Acatenango Volcano Tour with Overnight from Antigua

Posted By : Benjo816
This is run by the company Ox which is well organised, safe and has all the equipment you need. They provided us with coats, bags, gloves and ponchos in case of rain. The pace of the trek was spot on. Not too difficult, but didn't feel like we were hanging around. For some context, I'm 44 years old. We were in a group of around 25 of us, but it doesn't feel crowded. Everyone on the hike made it up and down with no issues. The hike itself is pretty tough, but doable and well worth it! At the top you stay in cabins which have a glass front facing the volcano. This turned out to be perfect as when the volcano erupted at 1.30am, we had a front view straight from waking up. Didn't have to miss anything by crawling out of the door or tent etc. If you do this hike, I hope you're lucky with the clouds. There's not much you can do about the clouds obscuring your view. We were lucky that the cloud moved during the night so we could see and hear the amazing Fuego eruptions. You can pay extra to walk over and back to Fuego. The people that did that said it was enjoyable and tough, but unfortunately they didn't see anything due to clouds. I stayed back at camp and enjoyed the volcano view by the fire. Tip: take loads of snacks! The food was tasty, but not a huge amount. Most of the country is gluten free, but for some reason they used pasta for the meals. I'm not gluten free, but some people had issues, so not sure why they don't provide gluten free food. I think the guy thought gluten free meant no meat as he just provided refried beans without eggs and without tuna and chicken :) In the morning at 4am you can climb to the summit. I began this climb, but turned back as I preferred to watch the volcano erupting from the camp. The people that climbed up missed the night time eruptions as by the time they got to the top the cloud was back. However, if you've already seen the eruptions, then the climb will be well worth it. I'm sad I missed out on climbing the summit, but happy with my choice of seeing the eruptions which is once in a lifetime. I'd like to thank all the porters and guides for their help! They were a very friendly bunch and made the trip enjoyable! We will never forget this experience!
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Posted On : 2024-04-27

Posted By : C1356GLandyt
Ive been twice now on the double whammy to fuego/acatenango. Once solo and this time around with my wife and a good friend. I highly recommend Ox. They are well organized and the tour guides (both times ive gone now) Miguel and Alonso are awesome humans. Im glad that they represent Antigua and Guatemala as a whole well (for some it may be their only experience in Guate). The hike is pretty difficult, I was a prior military member and my friend had mountaineered and lead people in the infantry and its certainly a challenging hike even by our standards. You can get by doing it with sneakers and jeans but no doubt you have to have some heart. Most average hikers wouldnt hack it with minimal gear. The porters do it with minimal gear daily and I had a member of our group do it in jeans and sneakers. But its substantially harder than it needs to be and the member with just the sneakers didnt go up Fuego which in my opinion is the hardest segment of the hike (they did however summit Acatenango). So it can be done but ill re emphasize it may be one of the harder things to do if done with just sneakers/minimal gear Sticks are highly recommended too. We had a couple do it without sticks, but they were from Switzerland and despite their modest appearance they seemed pretty experienced/fit with backpacking. This is why Ox (I think) is pretty well run. The pre hike brief may seem long and redundant but its pretty important for anyone doing it. Also I think its good to know, youre doing this hike with 20-25 other people, the human element is at play too. Even for the most introverted members of the group you do feed off of eachother. Alonso and Miguel do a really good job of managing that and are up front but friendly with the questions the group asls Overall this is my second time doing it. Ill probably be doing it again. Be prepared its a long day if you do all the hikes, easily an aggregate of about 12 hours moving all day and early wake up times. Ox provides all the food and their team of guys is proffessional and positive (seriously underrated). Miguel and Alonso both love their jobs, and it shows. Its refreshing to be around people like that and the guides along with the staff at Ox do a great job of preparing you. If I have 1 qualm its that prior to arriving it was hard to reach the front desk by phone. That being said their email times pretty responsive. Definitely recommend for any adventurous souls. Great time even although it was hard.
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Posted On : 2024-04-23

