I want to start off this Acatenango Tour – 2 Days Wicho and Charlie’s Blog by saying: yes, the rumors you heard about this hike are true. Climbing Volcano Acatenango is not easy by any means and it is one of the physically and mentally most demanding things I’ve ever done. The first hour I questioned if I’d even make it. Now I am not trying to dissuade you from this hike yet only inform. Now ask me if it was worth it. 100% worth every step you take.
In this Acatenango Tour – 2 Days Wicho & Charlie’s Guatemala Blog I am going to go through exactly what it was like, how I felt, and why I thought the hike was worth it. I’ll also throw in some tips so you can be prepared for your own hike. You can find my talking points below:
- Why we chose Wicho & Charlie’s Overnight Acatenango Hiking Tour
- What’s Included
- Variable Factors That Can Affect Your Hike
- Physical Shape
- Altitude
- Backpack
- The Pre-Hike
- The Hike
- Hour 1 Hardest
- Hour 2-4 Medium
- Hour 5 Easiest
- Base Camp
- Additional Hikes: Acatenango Summit & Fuego
- Dinner at Basecamp
- Sleeping Arrangements
- Next Morning
- Sunrise Hike to Acatenango Summit
- Breakfast
- Descent Down Acatenango
Wicho & Charlie’s 2 Day Acatenango Tour
We chose to go through Wicho & Charlie’s Acatenango Tour for multiple reasons. They are a well known, reputable company so we felt secure going with them. This hike is not easy and can be dangerous, we felt that the Wicho & Charlie guides were very attentive and kept us safe.
Unlike many companies they carried the camping gear, and they provided food. They are also known for having a younger crowd which is nice because you spend a lot of time with the people. Overall, we felt like it was great quality for a lower price.
Variable Factors That Can Affect Your Acatenango Tour Hike
So you have probably read a few articles on what to expect when climbing Acatenango. I don’t blame you I read at least 10! The few differentiating factors about all the articles are the physical shape of the hiker, altitude effect of the hiker, and the weight of the hiker’s backpack.
Physical Shape
I traveled with a group of 6 people and half of them were college athlete alumni including myself . Faris and I worked out 5 days a week doing cardio and weight training for 3 straight months. I am not a regular hiker but I do consider myself in good shape.
I highly recommend training for this hike, you will thank yourself later I promise! I believe strengthening your legs should be a main consideration. Weighted stair climbers and exercises involving any sort of incline and cardio will also help you prepare!
Altitude
I will say the altitude plays a part. I felt myself become short a breath and slightly nauseous within the first 15 minutes. I did not feel it was super noticeable, I just felt exhausted quicker than I normally would.
Wicho & Charlie’s Website recommended being in Antigua for at least 24 hours before starting the hike. Antigua’s elevation is higher than other cities so this allows your body to get used to it.
I did purchase altitude vitamins. They are all natural so nothing extreme. They are said to help with breathing. I started taking them a few days before my trip and I believe they helped. I linked them above if you wanted to try them out.
Backpack
Your bag plays a HUGE part in this hike. I recommend packing the essentials but making your bag as light as possible. The first hour of the hike feels like you are going straight up and your bag is just trying to pull you straight down.
Faris and I are both photographers so we had to bring along camera gear which is heavy and bulky. I’d say my entire pack weighed about 30 lbs. I love having the pictures now but the weight was more than noticeable.
Wicho & Charlie’s has you bring at least 4 Liters of water which is almost 10 lbs alone, so definitely take this into consideration when packing your bag. I will create a packing list for this hike in one of my next blogs, stay tuned!
The Pre-Hike – Acatenango Tour
Rentable Gear from Wicho & Charlie’s
You are asked to meet at Wicho & Charlie’s office in Antigua about an hour before you take off for the hike. Here they give you breakfast and tell you everything you will need to know about the hike.
You can also rent gear here if you need to. They have everything under the sun: jackets, hats, gloves, boots, walking sticks, head lamps, water bottles, etc. You can check out their website to see everything available (linked above).
After breakfast is done they take you and about 20 others on one of their buses to the starting line of the hike; this is about a 40 minute drive. They give you a chance to use the restroom and buy water or rent a wooden walking stick. And then you begin your hike at 11 am.
The Hike – Acatenango Tour
The hike begins at 11 am off the side of a highway. Wicho and Charlie’s has a tent and a bathroom at the start and then up you go!
Hour 1
This is the hardest part of the hike for multiple reasons. The ground is pure sand and there is no shade from the mid-day Guatemala sun, not to mention the angle is at about 40 degrees.
I struggled during this part of the hike the absolute worst. I believe it was due to the full 4 liters of water in my bag, and the sun. I felt myself get out breath rather quickly.
Now this can be mentally scary because this is just the beginning of your 5 hour hike to basecamp. Don’t get discouraged you just need to make it past the first hour and then you can do it!
After the first hour you get to the park entrance booth where you have to pay Q50 ($6.54) This is also your last bathroom and water break.
