Your Complete Guide To An Ethical Experience Hiking Acatengango

Please note that I was not paid to promote Wicho & Charlie’s. I found them online and was thrilled with their services after completing the hike with them.

Most backpackers exploring Guatemala have heard of the famous Acatenango volcano, standing at 13,044 feet tall. Acatenago isn’t famous for its height, or even it’s dynamic and various ecosystems. What it is famous for is its climbability. Once folks find out that you can climb Acatenago to watch the Volcán de Fuego spew lava, they’re hooked. And so was I. With my time in Guatemala running out, I knew that I wanted to summit the volcano and have a night that I would never forget.

What To Know Before Hiking Acatenango

And forget it I wouldn’t. From altitude sickness to high elevations, Acatenango can be intimidating for even the most enthusiastic of hikers. Fear not, because I am here to break it all down for you. In this blogpost we will talk about what the Acatengano experience consists of, which tour group to book your hike with, how much it costs, what gear to bring, what the climb is like, and more.

Acatenagno Elevation

If you reach the summit of Acatenango you’ll be standing at 13,044 feet, or 3,976 meters. That’s a long way up! From there you have the best seat in the house to watch Volcán de Fuego, who puts on an explosive show every so often. Acatenango is also an active volcano, but the last eruption was back in 1972. 

Acatenango Altitude Sickness

Due to the elevation of Acatenango, many people experience altitude sickness. I was no exception. I’m taking about this at the beginning of this guide because it is something that you’ll need to prepare for in advance, and doing so can transform your whole experience for the better.

Besides the difficulty of your foot sliding back two steps every time you took one step forward, altitude sickness made this hike incredibly challenging for me. For those of you who tangle with altitude sickness, be sure to take altitude sickness pills well in advance for this hike (you can find them in the pharmacies in Antigua or at hostels) and try to climatize yourself by staying in Antigua for at least 48 hours before the hike. Ditching alcohol and upping your water intake before and during the hike is helpful as well.

Altitude Sickness Symptoms

While altitude sickness is often felt in the body through headaches, insomnia, reduced performance, vomiting and lack of coordination, it mentally affected me too. Experiencing altitude sickness sends a wave of panic and sometimes a feeling of doom through me, so be sure to breathe through it and let someone know how you’re feeling.

Travel Insurance & Acatengao Volcano Hike

For backpacking trips abroad and embarking on adventures such as Acatenango, I always recommend getting travel insurance before hand. As a twenty something year old discovering the world on a shoestring budget this was never something that I did, but once you’re on the road long enough you learn that sooner or later we all need a little support, and being covered upfront is a way to do that without draining your bank account. I use SafetyWing for all of my travels because I’ve found their policies to be the most affordable and their service to be incredibly flexible (you can purchase travel insurance even if you’ve already started your trip) and user friendly.

Is The Acatenango Hike Hard?

Let me start off by saying that climbing acatenago is no joke. I’m a pretty healthy person who hikes regularly weather I am traveling or at home (I live on the side of a mountain in a nautral building), but this hike still challenged me to the max. It’s a full day’s worth of adventure, and it usually starts around 8 AM in the morning.

You can listen to my podcast episode on climbing Acatenango here.

The whole process usually looks like this: meet up at your tour agency’s site, borrow/buy gear, drive to the volcano, hike straight up for 5-7 hours (there are three different levels that you pass through), reach the top, and then either go on more strenuous hikes to get closer to the explosions or rest at base camp. You’ll most likely have the option to hike closer or hike higher up acatenago for an even steeper sunset view. I decided not to do either of those options and rested my weary bones at basecamp instead. 

To be honest, at first I was scared that I was missing out on something, but eventually I was really satisfied with my choice. While others were pushing their bodies to the max, I was enjoying plant-based hot chocolate around a campfire with good company, new friends, and our own epic sunset view.

After hikers get back from their night hikes, the whole group eats dinner together and then some folks try to get some sleep while others stay up to watch the explosions. For those who have never seen a volcano erupt before at night, it is a magical sight that you will surely never forget. The view is twenty times better and clearer at night. During the day you just see black smoke coming off of the top of the volcano, while at night you get to gaze upon the orange, yellow, and red lava that shoots into the air and then slides down the sides. It is worth missing some presious sleep over. And trust me, I love sleep!

