El Fuego is one of the most active volcanoes in the world. To see it in action, we climbed its dormant neighbor, Acatenango. From its summit, a unique spectacle awaited us: El Fuego, in all its fury and splendor.
Saturday, May 6, 2023
For our ascent of Acatenango, everything was well planned. We had specifically chosen Saturday night, which was supposed to be clear. We had also chosen a small, local, family-run agency to accompany us. What we hadn’t planned for? The violent eruption of Fuego three days before our climb 🤯 Three days! El Fuego is usually very active, spewing lava and ash several times per hour. But this time, it was a real eruption—the kind that makes the news in France and forces the evacuation of nearby villages.
That Thursday, when we heard about the eruption from Lake Atitlán, where we had been enjoying peaceful days, we were convinced that our ascent was off. We contacted the agency, but to our surprise: no change of plans, we were still climbing on Saturday as scheduled. Good or bad idea? That’s what we were about to find out! In the late afternoon, we drove toward the village of San José Calderas, nestled at the foot of Acatenango. Its highest peak rises to 3,880 meters above sea level. Tomorrow night, we’ll be up there!
In the village, we meet Catalino, who runs the local agency Asoava. The place is bustling—children are running, a baby is crying, cats are meowing, women are busy, and men are tinkering. We know we’ve landed in the right place. Dozens of agencies share the “Fuego pie,” and we’re glad to have found a truly small-scale agency that employs local guides. Catalino opens the gates of the village’s soccer field, where we can camp for the night and leave the Jeep until Monday. The place is quiet and overrun with dogs. Acatenango towers over us, so close yet so far!
Sunday, May 7
At 8:30 a.m., we’re at Catalino’s, all set. We each have 3 liters of water, two meals provided by the agency, and warm clothes in our backpacks. We meet the two guides, Fernando and Andres, and the seven other travelers joining us: a Belgian, two couples from Quebec, and a couple from the Czech Republic. In the minibus taking us to the trailhead, we chat happily together.
Then, it’s off for a 5-hour climb up the slopes of Acatenango. No time for warm-up; it’s a steep climb right from the first few meters. We move slowly along a very steep trail that goes straight up the sides of the volcano. There are a lot of people! In the first few kilometers, there are even traffic jams when we cross paths with groups coming down. Some of these groups are as large as 35 people! At that moment, despite the crowds on the trail, we’re really glad to be part of our small group of 9.
We take breaks every fifteen minutes. We’ve packed as light as possible, but the backpacks are still heavy on our shoulders. We lighten them a bit during the noon break, enjoying the excellent and hearty meal prepared by the agency: rice with ratatouille and a chicken patty. Then we resume the climb. After 4 hours of walking, a curve in the trail allows us to catch our first glimpse of El Fuego. The excitement builds, we can feel we’re getting closer to the goal. Its perfect cone rises toward the sky. Everything seems calm.
We arrive at the agency’s base camp just after 2:30 p.m. From the camp, the view of Fuego is breathtaking! It stands before us, closer than we imagined. Incredible! 😍 To the west, another volcano rises above the clouds: Agua. We’re all exhausted from the climb and are thrilled to discover our quarters for the night: small cabins with two bunk beds. There are so few of us that we get an entire cabin to ourselves. Perfect, we’ll have plenty of space to spread out as we please 😅
We all settle together in the sun, facing the giant. And we wait. We wait. Our eyes are fixed on the summit of Fuego. We’re not entirely sure what we’re waiting for, but we know something is going to happen. After all, we’re facing Fuego—it’s bound to happen!
After a few minutes, the first eruption: a cloud of smoke silently escapes from the crater and rises into the sky. Everyone is in awe. Beautiful! Over the next two hours, we witness several eruptions, some more significant than others. Lots of smoke, but no lava.
At 4:30 p.m., the sun begins its descent toward the horizon. For us, the day is far from over. We have the opportunity to get closer to Fuego— to climb its slopes and admire it from even closer. It seems incredible, knowing how violently it can erupt. But we’re motivated. The chance to see such an active volcano up close won’t come around again anytime soon! It’s just the three of us, with a guide, setting off for an additional 3 hours of walking. First, a 45-minute descent down the slopes of Acatenango, then 45 minutes of climbing up the slopes of El Fuego. After the 5 hours of walking we’ve already done, it’s no easy task!
