in the mud. If I didn’t have trekking poles I wouldn’t have made it down. Honestly, the way down felt harder than the way up.
We made it though, dropped our gear back off at the OX Expeditions and went about our way.
Remember to tip your guide regardless of the weather!
I’ll be back one day to summit (and skip Fuego!)
good morning, fog
