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Arguably one of the most iconic sights in Guatemala, should Acatenango be on your itinerary? In my opinion, ABSOLUTELY!
Is it difficult? Yes
Will you be so tired? Yes
Will you question your life choices halfway through? Yes
Will your legs be sore for days? Likely yes
But it is so so worth it – and this is coming from someone who absolutely struggled (I have video evidence on TikTok to prove it 😅)
I will run you through everything so you feel fully prepared before you do the hike (and even convince you to do it if you were on the fence). After reading this, if you have any other questions, feel free to comment or pop me a DM – I’m @jetsettingwithsian on all socials!
Tour Companies
When I started researching the hike, I was genuinely surprised at how many tour companies are available to choose from! It can definitely be a bit overwhelming. So my first port of call was to ask on my IG story for recommendations. The IG fam came through!! My top recommendation was Soy Tours so I checked them out. I was so surprised to find out they were already fully booked though for my dates. So my first tip would be: book in advance! I left it until about 2 weeks before (I think) and was quite limited with some companies already fully booked. In the end, we managed to find availability with Tropicana Hostel. They were another of the larger companies who have plenty of good reviews and seemed pretty reliable. So we went ahead and booked with them!
Private vs Dorm
As well as choosing your tour company, another decision to make is whether you’d rather stay in a private cabin or in a dorm. I think this also depends on your company as not all of them offer private cabins. The size of the dorms can also depend but I’ve heard of some sleeping up to 20 people. For us, we knew we would be exhausted and wanted to rest as much as possible so we opted for a private room. With Tropicana, the only option available on our date was their Private Tour for 2 package so we opted for this.
Tropicana – Private Tour for 2 Package
Our package was actually a fully private tour – we had our own transfer from Antigua to Acatanengo, our own guide for the hike and our private cabin. While it did cost more than the standard package, we felt it really was worth it. The price was $175 per person (around £127). Our private guide, Denis was great and we hiked completely at our own pace. Stopping whenever we wanted was a game changer for me as I definitely needed those extra rest stops! So if you are worried about keeping up with a large group, I would say the private tour is so worth the extra cost in my opinion. With the private tour, the Acatenango summit and Fuego hikes are also private.
Difficulty
This is the most popular question! In my opinion – yes it is a difficult hike. I see mixed feelings online about difficulty and completely understand why it would be easier for some and much more difficult for others.
The terrain does make it difficult – it’s volcanic ash and does make it very slippery. I think I fell over 10+ times on the way down ha! It is pretty relentless, especially at the beginning. I was about 30 minutes in when I did think “if it’s going to be like this for 5 hours, maybe I can’t do it” but you definitely can, just take a break and keep going! After watching countless TikToks, I was led to believe it would be easier after lunch.. it is absolutely not. Sorry to be blunt here 😅 but I thought it would be smooth sailing from this point and it was possibly as difficult as the start of the hike. Our guide also laughed at me when I said “its easier from here right” haha! However, the last part of the hike does flatten out as you follow the trail around the side of the volcano until you reach Base Camp.
Our stats were: 4 hours 20 minutes on the way up & 2 hours 20 minutes on the way down!
Packing List
It’s absolutely true that it does get very cold on the hike – I thought that coming straight from winter in the UK, we’d be prepared but we were still cold. I’d recommend bringing a lot of warm layers that are easily added on, since its actually quite warm at the start of the hike! A lot of items can be rented from your tour company. Tropicana let you rent 3 items of clothing for free (just paying a deposit which you get back). This was my packing list:
- Insulated coat
- Waterproof coat
- Waterproof trousers (I forgot to pack them but they were on my list! Luckily we had no rain)
- Hiking trousers
- Gym t-shirt
- Thin mid-layer
- Quarter-zip fleece
- Thermal top + leggings
- 2 pairs of hiking socks (wore 1 plus added on an extra pair for night-time)
- Beanie (also forgot to pack this and wished I had it)
- Gloves
- Hiking shoes
For the start of the hike, I wore gym shorts + a gym t-shirt as it was warm. I only needed to add layers once I got to Base Camp. It did start to get cold quite quickly!
Some extra items I’d recommend bringing/hiring:
- Hiking poles – you can rent them at the start of the hike. They were a non-negotiable for me!
- Toilet roll – there’s none available at camp or along the hike
- Head torch – I’d recommend a decent one, especially if doing the sunrise hike
- Snacks – there are stalls on the way up/down the trail but I’d recommend bringing some snacks to eat between lunch and dinner
- Ear plugs – sleeping next to an active volcano is as noisy as it sounds!
- A big enough backpack – you have to carry 4L of water per person + your lunch so it can be quite a lot to carry as well as your clothes. I was going to use my Osprey 15L Daypack but it was too tight of a squeeze. I rented a bigger backpack instead and was much comfier
Sunrise vs Fuego Hike
The infamous Fuego hike! A gruelling 2 hour there + 2 hours back to camp AFTER already hiking Acatenango.. its definitely not for everyone.
By the time I reached Base Camp I was exhausted! I don’t think I had the energy left to do Fuego too, so I decided against it. Yes, the Fuego hike gets you a lot closer to the eruptions, but in terms of the view it’s very similar from Base Camp. Just that Base Camp is further away. Trust me, if Fuego is erupting you won’t miss it from Base Camp!
I know that if I did hike Fuego, I would have been too tired to do the Acatenango summit hike the next morning. I have heard that some people manage to do all 3 (base camp, Fuego + sunrise summit) but I think most people choose between Fuego and the sunrise.
We went for the sunrise hike and it was honestly incredible! We woke up at 3.50am and left camp at 4am. It was definitely more of a scramble than a hike and a bit harder in the dark (this is where a good head torch is key!). It took around an hour I think – honestly I was so tired but dragged myself up there. The views were insane. Watching the sunrise over the volcanos was something I’ll never forget – alongside the cloud inversion and Fuego erupting at the same time. Literal bucket list moments. So for me, the sunrise hike cannot be missed.
Is it worth it?
During and straight after the hike, I was genuinely so happy for it to be over. I felt like it was one of those “ok I’ve done it, but I wouldn’t do it again” kinda things. However, since getting back home and having more time to reminisce on the experience, I think I would definitely do it again.
It also says it all as everyone I know who has done the hike, absolutely loved it too! It’s one of those experiences that is so worth the pain, struggle and tiredness. It makes it all feel worthwhile and even more special in a way.
If you haven’t already, take a look at my full Guatemala itinerary! I’ve also posted some guides for Antigua, Lake Atitlán and Tikal National Park. If you’re unsure what to pack for the hike, check out my full packing list so you feel prepared for the hike!