Acatenango and Atitlán
The Mountain of Fire and the Most Beautiful Lake
AFTER Antigua de Guatemala, I went on an overnight guided hike up the Volcán de Acatenango, which is next to the continually erupting volcano called Volcán de Fuego (‘volcano of fire’) in Spanish, or Chi Q’aq’ (‘where the fire is’) in the local Kaqchikel Mayan language.
Here is an information sign showing the two lookouts you get to, one at the top of Acatenango (which means ‘walled place’) and one which gives a view over a saddle to Volcán de Fuego / Chi Q’aq’, which lives up to its name by erupting every half an hour or so in a minor way, and from time to time more seriously.
There are various ways of getting up the trail. Foreign tourists generally employ motorised transport until the last stages, when you hike for about half an hour to some chalets where you spend the night, and then another hour and a half to the top of Acatenango, at 3,976 metres above sea level (13,045 feet). This is some serious altitude, and warm clothing and a…
