The volcano erupting before dawn was certainly the best thing I have seen in my 2 month Central America trip. I should warn though that the overnight hike is pretty brutal. The hardest hike of my life for sure - and to make it worst, I had the flu and I was walking like a zombie for good part of the hike. We were part of a small group of 6ppl, and we had an amazing guide. Roughly 5h walk during the first day and 1.5h in the morning to reach the summit. (Plus from memory around 3 hours to go down). I should say that during the trip I’ve seen many other volcanos, but nothing as amazing as the erupting Acatenango.

What a fantastic experience! An absolute once in a lifetime experience with the family. While the altitude and the hike itself are fairly strenuous (mainly the steep downhill), the guides themselves were the ones that made it the most incredible experience. Their knowledge and ability was obvious and matched with their attentiveness and consideration for all members of the group and their varying skill levels. From start to finish they went above and beyond with their organisation and communication. Not only did they provide great food and drink throughout but they were also clearly communicating with other members of their team to ensure our safety was of utmost priority. Would recommend to anyone!

This is possibly the best hike and toughest hike of my life and was worth every minute of the hike. The last hour of the hike towards the summit is the hardest part which is pretty steep and most gravel and ash. It is entirely possibly to do the hike in a single day (I did the entire round trip to the summit and back in 5 hours). But most people do it split in two days. The views of fuego from the summit is unreal and this is one of the most unique travel experiences I’ve ever had, and it makes my experience at Pacaya pale in comparison. Acatanengo is more challenging and more impressive in terms of views and experience though Pacaya offers some fun and unique things as well. Highly recommend - 2-3L of water is needed, I was fine with 2L and didn’t need any snacks. Use sunscreen even if it’s cloudy since up in the summit there is little atmosphere to protect you from UV rays.

If you go, hire Luisa Zea. She is an expert guide and the most experienced when it comes to the volcano hike. Luisa will make your excursion memorable. I've climbed many mountains and you can trust that Luisa is first rate. Contact her through whatapp or Facebook,

It was an amazing experience climbing this volcano. We did it with a tour company, which I'd 100% recommend - don't do it by yourself. I had a porter carry my bag up which I would strongly advise. My fitness level is reasonable - I've run half marathons (not to boast there, just to give an idea) - but I still found this climb, and the following descent, tricky. Some of us didn't make it. Some of us cried. Some of us got altitude sickness. However, it wasn't a nightmare and I would definitely say the three Yorkshire Peaks is more challenging. I would also recommend hiring walking sticks because they massively helped. Also, take lots of warm clothing because at the summit it is freezing. The climb is definitely worth it though because from the top, it is the best view I have ever seen in my life.

Travelling at the age of 53 years togehter withe my wife and our daughter (20 years), we had mixed expectations at first. Leaving Antigua at 7:45am, we arrived at the starting point at 2400m a.s.l. at 8:45am. The first section passed over lava granulate that made steps a bit difficult. Second part was via steps and across corn fields till the edge of the cloud forrest. At 10:10am we arrived at the park entrance. Passing the cloud and later pine forrests, we arrived at the lunch spot at 3200m at 12:00 pm. 45min lunch break with delicious lunch packs provide by our tour operator OX Adventures. Another 45min later, we arrived at the base camp at 3600m asl. The view is amazing when clear. As it openened up during the afternoon, we witnessed several eruptions of Volcano Fuego and decided to hop on the night trek on the volcanoes edge. 4:30 pm we started our 30min descent to the saddle and another 45 min ascent towards the volcanoe. Up there, we saw the volcanoe and a beautiful sunset. Unfortunately the strong wind chilled a lot despite every single layer we wore. At 7:30pm, we returned and at 8:30pm we arrived back at our base camp. Diner and a large bonfire was set by our colleagues. The night was cold, but the cottages helped a lot. In the middle of the night, we saw Fuego spitting fire balls in the air. At 3:20am, our guide Romeo called for the start to the summit. Headlamps and tired legs made the climb a bit difficult, but the closer we came to the summit, the more we wanted to reach it. At 5:30am, we reached the summit and had a fabulous view on large parts of Guatemala from its 3967m. Wind was very chilly and strong, but with our Fuego experience, we just carried every single layer and felt ok. Gloves and cap were essential. At 6:30am, just as Fuego started another eruption, we started our descent and at 7:00am we were at the base camp for breakfast. 7:30am we started the next descent to the colleting point which we reached at 9:30am. At 10:30am we were back in Antigua after this liftetime experience. Our mixed expectations were changed to satisfying and positive feelings. The climb up and down is a physical challenge, but even at our age easy to perform and quite a few of the younger ones struggled much more.