Posted By : jeremydO7042GQ
Ali, Rolando, Gilmer, and Pewis were amazing guides. We couldn’t have done it without their help and encouragement. When people say it is a hard hike… they mean it. Only 1/3 of our group ended up doing the sunrise portion to get to the top of Acatenango. Ox was great about making sure we had all the necessary equipment and clothing to borrow.
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Posted On : 2024-04-23

Posted By : W3470VZleahc
We did the double whammy—both Acatenango and Fuego, and would highly recommend them! Ali was a great guide, providing all the information and encouragement we needed to complete these strenuous hikes. He and the other local guides set a perfect pace to keep everyone in our group together and in good spirits. Ali is very knowledgeable about the history of the volcanoes, we learned a lot from him! We would highly recommend him and OX Expeditions! Our group was very lucky with good visibility and lots of activity from Fuego, truly a trip of a lifetime!
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Posted On : 2024-04-19

Posted By : Chessi H
We did the overnight acatenango and fuego volcanoes double whammy 17th and 18th of April. We had an amazing time. It was incredibly well organized, we had a great group. The food was amazing and we will never forget the fantastic views that we saw. Our guide Ali was very knowledgeable with interesting facts as well as being a fantastic guy and fun guide. We got porters to carry our bags up (Q200) and it was worth it. It is a challenging climb with lots of loose soil and unsteady footing in places. I would recommend being fit and steady on your feet to do this hike. Ali and our local guides (Gilmer, Rolando and Pewis) set a great pace, keeping us moving, motivating us but also with regular breaks. There are shops on the first half of the ascent where you can buy drinks, snacks and a face covering for the dust (which I would recommend). Our guides were very good at telling us when the last shop would be so we could prepare for the climb ahead. We heard fuego erupting as we approached our camp which was exciting and rewarding after the hard climb. Our accommodation was great. We were staying in a cabin hand built by our guide Ali and we could see fuego erupting whilst lying in our beds. They were more comfortable than I was expecting, where there was a cushioned mattress rather than just a roll mat. The hike to fuego (add on for double whammy) was brilliant, we watched fuego erupting as the sun set and shared some rum. The climb up and down from this was difficult with loose soil and skree but I would recommend it. Sharing food and drinks at the camp whilst fuego erupted in the background was something we will never forget and the sunrise was second to none. 10/10.
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Posted On : 2024-04-18

Posted By : Traveler39582322320
The views were Amazing!! Swing a volcano go off is quite something. Specially, in such raw natural setting. Ali was incredible keeping us informed, at a good pace, and with all the organization! Superb!!
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Posted On : 2024-04-18

Posted By : Jennie_H
Great tour from start to finish. Briefing the day before was very clear, we could rent all of the equipment, and then the hike itself was fantastic. The guides paced it well and the hike was the right amount of challenging. The hike up Fuego is a must if you have the legs - views from the top are amazing. Would highly recommend this.
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Posted On : 2024-04-16

Posted By : 707emmanuelam
Amazing company and team. Highly recommend ! The guides took such good care of us and encouraged everyone to get up the volcano. Camp was nice as well
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Posted On : 2024-04-16

Posted By : Asher97
What a unique experience! This is a must-do if you have time in Antigua! This experience is so rewarding- the hike is quite a hustle, and you get more options to push harder and reap the rewards of that! I consider myself an experienced hiker and backpacker and this was a good effort! It was hard and totally worth it! Hiking to base camp alone is worth it, and you'll get the option to go to Fuego and Acatenango Summit in addition. Our guide, Miguel, was knowledgeable and spoke English. He is also well-experienced but not too soft on you- he'll push you just the right amount. Take their recommendations seriously- they know what they are doing!
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Posted On : 2024-04-14

Posted By : Joshua H
Amazing trip from start to finish. Ali was a star, looking after us throughout even though we were lagging at the back and struggling. The local guides and porters are super, I would highly recommend getting one unless you’re incredibly fit and pack light! We were a bit nervous beforehand but Ox are really well organised and professional. Thanks again.
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Posted On : 2024-04-13