Volcán Acatenango

[[While staying at the Atitlan Lake, we've met a couple from Argentina (Luli and Martin) and decided we'd continue travelling together for a while. We continued to Antigua, which is not only a beautiful colonial city but also the starting point for the Acatenango volcano.///While staying at the Atitlan Lake, we've met a couple from Argentina (Luli and Martin) and decided we'd continue travelling together for a while. We continued to Antigua, which is not only a beautiful colonial city but also the starting point for the Acatenango volcano.///Pri jazere Atitlán sme sa spoznali s párom z Argentíny (Luli a Martinom), s ktorým sme spoločne pokračovali do mesta Antigua, ktoré je nielen krásne koloniálne mesto, ale aj východiskovým bodom pre výstup na sopku Acatenango.]]

[[For those who don't know, Guatemala has not only rich Mayan history, but also many volcanoes - 37 to be exact, 3 of which are still active. While the Acatenango is not one of the active ones nor it is the tallest, it offers incredible views of the surrounding area and of two other volcanoes, Agua (Water), which is no longer active and Fuego (Fire), which has been very active in the past decades and is erupting regularly - and you get to watch it from close but safe distance. ///For those who don't know, Guatemala has not only rich Mayan history, but also many volcanoes - 37 to be exact, 3 of which are still active. While the Acatenango is not one of the active ones nor it is the tallest, it offers incredible views of the surrounding area and of two other volcanoes, Agua (Water), which is no longer active and Fuego (Fire), which has been very active in the past decades and is erupting regularly - and you get to watch it from close but safe distance. ///Pre tých, ktorí týmito končinami ešte necestovali - Guatemala nie je známa len svojou bohatou Májskou históriou, ale aj svojimi početnými sopkami - majú ich až 37, z toho 3 aktívne. Acatenango síce nie je jednou z tých aktívnych, ani nie je najvyššou, ale je z nej jedinečný výhľad na ďalšie dve sopky, Agua (Voda), ktorá je už neaktívna a Fuego (Oheň), ktorá je posledné dekády veľmi aktívna a má dosť pravidelné erupcie, ktoré môžete sledovať z blizkej, no bezpečnej vzidialenosti.]]
[[The best visibility is in the morning and if you want to see the lava flowing, late evening or night. Hiking the volcano takes about 4-5 hours until the base camp, plus 1-1.5 hours till the top; and the way down takes around 3 hours. You can decide to start the ascend early at night and reach the top in the morning, so you do not have to worry about the tent and other equipment - or you can choose a two-day trip, which begins in the morning, slowly ascending until the late afternoon, spending the night in the campsite and enjoying the night views and the sunrise.///The best visibility is in the morning and if you want to see the lava flowing, late evening or night. Hiking the volcano takes about 4-5 hours until the base camp, plus 1-1.5 hours till the top; and the way down takes around 3 hours. You can decide to start the ascend early at night and reach the top in the morning, so you do not have to worry about the tent and other equipment - or you can choose a two-day trip, which begins in the morning, slowly ascending until the late afternoon, spending the night in the campsite and enjoying the night views and the sunrise.///Najlepšia viditeľnosť je ráno, než sa priženú klasické oblaky okolo 10tej a sopku zakryjú - a ak chcete vidieť lávu, tak neskoro večer a v noci. Len samotný výstup do kempu trvá 4-5 hodín plus hodinu až hodinu a pol navyše ak chcete ísť až na vrchol sopky, zostup okolo troch hodín. Môžete sa rozhodnúť vystúpiť na sopku v noci (začína sa medzi polnocou a druhou ráno) a zísť po východe slnka, takže sa nemusíte starať o stan a ostatnú výbavu, alebo si môžete vybrať dvojdňový výlet, vydať sa na sopku počas dňa, v kempe v kľude prespať, užiť si nočné pohľady a následne východ slnka.]]
[[Acatenango is located 3976 meters above sea level, to ascend it you have to hike 10 km with an elevation gain of about 1500m (base camp) - if these numbers do not mean a lot to you - it is quite a hard hike, steep, full of volcanic dust and slippery stones, harder to breath because of the elevation and freezing cold during the night (we had 0'C). But honestly, it's absolutely worth it. Sitting on one volcano and looking at two other volcanoes, one of them spitting the lava every 30 minutes, you don't get that without some effort :) We didn't particulary fancy the thought of going there carrying our own tent, food and the rest of the equipment though, so we decided to check the agencies for an organized trip. Meanwhile Ivan watched the weather forecast anxiously on the useful site he found (www.mountain-forecast.com) and chose the day when it should be clear all day and night, with no rain.///Acatenango is located 3976 meters above sea level, to ascend it you have to hike 10 km with an elevation gain of about 1500m (base camp) - if these numbers do not mean a lot to you - it is quite a hard hike, steep, full of volcanic dust and slippery stones, harder to breath because of the elevation and freezing cold during the night (we had 0'C). But honestly, it's absolutely worth it. Sitting on one volcano and looking at two other volcanoes, one of them spitting the lava every 30 minutes, you don't get that without some effort :) We didn't particulary fancy the thought of going there carrying our own tent, food and the rest of the equipment though, so we decided to check the agencies for an organized trip. Meanwhile Ivan watched the weather forecast anxiously on the useful site he found (www.mountain-forecast.com) and chose the day when it should be clear all day and night, with no rain.///Acatenango sa nachádza vo výške 3976 mnm - na jeho výstup musíte prejsť 10 km s prevýšením okolo 1500 m - ak vám tieto čísla veľa nehovoria, je to dosť ťažké, strmé, plné prachu a kamienkov, ktoré sa úžasne šmýkajú hlavne smerom dolu, s pribúdajúcou výškou sa aj ťažšie kráča a v noci je zime (my sme mali okolo 0'C). Ale povedzme si úprimne, všetko toto stojí za to, aby ste sedeli na jednej sopke a pozerali na ďalšie dve, pričom jedna z nich chrlí lávu každých cca 30 min. Mne sa však rozhodne nepáčila predstava vliecť hore stan alebo spacák spolu s oblečením a vodou. Vedeli sme, že lokálni sprievodcovia majú stany aj spacáky už priamo na mieste, tak sme si potrebovali overiť podmienky v agentúrach. Zároveň Ivan úzkostlivo sledoval počasie na užitočnej stránke www.mountain-forecast.com a vybrali sme si deň, kedy malo byť celý deň a noc jasno a bez dažďa.]]

