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I arrived a day before. Today I changed the hotel and explored this lovely city of Antigua. From the next day its time to start gruelling back to bacl volcano climbs.
Day 2
Hike Pacaya Volcano and Cerro Grande (2561m)
In the morning I got straight to the task at hand: volcano trekking! I was driven to the trailhead of Pacaya National Park, laced up my hiking boots and hit the trail for what is an ideal acclimatisation trek. The route weaves first through steep dense forests and green slopes reaching the summit Cerro Grande (2561m), overlooking the imposing cone of Pacaya volcano (2552m). Though weather was relatively ok, every volcano has its own micro climate . It was very cloudy and windy at top and I could not see a thing . Next I had descended along the base and black flanks of Pacaya, through ancient lava fields formed by eruptions as recent as 2010. Geothermal hotspots can be found on the cooled lava formations. As a young active volcano, the summit of Pacaya is often closed for safety reasons by the local authorities so reaching the top is not always possible. However trekking this spectacular circuit route and getting close to it was equally rewarding. I headed back to Antigua for the evening: grabbed a beer and some classic Central American food from Antigua’s many street stalls, bars, restaurants and cafes, then rested up for my epic Acatenango climb tomorrow.
Day 3
Acatenango Volcano climb and overnight camp (3575m)
Grabbed a big breakfast in Antigua before driving for an hour to the trailhead at La Soledad. This was a challenging climb up the imposing Acatenango slopes, but the reward at the top will be more than worth the effort! We started through farmland and small villages, before ascending steeply into a beautiful cloud forest. This is an area of high biodiversity, home to the famous Quetzal bird. There was sweeping views of the highlands and neighbouring volcanoes:, the perfect time for a picnic on the volcano slopes. We continued up through temperate forest until we reached our private camp spot at 3750m above sea level. We then enjoy dinner around the campfire and hopefully the show of a lifetime, the continuously erupting Fuego Volcano (just 4km away) belching fumes and lava into the night sky.
Day 4
Summit Acatenango Volcano (3976m) at sunrise
I did not sleep well at that altitude. I woke up early before sunrise to complete the hour-long hike to the top of Acatenango at 3976m. The final stretch to the summit along scree and sand becomes steeper and loose underfoot but once at the top efforts were worth repaid by sweeping 360-degree views of the entire Guatemalan highlands, all the way to the border of Mexico. It was clear but very cold and windy with no shelter from the wind. I stayed a long time took card full of pictures then did a circle around the top of crater. Next, I descended through several different micro-climates as you lose altitude. On the way down I became seperated from the group and lost the trail. I went further down and then need to ask locals for the direction , finally my Garmin saved the day as I could trace back my steps. Back at the trailhead, we jumped in the van and head towards Guatemala’s second largest city, Quetzaltenango – also known by its Mayan name, Xela. Check into your hotel and enjoy a free evening in this lively city. In the evening we went for a Pizza place and later stayed for few drinks in a pub.
Day 5
Hike Chicabal Volcano (2845m) and relax in natural hot springs
Next up is my third volcano, Chicabal. There is a one hour drive to reach Laguna Seca where the hike begins. This summit is an easier hike taking me up to a sacred site in the Guatemalan highlands, to a mystical lagoon that sits within the crater of Chicabal volcano. The site represents the centre of the cosmos for the Mam Maya, and traditional ceremonies sometimes take place at the lake. First we went to the top with a view of crater and lagoon and then we descended down to the crater. From lagoon there are 1000’s of steps to come back to the trail. I also found time to do a circular walk around the lagoon.
After descending from the volcano there is a short journey to Fuentes Georginas to bathe in the natural hot springs before returning to Xela for the evening.
In the evening we went to a traditional restrurant for traditional Guatemalan food.
Day 6
Tajumulco Volcano – Camp site (3965m )
Another early start and a three-hour drive to San Sebastian, close to the Mexican border, sets the base for your climb up Tajumulco, Guatemala’s highest volcano and the highest point in Central America. Today is a long day with around five hours of hiking. There are beautiful forest trails and pine-studded ridges on the way to our campsite for the night.
We slept at approximately 3965m above sea level – but not just yet. From the camp, the volcano summit is a steep 30-minute climb, topping out at 4220m. The weather was pretty bad , it was continuously raining with no visibility . We decided to attempt the summit next morning to see sunrise. Another awesome night of wild volcano camping with bonfire to keep us warm.
Day 7
Summit Tajumulco Volcano – Central America’s Highest Point and Descend Tajumulco and drive to Lake Atitlan (4220m)
It was battering wind throughout night and no visibility so summit attempt was cancelled for the group. However I decided to skip breakfast and tool a local guide to summit. It was bit of scrambling to the top but was worth.
I am officially on top of Central America! I came down to camp site and quickly started walking down to make my descent down Tajumulco as everyone were waiting for us . We did not have to descend down to trailhead as there were jeep waiting for us to take us to the trailhead as we had a long journey ahead of us.
We had a long drive to recover on, with a lunch stop en route , through the Guatemalan highlands to spectacular Lake Atitlán. U took a boat across the lake from Panajachel to your lakeside eco-hotel in the small but lively town of San Pedro
The rest of the evening is free to relax and enjoy this special place. Roamed into town and lied in a hammock and bask in the views of water and fire – lake and volcanoes all around you.
Day 8
Hike up San Pedro Volcano (2988m)
This adventure wasn’t over yet! Today was my fifth and final volcano: Volcán San Pedro.
After breakfast beside the lake, I took a short transfer to the trailhead. Experienced your final epic hike through a cloud forest, with sweeping highland vistas and spectacular views back down towards Lake Atitlán. At approximately 3000m, San Pedro volcano is no baby, but it’s a fitting place to end my volcano hiking adventure in Guatemala. Back in San Pedro, we went out with your fellow adventurers and guides for a night of celebration!
Day 9
Unwind at Lake Atitlan and head back to Antigua
Congratulations , I had summited five volcanoes in a week! I went for Kayaking in the morning, latter during the day I walked to visit the neighbouring village of San Juan, the perfect place to shop for traditional handicrafts and souvenirs.
Early afternoon we started out journey back to Antigua for a final evening. It was a night of celebraion we were drinking till 3 am . A very well spent week.