Richard Watts

I tried booking in for the tour, and on a Wednesday, I was the only person booked in. On Thursday, there were 18 of us!
Meeting at the Whico & Charlie’s tour place at 7:30, picked up some kit and had breakfast. Needless to say there was an Aussie couple on the tour, and a dutchie I’d met in Utila, so we had a natter while we waited to leave.
We left at 9am and we walking by 10:10, off up the side of a sleeping volcano.
Acatenango sits at about 3970m above sea level, and this is the best place to get a good look at Volcán de Fuego, the very active volcano which has caused all the trouble near Antigua. The bottom of the climb is 2300m, so a fair whack of climbing, and it would be the highest I would have been so far!
The first half was pretty easy with some steep sections, but all pretty much a path of volcanic ash. We stopped half way to base camp for lunch and then plodded on. Not much to see apart from fur trees and a sandy path, but got chatting to some people and all was good.
The nice surprise came about 45 minutes from the camp, we turned a corner onto a straight bit path and there was Fuego, blowing off some stream as if it knew we were coming. We had an awesome view of Agua too from here and everyone was get pictures of themselves up a tree. A dead sketchy tree on the side of a steep hill, I opted out!
Basecamp was reached and everyone was pretty happy. The view was awesome and the last little goat trail patch was out of the way. That climb was easier than the Agua hike by a mile, but we hadn’t summited yet, another 400m of up to go!
The guides decided that our best chance at a view was to go the same day, so everyone got ready to with warm clothes and torches, I had all the kit, but I was not quite prepared for the climbs to the summit!
It started on some steep rough walking paths with the occasional exposed section. It then quite quickly turned in to open hill side of boot packed ash. The only thing I can liken it too is a mountain with snow on it. Very similar, except dark grey an a bit slippy. My vertigo was getting twitchy! About another 10 minutes of that and then it turned into a scramble. Everyone else had walking sticks, I was quite glad I didn’t at this point. The main panic cake for me when, in sight of the summit, we had to scramble along a ridge with a 100m drop off to the right. I couldn’t look and started to dread the thought of walking down. I think my long legs helped me, along with the adrenaline, a last push to the top and I was third up after the guide and someone else who wanted to see the back of the climb. The view from the top was pretty special and there were some high fives going round as the last section was nuts!
On top of the sleeping beast, there’s a crater with an ash shelter, for if you get cause out. The peak is also the other side to Fuego, so walking around the crater is where the view was. The pictures speak for themselves, a awesome view of Agua and the clouds, and of course, Fuego. We spent about 45 minutes on the top before the dreaded decent back to base camp. Once again, I was not looking for to this! In reality, it was so much fun! We quite literally ran down the side of the volcano. It was a big ash field and was just like running down sand dunes. The 45 minute hike to the top was now only a ten minute run back to the camp before sundown, for hot chocolate and food.
It wasn’t long before the evening turned to night and the storm started. The camp being perched on the side of a steep hill at 3500m, you are really up in he clouds. It was loud and went on all night till 5am when the sun started coming up. The best thing I saw, when everyone else had gone to bed, was three bolts of lightening all converging to hit the top of Fuego, at the same point. It happened twice, pretty spectacular! We also saw a very small eruption, a little lava goes anting way!
In the morning, we headed aback down at 6:45 and it was all fairly dull until a couple of us decided to run down. The paths were slippy and it was just easier, and a lot more fun. There was also beer at the bottom 😋
I’m glad I did, definitely something I’ll not forget in a hurry.Read more