[[We parked for the night at the tourist police, that offers a safe place to stay to overlanders like us. You have to agree to their terms (no alcohol,drugs,closing hours after 10PM,no bathrooms/showers...). Apart from the toilet situation, it was a great place to stay and we dealt with the issue by going frequently to the nearby local market. But let's get back from unnecessary overlanding non-idylic details and to the point :) We've met with other two overlanding couples, both of them from Argentina - so our crew was now 6 Argentinians, 2 Slovaks.///We parked for the night at the tourist police, that offers a safe place to stay to overlanders like us. You have to agree to their terms (no alcohol,drugs,closing hours after 10PM,no bathrooms/showers...). Apart from the toilet situation, it was a great place to stay and we dealt with the issue by going frequently to the nearby local market. But let's get back from unnecessary overlanding non-idylic details and to the point :) We've met with other two overlanding couples, both of them from Argentina - so our crew was now 6 Argentinians, 2 Slovaks.///Zaparkovali sme pri turistickej policií, ktorá ponúka sebestačným overlanderom bezplatne bezpečne parkovať cez noc. Musíte však súhlasiť s ich podmienkami, ako napríklad nepoužívať ich toalety a sprchu, neužívať alkohol a drogy, prísť pred 22:00, kedy sa zatvára brána. Až na tie toalety to pre nás nebol problém, ale nejak sme to poriešili a ráno a večer sa prešli na trh, kde boli prekvapivo čisté a voňavé toalety za pár centov. Dosť bolo neidylických detailov (normálny človek si rezervuje hostel alebo hotel) a prejdime k zaujímaveším veciam. V kempe sme sa stretli s ďalšími dvoma autocestovateľskými pármi, tiež z Argentíny. Zostava bola teda jasná: 6 argentínčanov, 2 slováci.]]

