Acatenango 4x4 Off Roading Adventure and Overnight Hike

What to Expect

4X4 Off-Road Ride:

Our group leaves from the Old Town Outfitters Shop at 8:45AM, where you can fill up your water bottles and purchase any additional gear you might need. We will leave Antigua in our 4X4 car and drive through neighboring towns, getting a glimpse of the local life outside of Antigua. After about an hour’s drive, transitioning from concrete to dirt, we will arrive at the entrance of a farm sitting at the base of Volcán Acatenango. From there we will enter the dirt farm roads, spending the next hour traversing the maze of farmland and forest as we head up some hills you will doubt we can climb.

While we will be offered some amazing views on our ride, the extra beauty of this alternate route is that we cut off about 3½ hours of the typical hike, leaving a far easier trip to the summit, and giving us plenty of extra time. We will leave our car at an elevation of 11,483 feet (3,500 meters).

Day 1: Hike To Camp & Summit Push

After we park our truck and lace up our hiking shoes, we will turn south along Acatenango’s ridge, taking a beautiful trail through temperate coniferous forest and tropical dry forest. This storm-beaten tree-line was caught in a forest fire a decade back, leaving behind many starch-white petrified trees and a unique-looking forest. Our trail is very moderate, with only a handful of uphill sections, as we make our way to camp. Our hike provides views of Volcán Agua towering above the Antigua valley, and as we approach camp we will get out first views of the spectacularly active Volcán Fuego.

Our campsite is perched just below the tree line, with sweeping views of the Antigua valley and Volcán Fuego. Once we reach camp, we'll have a fresh picnic lunch with some time to relax before we make our summit push to take in beautiful afternoon views. At the summit, our group will rest and enjoy unparalleled 360-degree views of the entirety of the Guatemalan highlands – all the way to the border of Mexico.

Then we'll hike back down to camp where your guide will prepare a fresh camp dinner with hot drinks at 12,303 feet (3,750 meters). Weather permitting we will have a campfire and spend the night under the stars hoping for a high-altitude firework show from Fuego.

Day 2: Acatenango Descent

We'll have an early breakfast this morning in camp and then begin our hike back down to meet our truck at 7AM. We will arrive back in Antigua late morning with plenty of time for you to enjoy the delights of the old Spanish colonial capital.