Volcano Trekking: Witnessing Nature’s Fury – Jutting up to the sky and their peaks are often hidden by a ring of clouds, Guatemala’s volcanoes tower over many of our country’s cities and towns like ancient guardians. This natural force dominates the skyline and is responsible for many beautiful panoramas. in places like Lake Atitlán and Antigua.With more than 30 volcanoes in this relatively small nation, travelers from all over the world visit for the opportunity to witness some geological activity and new terrain formation firsthand.
Along our route in Mexico, we met some fellow travelers who suggested hiking to the top of this volcano. We have been told that it is even possible to camp overnight for the chance to see an eruption from a nearby neighbor. After seeing some jaw-dropping photos of glowing lava and molten earth fireworks, we itched for a chance to see for ourselves.
Volcano Trekking: Witnessing Nature’s Fury
After doing a little 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 offering overnight adventures to the summit of Volcán Acatenango. The last eruption of Acatenango was in 1927, but from there, there is a direct view of Fuego. Here’s what our travel buddies had to say.
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It is possible to travel alone, but highly discouraged. One can easily get lost in the maze of trails, and more importantly, the guide is familiar with weather conditions and volcanic activity. We learned that some 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 a walk through Tropicana hostel, which was about $65 USD per person. Accompanied by an experienced local guide, the trip includes transportation to and from the base of the mountain, camping gear, entrance fees, four meals, coffee in the morning, and even a little wine in the evening. A big advantage of joining Tropicana is that they have a permanent base camp near the summit. Your tent and sleeping gear are already in the campsite, so you don’t have to climb Acatenango with a heavy bag in your bag.
When deciding which day to book your trip, do yourself a favor and check out the mountain report here. The site offers a more in-depth forecast including temperature, wind, precipitation, and visibility at different altitudes along the mountain. Arranging our place for the sunniest and clearest day saves us a lot of stress. Others were not so lucky. The day before trekking, the weather was a bit crumbling. When we arrived at Tropicana early in the morning on the day of our trip, we learned that the prior group of hikers had made a decent emergency at 5 am due to bad weather. Visibility is terrible, so the poor hikers climb to the top of Acatenango only to be berated by hailstones, cold wind, and no sight of Fuego.
Even if the weather looks good from the ground, we know that things at the top can be very different. We were warned several times by the staff at Tropicana that we should bring lots of warm clothes. Conveniently, the hostel allows trekkers to rent some extra items such as heavy coats, which definitely come in handy. Because both of us really hate cold weather, each of us prepared to wear about seven layers of clothes!
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After about an hour of climbing to the base of the volcano, we reached our starting point. A local man rents out hiking poles to tourists, so we each spent more than Q5 ($0.70 USD) to have extra stability and were very excited. A bit nervous, the wind whipped hair all over our face and we noticed the aura of heavy fog around the volcano. Our guide, noticing our anxiety, assured us that the low clouds during the day were a good sign that we would have high visibility that night. Not sure if he was telling the truth or just trying to cheer us up, we left.
Since we only had to pack extra clothes, four liters of water, and a few snacks, our bags were pretty light. Chatting with friendly companions and guides makes the journey easier. It is definitely a challenging path, but it is not as difficult as some online bloggers make us believe. After doing challenging hikes throughout the US, our biggest concern was altitude sickness. But our guide was patient and let the group take frequent breaks for snacks and water. We are definitely grateful to have hiking boots and strong poles with us, because the steep and sandy ground can be unforgiving at points.
Along the way, we ran into other groups and occasionally came to the base camp where the locals had placed themselves with hot chocolate and coffee. We could feel the temperature slowing down, but the energy exerted from hiking was more than enough to keep us warm. Little by little, as we climbed, the fog disappeared so that we could see the rays of the sun and sometimes see the vast landscape below.
After about five hours of strenuous hiking, we started to hear a low rumbling. Asking our guide, he confirmed that the noises we heard were really the great Fuego. He suggested this is another good sign, and we became more and more optimistic. At this point, no difficult terrain can stop us from racing to our destination. Not long after, we saw it. Only a few thousand meters away from us, with only a slender ridge separating us, we can see the top of Fuego. Every minute or two, we would shout with excitement as we could see a bit of lava spurting from the summit. Little do we know, it’s just the beginning.
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Around 4 pm, we reached our base camp and settled down for the night. Not only did we have a direct view of Fuego, but we were surrounded by a magnificent carpet of clouds. The sun was shining majestically on this cumulus formation as we took in the view from this heavenly vantage point.
While we ate and took pictures, the Fuego kept shooting fire and rumbling like thunder. The guide told us we were very lucky. Not only is the weather perfect with little wind and high visibility, but volcanoes rarely show this kind of continuous activity. In fact, he said, continuous eruptions like this usually only happen three or four times a year. We later learned that we were witnessing Fuego’s first eruption of the year.
After night, the activity of the crater is more violent and amazing. The lava itself glowed more intensively, and we could see the stream flowing down at an incredible rate. Eventually, after a generous meal and some wine, we bundled up and tried to sleep. Neither of us had any luck though. While we have plenty of warm thanks to our seven layers, it is simply too difficult to ignore the excitement of what is happening outside our tent. Like an amalgamation of freight trains and dynamite, this mountain is a constant cacophony of sound and light.
Around 4 o’clock in the morning, we got ready to climb for an hour to the top of Acatenango to see the sunrise. We left most of our belongings at base camp, which made the almost vertical walk a bit easier. At the summit, we found a crowd of onlookers preparing themselves and their cameras as the first orange glow of the sun began to creep over the horizon. The interplay of colors from the sky in the huge plumes of smoke rising from Fuego is otherworldly.
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After hearing the terrible experiences of the climbers who climbed Acatenango the day before, we couldn’t believe our luck. A front row seat during an eruption like this is truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Witnessing the earth’s core project itself to the surface, forming completely new terrains in the process, allows one to appreciate the awesome power of geology that has created the world we inhabit. On both the physical and temporal levels, one cannot help but feel small and humble. And the feeling of being a point in nature’s majesty is one that we both pursue throughout our lives. Needless to say, the night we spent among the volcanoes of Guatemala was one we will never forget. . —-Ansel Adams
Around 10:30, five hours after we started walking up the dark and slippery road of the Santa Maria Volcano we finally arrived at the peak. Clouds have begun to form and blanket the Xela valley thousands of miles below. But fortunately they have not fully conquered the peak. There is still a spectacular view of the surrounding volcano and the valley below.
As we approached the resting place for early lunch I
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