[[When looking on the internet, you'll quickly find a popular OX expedition agency, but it was quite overpriced, used guides that maybe spoke good English but didn't really support the locals living close to the volcano, and you'd have to carry more stuff. We decided we'd rather support local guides from the nearby village, and paid a few times less. Included in the price was transportation, a tasty home cooked lunch (mother of our guide cooked it), dinner(with hot chocolate) and morning breakfast and coffee - and most importantly, two guides and all the equipment to sleep on the volcano already up there on the mountain. The entry fee to the national park, and 3-4l of water + warm clothing - that's on you. ///When looking on the internet, you'll quickly find a popular OX expedition agency, but it was quite overpriced, used guides that maybe spoke good English but didn't really support the locals living close to the volcano, and you'd have to carry more stuff. We decided we'd rather support local guides from the nearby village, and paid a few times less. Included in the price was transportation, a tasty home cooked lunch (mother of our guide cooked it), dinner(with hot chocolate) and morning breakfast and coffee - and most importantly, two guides and all the equipment to sleep on the volcano already up there on the mountain. The entry fee to the national park, and 3-4l of water + warm clothing - that's on you. ///Medzi agentúrami, ktoré ponúkajú hike na Acatenango nájdete veľmi obľúbenú OX expedition, ktorá mi však prišla príliš drahá a musela by som si ťahať vlastný spacák a nejakú časť výbavy, plus moje vlastné veci. Rozhodli sme sa radšej podporiť miestnych sprievodcov z neďalekej dedinky. Zaplatili sme 250 QZL na osobu, v ktorých bolo zahrnuté:  chutný obed (kura, ryža, varená rôzna zelenina), večera (špagety s omáčkou, tortily s fazuľovým pyré, horúca čokoláda), raňajky (cornflakes s mliekom a ovocie, káva), výnimočne dvaja sprievodcovia (dúfam, že s tým budú aj pokračovať),  stany a spacáky priamo prichystané v kempe a transport z mesta Antigua.  Vstup do národného parku sa platí samostatne. Rovnako si každý sám nesie 3-4 L vody na osobu a teplé oblečenie.]]

[[The next morning, we got picked up by a microbus in front of our police-campground and drove us to a small village next to the volcano. We were greeted wamly by Catalino, the father of the family, who introduced us to the whole family and told us a little bit about their life. He had a hard time finding work, driving each day to the city on a bicycle, looking for any job, just to feed his family. He didn't give up and created an associacion of guides, and their are slowly trying to build a reputable guide agency with quality services. We talked and enjoyed their company for a while, took the home cooked lunch from his wife and left for the mountain with two guides, one of them being his son, Warner. The bus took us little bit closer to the volcano and then it was time to begin. Right there, at the start, Warner warned us the first hour will be the worst, because the ascend is steep, very dusty and hiking in the baking sun. He wasn't lying :) With frequent stops, it wasn't that bad though. We really appreciated having two guides, because the people in the group can have different pace and the second guide behind will always make sure no one gets lost. They explained us, that it had happened with other agencies with only one guide, that the group separated and a few people got lost - so they helped them to get back down. I really can't recommend them enough :) ///The next morning, we got picked up by a microbus in front of our police-campground and drove us to a small village next to the volcano. We were greeted wamly by Catalino, the father of the family, who introduced us to the whole family and told us a little bit about their life. He had a hard time finding work, driving each day to the city on a bicycle, looking for any job, just to feed his family. He didn't give up and created an associacion of guides, and their are slowly trying to build a reputable guide agency with quality services. We talked and enjoyed their company for a while, took the home cooked lunch from his wife and left for the mountain with two guides, one of them being his son, Warner. The bus took us little bit closer to the volcano and then it was time to begin. Right there, at the start, Warner warned us the first hour will be the worst, because the ascend is steep, very dusty and hiking in the baking sun. He wasn't lying :) With frequent stops, it wasn't that bad though. We really appreciated having two guides, because the people in the group can have different pace and the second guide behind will always make sure no one gets lost. They explained us, that it had happened with other agencies with only one guide, that the group separated and a few people got lost - so they helped them to get back down. I really can't recommend them enough :) ///Nasledujúce ráno nás vyzdvihol mikrobus v meste Antigua a presunuli sme sa do malej dedinky pri sopke. Privítal nás Catalino, otec rodiny, ktorý sa nevzdal a hľadal možnosti ako uživiť seba, svoju rodinu a ďalších ľudí z dediny. Založil asociáciu sprievodcov a postupne sa snažia vybudovať dôveryhodnú firmu, ktorá bude poskytovať kvalitné služby. Zvítali sme sa s jeho rodinou a dvoma sprievodcami, nabalili sme si jedlo, ktoré nám pripravila jeho manželka, čistú karimatku a vydali sme sa na cestu.  Mikrobus nás odviezol ešte bližšie k sopke a potom sme pokračovali peši. Na úvod nás varovali, že nás čaká veľmi ťažká prvá hodina, pretože pôjdeme na slnku a strmým, prašným povrchom bez tieňa. Každých 15-20 min sme sa čakali, jeden sprievodca bol vždy na začiatku a na konci skupiny. Vysvetlili nám, ako stretli pár, ktorý sa stratil inej skupine iba s jedným sprievodcom, a oni im vďaka druhému mohli pomôcť. Boli fakt skvelí, ak sa sem vydáte, vrelo ich odporúčame :) Janke rozhodne nevadilo, že máme o jedného sprievodcu viacej, nakoľko mohla ísť o niečo pomalšie a nemusela sa zbytočne hnať za ostatnými, aby som sa náhodou nestratila a mohla tak ísť vlastným tempom... a nevypluť dušu. :)]]
 

