Many years ago, as we were travelling through Guatemala, we had the opportunity to hike Volcán de Acatenango. Setting off from Antigua well before sunrise, we headed south and soon began to climb, before being dropped off in the fertile farmland surrounding the base of the volcano. Towering at 13,045-ft with 2 peaks, Acatenango is a stratovolcano which is joined with Volcán de Fuego, and collectively forms the volcano complex known as La Horqueta. Although the only known historical eruptions occurred in the 20th century, between 1924 and 1927, its neighbour Fuego is extremely active!
Unlike most steep hikes, there are no switchbacks on Acatenango! There are the occasional turns but in general we were heading straight up the side. The initial section was through some paddocks until we reached the tree line, and since we would be camping overnight, was a good chance to sort out our heavier than usual backpacks. Reaching the trees a few members of our small group had already decided to call it quits, while some hurriedly pulled out wallets to pay for porters.
Entering the dense tree line as the morning heat started to pick up, the grassy track gave way to mud. The air was moist and cool, the trees an absolute maze, and there was a constant rustling amongst it all from the birds and monkeys. Coming out of the trees, the landscape quickly turned arid and the track itself turned to deep volcanic sand, making us sink with every step. The view opened spectacularly though, with Yepocapa (Acatenango’s second smaller peak) to the left and Fuego to the right.
At 12,000-ft we reached our campsite, tired and sore we set up our tent and as the sun set the mist rolled in. Not only did this obscure our hard-earned view, but the temperature dropped fast, and we realised we were very unprepared for the cold! With only a sweater jumper on and no other outer layers, we retreated into the tent as soon as we had finished dinner.
A few hours into our sleep we began hearing claps of thunder and felt the ground shake! Quickly opening our tent, we were greeted with clear dark skies contrasted by molten lava spewing out the top of Volcán de Fuego! This is one of the most magical sights I’ve ever witnessed… we just sat there in the dark quietly watching its beauty. We managed to get a few hours’ sleep in the end, and although we felt pretty dusty as dawn approached, we got up and experienced possibly the greatest sunrise I’ve ever seen.
The sky was on fire! A river of clouds came washing through, along the inversion layer below us, and slammed into the peak of Yepocapa to our left. To our right we witnessed multiple small eruptions from Fuego, sending glowing boulders bouncing down the side and mushroom clouds of ash spewing into the sky, and we were only a few kilometres away! The biggest of the eruptions sent out a sonic boom, a strange delay between to ash and smoke rising and the sound hitting us, a feeling that I’ve only previously experienced with fighter jets! A spectacular morning!
As a group, after spending so much time enjoying the show and the morning heat starting to set in, we decided not to push for the peak. Packing up camp we started our decent, and even my knees and thighs screaming in pain, my mood couldn’t be dampened. It was all smooth sailing until we hit the mud, our tired legs gave way, and many took a slide. My wife’s effort was the best though, as she slid picking up speed and turning a full 360, nearly took me out 5 metres further down! Covered in dry mud we reached the bottom, still in awe of what we had experienced. This is why, whenever I’m asked ‘where is the best place you’ve been?’, Guatemala is always and will always be in the top 3.
