GUNUNG · Guatemala

Acatenango

Volcán Acatenango

Massif Acatenango bersama Volcán de Fuego (kiri) yang sedang mengepul — foto kawasan, memperlihatkan kedua gunung berapi yang kembar berdampingan. Photo: source

Information

Elevation: 3.976 m
Country: Guatemala (GT)
Location / Range: Sierra Madre, near Antigua Guatemala
Mountain type: Volcano (stratovolcano)
Volcanic?: Yes — volcano
Coordinates: 14.5008, -90.8758
Difficulty: Hard (~1,500 m climb, 3,976 m altitude)
Best Season: November–April (dry season)
Permits & Rules: Usually climbed with a local operator/guide from La Soledad village; an area fee applies
Hazards: Altitude sickness (AMS), freezing temperatures & strong wind at night, sandy volcanic terrain, and exposure to Volcán de Fuego's eruptive activity across the saddle

Description

Acatenango (3,976 m) is a stratovolcano in Guatemala's Sierra Madre, just a few kilometres from the colonial city of Antigua. It has twin summits — Pico Mayor and Yepocapa — and forms a single massif with the highly active Volcán de Fuego next door. That setting makes it one of Central America's most famous overnight hikes: trekkers climb from the village of La Soledad, camp near 3,600 m, and watch Fuego hurl glowing lava through the night before pushing to the summit for sunrise over Lake Atitlán and Guatemala's chain of volcanoes.

Gallery

Foto bersumber dari Wikimedia Commons — klik untuk memperbesar & lihat sumbernya.

Routes

Cross-over Fuego (tambahan dari base camp)

Berat (tambahan lanjutan, naik-turun pelana ~400 m)

≈4–5 jam pulang-pergi dari base camp (sering mulai dini hari)

An optional same-trip add-on: crossing the saddle from the Acatenango base camp toward the active Volcán de Fuego cone, approaching to within a few hundred metres of the eruptions. It is significantly harder and more exposed than the Acatenango summit and is usually done at night or sunset to see the lava.

Source

Jalur Standar La Soledad → Base Camp → Puncak

Berat (tanjakan ~1.500 m, ketinggian)

14.00 km +1500 m 2 hari (≈5–7 jam naik ke kemah; +1–1,5 jam summit push dini hari)

The main, near-universal route. It starts from La Soledad village (~2,400 m), climbing through farmland, cloud forest, then volcanic gravel to the base-camp area around 3,600 m for the overnight stay. Most hikers reach the 3,976 m summit at sunrise with views over Fuego, Agua, Lake Atitlán, and Antigua.

Source

Climbing Experiences

Acatenango is Guatemala's most iconic overnight hike — a ~1,500 m climb from the village of La Soledad to a camp around 3,600 m, then a pre-dawn summit push to 3,976 m. The main draw is watching Volcán de Fuego erupt across the saddle, either from camp or via an optional 'cross-over' that approaches the active cone. Hikers consistently cite the tiring sandy terrain, biting overnight cold, and the sunrise over Lake Atitlán as unforgettable.

References

The summary above is compiled from the following sources. Click to explore them yourself.