[[After the first hour, the terrain got better and most importantly, we got to the cloudforest part, meaning no more blazing sun. After paying for the entry, buying something cold and surprisingly not so expensive, we pressed on, stopping every 15-20 minutes for a break and later on for a tasty lunch. When we finally arrived to the campground, sweaty and tired after the steep ascend, it was... cloudy. Ivan was quite worried that we came here for nothing ;)///After the first hour, the terrain got better and most importantly, we got to the cloudforest part, meaning no more blazing sun. After paying for the entry, buying something cold and surprisingly not so expensive, we pressed on, stopping every 15-20 minutes for a break and later on for a tasty lunch. When we finally arrived to the campground, sweaty and tired after the steep ascend, it was... cloudy. Ivan was quite worried that we came here for nothing ;)///Po prvej hodine sa terén trošku zlepšil a hlavne sme dorazili k lesu, takže sme mali tieň. Zaplatili sme za vstup do parku a dali si krátku pauzu a kúpili niečo studené. V polke trasy sme si dali prestávku na obed a pokračovali ďalej. Keď sme konečne dorazili do kempu, unavení a spotení, tak bolo zamračené a Ivan sa obával, že sa nikdy nevyjasní. :)]]

[[The weather was getting better though, and we could see more and more of the volcanoes Agua and Fuego. We sat together around the fire, camera on tripod and ready to shoot, and ate dinner, waiting for the first visible eruptions and hoping to see lava.///The weather was getting better though, and we could see more and more of the volcanoes Agua and Fuego. We sat together around the fire, camera on tripod and ready to shoot, and ate dinner, waiting for the first visible eruptions and hoping to see lava.///Počasie sa ale postupne zlepšovalo a videli sme viac a viac zo sopiek Fuego a Agua. Sadli sme si teda spoločne k ohňu, foťák nastavený a pripravený na statíve a pri večeri sme čakali na prvé erupcie a dúfali, že budeme vidieť aj lávu.]]

Volcán Fuego

[[When the clouds dissapeared, we finally got a view on the smoking Fuego volcano///When the clouds dissapeared, we finally got a view on the smoking Fuego volcano///Keď konečne ustúpili oblaky, naskytol sa nám pohľad na dymiacu sopku Fuego ]]

[[The real show was only beginning though. After the sunset, Fuego spat out a huge cloud of dust and made quite a loud noise, but it was still too much light outisde to see any lava. Meanwhile, we calculated that the eruptions are happening about every 20-30 minutes. So we waited.///The real show was only beginning though. After the sunset, Fuego spat out a huge cloud of dust and made quite a loud noise, but it was still too much light outisde to see any lava. Meanwhile, we calculated that the eruptions are happening about every 20-30 minutes. So we waited.///Tá naozajstná show sa ešte ale len začínala. Po západe slnka vulkán Fuego za hlasného doprovodu vychrlil poriadnu dávku, stále bolo ale príliš veľa svetla na to, aby bolo vidno aj lávu. Už sme si medzičasom vypočítali, že erupcie sú asi každých 20-30min. Zostávalo už teda len čakať :)]]

[[If you look closely on the previous photo, you'll see two small dots on the slope of the Fuego volcano. Those are people, so you can imagine how big the volcano and the eruptions were.///If you look closely on the previous photo, you'll see two small dots on the slope of the Fuego volcano. Those are people, so you can imagine how big the volcano and the eruptions were.///Ak sa poriadne pozriete na poslednú fotku, môžete vidieť dve bodky na pravej strane sopky. Áno, to sú ľudia - môžete si teda vytvoriť obraz o tom, aké veľké boli erupcie a sopka samotná.]]