We stop on a ridge of Fuego, just a few dozen meters below its smoking crater. If we thought we were close to the volcano from the camp, what about now! 😲 The view is incredible. Behind us, Acatenango, where we can make out the camps of the different agencies. To the west, Agua, with the shadow of Fuego towering over it. To the east, the three volcanoes of Lake Atitlán, their peaks piercing through the clouds, and even farther, the Santa María we climbed a few days earlier. All these volcanoes are bathed in the glowing light of the setting sun. The scene is breathtaking.
Accompanied by the other groups, we settle on the wind-sheltered side of the slope. From there, we witness an incredible sunset. The last rays linger on the volcano summits before disappearing behind the clouds, plunging the landscape into shadow. We’re freezing, but more than anything, we’re in awe. Then the waiting begins. We’re all here to witness a Fuego eruption up close. So we focus on its crater. As soon as smoke escapes from it, everyone cheers, gasps, whistles, and claps in amazement.
As night falls, hope grows. We eagerly wait for the lava to burst from the crater. But nothing. The more time passes, the more hope fades. El Fuego sleeps peacefully. Only smoke occasionally escapes from its crater. A few glowing points of lava sparkle at the summit, but that’s all we’ll get tonight 🫤
What a disappointment as we begin the journey back to camp. Fuego, usually so active and offering several spectacular eruptions per hour… Tonight, it didn’t give us much. An hour and a half later, we arrive back at base camp, exhausted. The climb back was tough! We find our companions huddled by the fire, freezing. “Come warm up!” Warm up? We’re sweating! While everyone heads to bed, the guides serve us an excellent meal of frijoles, chips, and spaghetti, which we enjoy by the fire. We even get hot chocolate!
We settle on the ground, facing Fuego. Our disappointment is great, but we don’t lose hope. The night is still long 😅 Maybe, if we stare at it long enough, something might finally happen… The tripod is set up, we huddle together, shivering. And finally! At around 9:30 p.m., our patience is rewarded. El Fuego gives us an eruption! Wow! A tiny eruption lasting just a few seconds, but still. We are the happiest.
We wait another hour, but the show seems to be over for the night. Admitting defeat, we head to bed in our little cabin. It’s cold, but we’re well protected from the wind. We put on all our layers of clothing—hats, gloves, thick socks—and snuggle into our sleeping bags. For tonight, we should be warm!
Monday, May 8
3:45 a.m. The alarm rings. We slowly emerge from a restless sleep. The cabin protected us well from the wind, and we didn’t get cold thanks to all our layers of clothing. So, the night was actually pretty good. At 4:00 a.m., we set off for the final ascent of Acatenango. It takes us 1.5 hours to reach the summit. We arrive just in time for the sunrise, which slowly rises above the sea of clouds.
We don’t stay long at the summit, as it’s freezing cold, and the wind is fierce. The return to camp is much quicker than the ascent. We glide down the volcanic sand, and within minutes, we arrive at camp, where a hearty breakfast awaits us, along with hot tea and coffee.
It takes us almost 3 hours to descend the volcano on a particularly slippery dirt trail. Everyone has their share of little or big slips, and our joints are put to the test. So, it’s with great relief that we settle into the minibus that will take us back to the village. What an adventure this ascent of Acatenango was! We come away with incredible memories and images in our heads.
But… Yes, there’s a but. What a disappointment not to have seen Fuego in all its glory. Of course, no guide warned us that after a major eruption like the one last Thursday, the volcano would enter a dormant phase for several days or even weeks… All the travelers who had climbed Acatenango before us (and there were many!) had amazing photos of these eruptions, and we had assumed we’d see the same thing. What a shame to have only witnessed smoke and a small, brief eruption! 🥹
Sitting facing the volcano in the pitch-black night, hoping and waiting for an eruption that never came, we told ourselves we would have to return… It’s impossible to leave Fuego on such a note! So, it’s decided: if Fuego resumes its normal activity in the coming days and the weather cooperates, we will climb it again 🤞 In the meantime, we’ll spend a few days nearby, in the colonial town of Antigua!
