My experience hiking Acatenango in Guatemala

Hiking the volcano Acatenango has blown up on social media the last few years. And as an avid hiker, I have to warn you: THIS HIKE IS HARD. I hiked it back in 2023 and I trained for it lightly for a few months. That being said, it still pushed me way more than I thought.

Here’s some of my main considerations if you are thinking about doing this hike:

1. You will be climbing straight up and straight down the whole time.

   You gain 4,000 ft in 4 miles, roughly 1,000ft/mile. And that’s just to base camp! You will easily add an additional 3,000 feet of gain if you decide to hike up to Fuego or the top of Acatenango the next morning.

   I am an avid hiker and this is a hard hike even in normal conditions! But at altitude (starting at 8,000 ft above sea level and ending at 12,000 ft above sea level), it’s even harder. If you have not hiked at altitude before, the only way to describe it as like walking on the moon. You move slower, you feel off, and you are just a tad disoriented. If you are sensitive to elevation changes like myself, I highly recommend bringing altitude meds if you can get them, lots of Ibuprofen, and ginger gum/chews. You are probably going to have to force yourself to eat and drink water if you are not feeling good.

   I did okay on the hike, but once I reached base camp I had a massive headache and felt off. Once I got down the next day I felt better. However, I experienced something I had never experienced before: delayed altitude sickness. About 4-5 hours after I got back down to Antigua, I ended up puking a lot. This was a new one for me!

   Give yourself at least a few days in Antigua before attempting this hike to try and keep yourself as healthy as possible.

2. You will pass through multiple types of terrain, including really dusty volcano dirt. It will be in your nose, ears, and also make it even harder to bike.

   If you have never hiked on quick moving sand/dirt, then be prepared to get frustrated. There is nothing like trying to climb as fast as possible and slide down and lose your progress. It didn’t last for too long on this hike, but I do remember the volcano dust really affecting my ability to breathe and it was truly on ever corner of my face when I finished the hike.

3. You won’t sleep.

   If you haven’t slept at altitude before, it’s brutal. You’re exhausted but you just can’t sleep. I also shared a hut with 6 other girls when I did this hike. I do think camp options have expanded since I did this hike, but just know that you may not have a private area to yourself to sleep in. Do your research and pick a good company if this is important to you.

4. There will be people less prepared than you. Do not care. Do not let them push you.

   When I showed up the morning of the, I had hiking boots on, hiking poles, and extra equipment for safety reasons. There will be a backpacker that shows up in converse with no water, and you know that, ignore them! I had multiple people be unprepared and push themselves too hard during the hike, and they paid for it at the top. One guy was like running up and down with his kids, and once he got to camp, he had such bad stomach issues that he literally ruined the toilet for everyone (yeah - that can happen!) Ignore people that are not taking it seriously, and remind yourself this is a hard hike!

5. You may have clouds, and that’s okay! Normally they will move throughout the night and into the new morning so you can see stuff eventually. I had a massive thunderstorm and hail storm while I was there and it was still magical.

6. You will feel the earth rumble every time lava shows. It is a weird feeling at night! But you get used to it.

View of Fuego as you are hiking up

Now to the good parts:

1. This was one of the most incredible things I ever did. It was hard, and I don’t think I would do it again. But a once in a lifetime experience.

2. The tour guide companies are very well trained and can handle anything. They also make pretty decent food and give you fun snacks. The whole tour was pretty seamless. I do wish looking back I had picked a tour for slightly older folks (30+ years old), instead of going with backpackers so I didn’t have 18 years running ahead of the group.

3. I am really glad I took it seriously so I mentally knew what I was getting myself into. It’s uncomfortable and that’s okay! Nothing comfortable is ever as fun.

4. You can choose your own adventure. I decided to sit out on hiking Fuego and to the top of Acatenango since I wasn’t feeling well. And staying at base camp was still just as cool!

Still interested? Check out the company I completed my hike with here.

(I will earn a small commission if you book the hike through this link.)

Drinking coffee with one of the camp dogs in the morning

Lava exploding from Fuego during a hail storm

Have questions about the hike? Shoot me an email!