Hours 2-4
Hours 2-4 are all quite similar. The ground is now harder and more stable and there is more shade from the trees. These hours are easier than the first but do not underestimate them.
The hardest part about these hours are the steep incline and just the constant climbing. My thighs were on fire at this point. Wicho & Charlie’s gives you snacks so make sure to keep your body fueled.
The guides stop every 15-20 minutes for a break. We also got about 30 minutes for lunch at 1:30 PM. Do note all the food provided is vegetarian so bring some high protein snacks with you.
Hour 5
This is the best hour of the hike! The ground starts to flatten and the hike becomes much easier in parts. By the end the hike is almost enjoyable!
The last 10 minutes is a small endeavor up to the actual base camp. It’s a pretty steep climb in sand. It’s really not anything too hard it’s just not nice to look at after 5 hours of climbing. On a positive note you can see the tents and lawn chairs! YOU CAN DO IT!
Base Camp – Acatenango Tour
The first sight of base camp is the absolute greatest! Such a big accomplishment to make it up the Volcano Acatenango. They have the tents set up along with a bonfire pit and lawn chairs for relaxing!
After about an hour of relaxing the guides ask for 1 liter of water per person for cooking dinner. Then they ask if you would like to go on another hike. There are two options: you can hike to the summit of Acatenango or the neighboring volcano Fuego.
My friend and I decided to stay at base camp and then hike to the summit of Acatenango for sunrise. Our legs were too “Jello-Y” for another hike. By this point it was evening and my body was done. Most people chose to go to Fuego (3 hours additional hiking) or the summit (2 hours additional hiking). There were only 3 others that stayed behind.
Add on Hike – Fuego
In addition to the Acatenango hike Wicho & Charlie’s offers an additional 3 hour sunset hike to the neighboring Volcano Fuego for Q200 ($27). This hike gets you as close to 150m from the exploding crater.
The other half of our friend group hiked Fuego and said it was like nothing they’ve ever seen before. The pictures make them look like they are in heaven!
Note you will need an extra liter of water and a headlamp for this hike.
Dinner at Base Camp
Once each group returned to basecamp after their additional hike the guides cooked us up huge plates of pasta! We definitely needed those carbs! They also made amazing hot chocolate with marshmellows for roasting. And wine if you would like to celebrate!
Sleeping Arrangements
There were four tents up and each one held a different number of people. We got the tent with room for seven. They had twin sized mattresses and, a pillow, and a negative degree sleeping bag.
Honestly I thought the sleeping arrangements were pretty good for sleeping on a volcano! You just have to get used to Fuego erupting every 20 minutes!
I wore leggings and a long sleeve to bed and I actually got warm with the sleeping bag it worked out just fine!
Next Morning – Acatenango Tour
The next morning started off very early with a 4 am hike to the Acatenango summit for sunrise, breakfast and then our way down!
Sunrise Hike to Acatenango Summit
Only about half of the group went on the Acatenango Summit hike. Most of them had done it the night before for sunset. Most of the people who came with us were the ones that did Fuego the night before.
The hike started off at 4 am, which is still dark so you will need a head lamp. You start at base camp and just trek up in a single line. The path is quite narrow for the beginning and is steep and sandy. It’s not the easiest but we really felt refreshed from an early night in and a good sleep. The hike truly was not bad because we had left some of our gear at base camp and only needed 1 liter of water.
The hike only took about an hour and a half. We spent some time at the summit taking pictures and staring at the view. This view made the hike absolutely worth it. I’ve never felt so on top of the world before this moment. This view just left me completely awestruck. I didn’t want to leave!
The pathway to the summit was actually quite steep so when it was time go we had to run down certain parts so that we would not slip. It only took us 20 minutes to get back to the basecamp.
Breakfast
Once we returned to the basecamp we got some oatmeal and coffee or tea. We sat around the bonfire and hung out with the others and enjoyed the last views! We packed up our gear and then got ready for the descent.
Descent Down Acatenango
Once we had all of our gear we formed a line and followed the guide down. Most of the pathways were quite steep so we wound up just running down the mountain. You couldn’t really help it because gravity pulls you down. Great hiking boots and walking sticks come in handy so you don’t slip.
Overall, the descent only took about 2 hours. After a long 24 hours it felt good being the people coming down rather than going up! Even though the descent is much easier it is very hard on your knees so just be careful. We were all very sore for the next few days because of this!
Once you make it down they have a group waiting for you and you can purchase water or a beer to celebrate!
Acatenango Tour – 2 Days Wicho & Charlie’s Guatemala Conclusion
I hope you enjoyed this Acatenango Tour – 2 Days Wicho & Charlie’s Guatemala Blog and it helps you prepare for your own hike! I 100% think the hard work is worth the views! My final thoughts and tips for this hike is to pack light, bring snacks, and bring good hiking boots! Feel free to leave a comment below if you have any other tips or questions!
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