[[At dawn, right before the night, the show started. Together with a loud *bang* like from a lightning bolt, the Fuego volcano erupted, spitting lava and rocks tens or hundreds of meters high.///At dawn, right before the night, the show started. Together with a loud *bang* like from a lightning bolt, the Fuego volcano erupted, spitting lava and rocks tens or hundreds of meters high.///Tesne pred tým, než sa skončil súmrak a začala noc, to pravé divadlo sa začalo. Sprevádzané  hlasným zadunením ako keď udrie menší blesk, sopka Fuego vychrlila lávu a kamene do výšky desiatok, ak nie stoviek metrov. ]]

[[This went on for an hour and half, every 20 minutes or so, each eruption a bit different from the others, but all of them as breathtaking as the first one. Watching lava flowing down the volcano, drinking hot chocolate, sitting around the fire and talking with 6 Argentinians and 2 Guatemalans - this was probably the strongest experience from this central american part of our journey.///This went on for an hour and half, every 20 minutes or so, each eruption a bit different from the others, but all of them as breathtaking as the first one. Watching lava flowing down the volcano, drinking hot chocolate, sitting around the fire and talking with 6 Argentinians and 2 Guatemalans - this was probably the strongest experience from this central american part of our journey.///A takto sa to opakovalo najbližšiu hodinu a pol - každá erupcia bola niečím iná a výnimočná, stále ale rovnako dychberúca ako tá prvá. Sledovať lávu, ako steká po úbočí a popíjať čokoládu a viesť príjemnú konverzáciu so 6 argentínčanmi a 2 guatemalčanmi, bol asi najsilnejší zážitok z tohto stredoamerického "výletu".]]
 

[[Around 9PM, the whole group has gone to sleep - after the exhausting hike, the rest is needed and the (voluntary) morning ascend begins at 4AM, to get to the top of the mountain in time for the sunrise. The camp got quiet, the only noise being the camp fire and the ocassional eruption of the Fuego. I couldn't resist but to stay up for two more hours, hanging around the campfire, enjoying the absolute tranquility and taking some more photos - after all, who knows if I'll ever come back. Sleep can wait :)///Around 9PM, the whole group has gone to sleep - after the exhausting hike, the rest is needed and the (voluntary) morning ascend begins at 4AM, to get to the top of the mountain in time for the sunrise. The camp got quiet, the only noise being the camp fire and the ocassional eruption of the Fuego. I couldn't resist but to stay up for two more hours, hanging around the campfire, enjoying the absolute tranquility and taking some more photos - after all, who knows if I'll ever come back. Sleep can wait :)///Okolo 9 večer sa celý kemp pobral spať, po náročnom niekoľkohodinovom výstupe si treba oddýchnuť a ráno je budíček o 4:00, aby sa stihlo za hodinu a pol dokončiť posledný úsek sopky a vyjsť až na vrchol. Okolie stíchlo a bolo už počuť iba praskajúce drevo, prerušované hromovým zvukom sopky. Nedalo mi to, a ešte dve hodiny som sám ostal na kopci pri ohni a fotil naďalej - ktovie, či sa sem ešte niekedy vrátim. Spánok počká :)]]

