I have spent over six months backpacking in Asia, Central America and Europe, and this is comfortably my greatest travel experience so far.
The base of Volcan Acatenango is located only an hour’s drive from the spectacular city Antigua. I highly recommend spending at least a few days here either before or after. Antigua is comprised of colourful Spanish colonial buildings, surrounded by volcanoes, and filled with the aroma of fresh coffee. If you’ve been travelling for a while and craving some home comforts, it is also home to one of the most spectacular McDonalds I have ever witnessed.
My Acatenango hike was organised though ‘Tropicana Hostel’. I have only good things to say about them and the tour in general, it was seamlessly organised and the staff were not only accommodating, but really fun.
As part of the price, you get a night’s accommodation with the hostel in Antigua. The next morning, free breakfast is served at 7:30, and the shuttle leaves the hostel for the volcano base at 8:00 sharp. Before 10:00 you set off up the mountain in a group of about 50. All you need to carry is your lunch, water and any extra layers, luckily all sleeping and cooking supplies are already at the top of the volcano. Considering the high altitude and how steep and at times unrelenting the hike is, this is a life saver.
If you’re backpacking solo do not worry, this is a great activity for meeting people. Everyone I met was very friendly, and nothing quite bonds a group like a shared experience, particularly one as remarkable and exhausting as this one.
The hike takes about five hours, and being completely honest, every minute of that is up-hill. However, don’t be put off, there is a short break every 500m and a half hour lunch stop, so it is definitely manageable. I did this hike when I was in the pits of my physical fitness… the Honduran community I had been immersed in for the six months prior were massive fans of fatty foods, and not so keen on vegetables and exercise. Additionally, anyone who has any social smoking tendencies be warned… backpacking will get you smoking at least 10 a day. Despite this, I found the hike very doable, so I trust you to be fine too!
You should expect to arrive at camp by about 3:00 PM. Here is when everything becomes worth it… weather depending, you should now be able to take in the life-changing views of Volcano Fuego erupting – something which to my complete surprise hap pens every 30 minutes!
The afternoon and evening are where the group really comes together – you have dinner around the campfire, followed by hot chocolate and marshmallows – it is like a primary school trip in the most wonderful way. The growing togetherness reaches its peak as you settle in for bed – about six people will share a cabin, and due to the fact that it is absolutely freezing, you end up snuggled up for dear life. As night falls you get to see the volcanic eruption far clearer, with the lava now burning bright red, illuminating the black sky around it.
The feeling you get when you swim in a cold, empty ocean, or look at a starry sky, the realisation that nothing really matters, that your time on the earth is fleeting and inconsequential, I had never felt this as deeply as I did while watching this volcano erupt. I could have sat and watched it for hours, unable to think about anything other than that red liquid exploding into the sky.
Sadly, it is important that you try and get a little bit of sleep as you will be woken up at 4:00 AM to walk for a further 2 hours, directly upwards to the summit at almost 4,000m. Here you will witness the sunrise, and commence the impossible venture of ever seeing anything so beautiful again.
The walk down the Volcano is far quicker, you will be back at the base being picked up by a shuttle bus by 10 AM; exhausted, and desperately trying to process the unbelievable experience you just had. This experience was the time that I have felt the most alive, and been the most grateful to witness the world and its wonders.