What Happens After You Reach Basecamp

In the morning you can either wake up with the rest of the group to eat breakfast and then hike down, or you can wake up espeically early to hike to the top of acatenago and watch volcanic explosions mix with the sunrise. Although I hardly slept at night and didn’t know if I would even be able to complete our hike to basecamp, I figured that I had already come so far and decided to push myself for the sunrise hike. Although I wanted to quit, once again, I pushed my body to the max and was rewarded with a truly once-in-a-lifetime view.

Is The Acatenango Hike Dangerous?

The Unexpected Challenge Of Hiking Downhill

This isn’t where it ends, though. Once you’re about to head down the mountain, you may be thinking, “ahhh… this is where it gets easy”. You would be wrong. My excitement to go back down the volcano quickly eroded when I realized just how challenging the decent would be. My knees quickly came under attack due to the steep and slippery decent that I was facing.

If you have knee, ankle, foot, or joint problems, consider hopping in the back of a pickup truck for the ride back down to the buses. Talk to your tour guides ahead of time to arrange this service.  This actually felt like the most dangerous part of the hike to me due to all of the opportunities to get quickly injured.

Once you’re at the bottom you might just feel the best (besides the soreness) than you ever had in your life. The views, memories, and challenges that you will face with this hike are unforgettable. Your soreness and stiffness for the coming days will be a strong reminder of your trip as well!

The Best Tour Groups, Companines And Guides For Hiking Acatenango

Now let’s get into the technical details. I decided to book this hike with Wicho & Charlie’s because I found lots of other travel bloggers recommending them online. After taking a look at their policies and learning more abou them, I was hooked. Not only does Wicho & Charlie provide 100% plant-based meals to protect nonhuman animals in the planet, they also pay their guides living wages and donate to local animal sanctuaries as well. They were the only company that I could find that was going above and beyond to care for animals, the land around them, and their guides/workers. I still feel like they were the best possible company to do this tour with. 

You can listen to my podcast episode with one of the founders of Wicho & Charlie’s here.

Is Acatenango Expensive?

There are some costs to consider when doing this hike. First of all, you will have to decide which company to book with, if you don’t go with Wicho & Charlie’s, and compare prices yourself. Each company has different fees for the hike. Our hike through Wicho & Charlie’s costed around $75 USD per person when staying in a shared structure at night.

On top of that, we paid less than a dollar for altitude sickness pills, and around $15 USD for extra rentals because we did not have warm clothing. Many folks may end up wanting to tip their tour guide after the hike for all of the hard work that is required to carry out their jobs successfully, so be sure to bring some extra cash to leave behind. On top of that you may have to consider transport getting to and from the Wicho & Charlie’s (or other tour company) office from your stay. 

If you decide to load up on snacks ahead of time that will cost you some pocket change, but the meals served through Wicho & Charlie’s were delicious, nutritious, and filling. You are also able to take some bread, fruit, and even create your own granola in the morning at the Wicho & Charlie’s station for free before heading out. I personally did not feel like brining my own extra snacks was needed!

Gear Required For Hiking Acatenango

If you have hiking shoes bring them with you because you’re going to need them. Wicho & Charlie’s only has a few different sizes of hiking shoes and boots to rent out, so don’t depend on them for your hiking boot needs. Many folks, like myself, did the hike in normal sneakers but probably suffered a bit from that decision. In addition to that, bring any camera gear that you have and an extra battery pack if possible. There are no charging stations at basecamp. And don’t forget your own toilet paper and change of under layers!

Wicho & Charlie’s provides some of following items for hikers included in their ticket and some at an additional cost, but the following gear can be found at Wicho & Charlie’s for your use:

• Hiking backpacks of various sizes
• Hiking poles
• Scarves, gloves, hats, coats, jackets, warm pants and more
• Headlamps 
• Water bottles + filtered water

Is The Acatenango Hike Worth It?

Although this hike was one of the biggest physical challenges that I have ever undertaken, I don’t regret a second of it. Hiking Acatenago to watch Fuego explode is a cherished memory that I’ll always be raving about. I truly believe that embarking on the journey with Wicho & Charlie’s made my hike as supportive, feasible, ethical, and special as possible.