[[Getting up in the morning was not the easiest task, after barely few hours of weak sleep after the difficult ascend - and to the dark and cold night. The desire to see the morning sunrise at the top of the volcano was stronger though, so I quickly put on every single piece of clothing I had, camera equipment, headlight and water - and started the last part of the ascend. I don't have any pictures from this part, but it was quite difficult - hiking at nearly 4000m altitude with heavy backpack full of camera equipment at pitch black night was not so much fun. The time was pressing, so I didn't stop to take pictures - but from the descend, you'll see what I'm talking about - no vegetation, just volcanic dust, rocks and steep hill - 3 steps up, 1 step back. After hour and something of steep ascend, we finaly got there, just in time to see the beautiful sunrise over the volcanoes (and freezing wind :) )///Getting up in the morning was not the easiest task, after barely few hours of weak sleep after the difficult ascend - and to the dark and cold night. The desire to see the morning sunrise at the top of the volcano was stronger though, so I quickly put on every single piece of clothing I had, camera equipment, headlight and water - and started the last part of the ascend. I don't have any pictures from this part, but it was quite difficult - hiking at nearly 4000m altitude with heavy backpack full of camera equipment at pitch black night was not so much fun. The time was pressing, so I didn't stop to take pictures - but from the descend, you'll see what I'm talking about - no vegetation, just volcanic dust, rocks and steep hill - 3 steps up, 1 step back. After hour and something of steep ascend, we finaly got there, just in time to see the beautiful sunrise over the volcanoes (and freezing wind :) )///Ranný budíček nebol zrovna najpríjemnejší, niekoľko hodín slabého spánku po náročnom výstupe a vstávať do tmy a zimy. Lenivosť ale premohla túžba výjsť až na vrchol sopky, tak som si obliekol všetky vrstvy, zobral fotoaparát, objektívy, statív, čelovku a vodu a vydali sme sa na cestu hore. Z tejto časti nemám žiadne fotografie, bola však poriadne náročná - výjsť potme a v zime cez 300m nadmorskej výšky (všetko 3.5+ km nad morom) a s batohom plným fototechniky nie je úplne sranda, tak som ho nevyberal. Na fotkách zo zostupu je vidno, aký bol terén - žiadna vegetácia, už len sopečné kamene, prach a strmý kopec - 3 kroky vpred, 1 krok vzad. Po hodine a pol rýchleho vzostupu nás ale čakala zaslúžená odmena v podobe východu slnka (a mrazivého vetru :) ) ]]
 

[[The descend from the top was way quicker - it was almost like going downhill in soft snow (only this was volcanic dust), jumping down quickly if you had the courage for it :) Feeling good about ourselves, we returned to the camp to eat breakfast and enjoy the last views on the erupting Fuego, before beginning the final descend. It was surprisingly slower than expected, with steep and slippery parts that made you go really slowly, but in about 2.5 hours we made it to the bottom and smiling Catalino. After heartbreaking moments and saying farewell to their whole family, taking pictures and more and more talking, the bus took us home... to the police :)///The descend from the top was way quicker - it was almost like going downhill in soft snow (only this was volcanic dust), jumping down quickly if you had the courage for it :) Feeling good about ourselves, we returned to the camp to eat breakfast and enjoy the last views on the erupting Fuego, before beginning the final descend. It was surprisingly slower than expected, with steep and slippery parts that made you go really slowly, but in about 2.5 hours we made it to the bottom and smiling Catalino. After heartbreaking moments and saying farewell to their whole family, taking pictures and more and more talking, the bus took us home... to the police :)///Zostup bol oveľa rýchlejší a jednoduchší - ako skákať dole kopcom v mäkkom snehu, akurát tu to bol sopečný prach. Plní zadosťučinenia sme vrátili do kempu, užili si posledné erupcie a začali sme klesať nazad. Klesanie bolo prekvapivo pomalé, strmé úseky sa šmýkali a bolo treba ísť pomaly, no za 2.5 hodiny sme boli dole, kde nás už čakal vysmiaty Catalino. Po srdcervúcom lúčení s celou jeho rodinou, fotením sa a mnohých rozhovoroch nás odviezli znovu... na políciu :) ]]

[[Steep, but fun descent///Steep, but fun descent///Strmý, ale zábavný zostup.]]

[[Our guide, Warner///Nuestro guía, Warner///Náš sprievodca Warner.]]

[[The group with our guides. We were extremely happy with them, so if you travel here in the future and want to support the locals, please contact them :)///The group with our guides. We were extremely happy with them, so if you travel here in the future and want to support the locals, please contact them :)///Naša skupina aj s sprievodcami. Ak vás článok inšpiruje a niekedy sa sem vydáte, vrelo ich odporúčame. Podporíte miestnych, ktorí si to zaslúžia.]]

[[Guatemala, thank you. We will return.///Guatemala, thank you. We will return.///Guatemala, ďakujeme. Určite sa ešte vrátime.]]