Guatemala: Antigua and Volcan Acatenango
There are no direct flights to Guatemala from the UK so we connected via Atlanta to Guatemala City with Virgin and Delta. An hour's shuttle on arrival brought us to Antigua, the former capital city, and an attractive one at that with a magnificent setting: surrounded by three volcanoes, the city boasts beautifully renovated buildings alongside tumbledown charm; pretty pastel facades and cobbled streets.
We were lucky that our stay coincided with some of the preparations for Passion Week, and we came across a big procession on the Sunday with hundreds of purple-robed men carrying a huge float through the cobbled streets - a very sombre affair and a little unnerving to the uninitiated as the float swayed from side to side, the weight bearing men appearing almost trancelike.
Preparations were also in full swing for the Easter week carpets: coloured sawdust, flowers, fruits and vegetables laid out for the procession to pass over. Easter is a big event in the Guatemalan calendar and the excitement was palpable as families lined the streets and hawkers sold their goods in the squares. A great atmosphere, almost carnival-like.
On to the more challenging part of our Antigua visit, with a hike to the peak of nearby Volcan Acatenango. This was hard - really hard! We joined a local operator, Old Town Outfitters, for our overnight hike, who thankfully offered local porters to help carry packs and food - true lifesavers, I wouldn't have made it without them!
The first stage of the hike led us along steep, dusty farmer's trails where every sliding step forward felt like an achievement. It was a relief to enter the second phase: old-growth tropical cloud forest with fresh air and firmer ground under foot, and plenty of flora to admire as you took another breather! The altitude definitely played a part on this hike and with every few steps I could feel my heart pounding in my ears.
As we left the cloud forest the morning clouds had lifted and we were greeted by sunshine as well as spectacular views across the Cuchumatanes mountain chain and across to Volcan Pacaya. This was the (marginally) easier phase of the trail with a less steep climb through temperate coniferous forest and tropical dry forest. The views from here definitely helped, as did the thunderous booms from nearby Fuego, letting us know our hiking wouldn't be in vain.
On reaching our campsite the clouds had returned so while we could hear Fuego there was nothing to be seen. We took to our tents for a well-earned rest, and on poking heads out of tents an hour or so later we were delighted to see the clouds had dropped and Fuego was visible in all his glory. As the sun set the puffs of smoke accompanying every thunderous roar were transformed into the best firework display you could imagine, with lava spurting from the crater, creating trails down the mountainside. Easily the most spectacular sight I have been privileged to see. Nature at her most awesome.
The fireworks continued throughout our campsite dinner and the booms continued throughout the night. On more than one occasion we jumped awake in a mild panic, convinced the lava would reach across to us!
After very little sleep we rose early for the final stage of our summit. A sand and gravel scree-trail all the way to the top. And I thought day one was hard! As the sun started to rise behind me I ploughed on, counting each step for motivation. It was steep, it was cold, it was slip-sliding hard. But just as the sun peaked above the horizon I made it to the top, just in time for 360 degree views of the Guatemalan highlands to come into view. A stunning sight and definitely a well-earned reward!
Now all I needed to do was make it back down...
