Sunday, July 25, 2021

Acatenango Volcano (3,976masl) Self-guided Solo Budget Day Hike

8 Days Pandemic Rainy Solo Trip in Guatemala January 04 to January 12, 2021


ACATENANGO VOLCANO, GUATEMALA (Jan. 2021) 
- Central America's toughest dayhike with highest altitude gain
- Central America's 3rd highest mountain at 3,976masl
- Self-guided solo budget DIY day hike (difficult back trail) with 1,576m elevation gain and 14km back trail distance for 9 hours
- I hiked just 2 days after the Central America's highest day-hike summit success 

Itinerary: Jan. 09, 2020 Saturday 
0600H ETD Antigua; bus to Paramos Q5
0700H ETD Paramos; colectivo to Yepocapa Q20
0730H ETA Acatenango trailhead (2,400masl)
0830H Registration Q50; breakfast Q20; Trail 1st part; open area, muddy, slippery
Trail 2nd part; mossy forest, very cold, slippery; Summit Assault; lose rocks, very steep, very cold
1330H ETA Acatenango Summit (3,976masl)
Central America and Guatemala 3rd highest peak; Fuego Volcano eruption sightseeing; photo-ops
1430H ETD Summit; trail back
1700H ETA La Soledad Acatenango bus stop
1800H ETD La Soledad; bus to Paramos Q10
1900H ETD Paramos; bus to Antigua Q5
Total: Q110 (16 USD)

How to Go: From Antigua bus terminal, regular bus departure to Paramos for Q5 fare with almost 30 minutes travel time. Then in Paramos park, take colectivo to Yepocapa and ask to drop-off in Acatenango trailhead (sendero) before La Soledad for Q20 fare with around 30 minutes travel time. Registration fee costs Q50, with around 5 shelters and one of them is selling breakfast. 

Note:
1. Acatenango Volcano is one of the most rewarding volcano to day-hike in Central America because of the following; 
A. The challenge going up - continuous ascend from trailhead, hard to recover even if resting
B. Highest elevation gain - a whooping almost 1,600m altitude within 7km trail distance
C. Knee-wrecking summit assault - very steep slope on a soft trail with lose stones and some parts with almost vertical crawling required
D. Breathtaking summit scenery - awesome view of other stratovolcanoes especially the Fuego Volcano, one of the World's most active volcano.
E. Nonstop going down - literally running due to steep slippery trail
2. The DIY budget transportation per above itinerary is not that easy as the frequency of the colectivo / bus departures are minimal. 
3. The whole Acatenango trail is seen on offline maps.me

Acatenango Volcano (3,976masl) Self-guided Solo Budget Day Hike

Acatenango Volcano (3,976masl) Self-guided Solo Budget Day Hike

Acatenango Volcano (3,976masl) Self-guided Solo Budget Day Hike

Acatenango Volcano (3,976masl) Self-guided Solo Budget Day Hike

Acatenango Volcano (3,976masl) Self-guided Solo Budget Day Hike

Acatenango Volcano (3,976masl) Self-guided Solo Budget Day Hike

Acatenango Volcano (3,976masl) Self-guided Solo Budget Day Hike

Acatenango Volcano (3,976masl) Self-guided Solo Budget Day Hike

Acatenango Volcano (3,976masl) Self-guided Solo Budget Day Hike

Acatenango Volcano (3,976masl) Self-guided Solo Budget Day Hike


0 comments:

Post a Comment

Please support this blog by clicking those ads. Thank you.

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...