19th – 25th June, 2023
I arrived in Guatemala at 9:30 in the morning, and after passing through immigration did something that was a bit out of character for me and forsook the cheap public transport option in favour of a shuttle service. Those of you who follow me regularly will know that I am a very budget-conscious traveller, but Guatemala City has a reputation for being dangerous and there have also been incidents of the local ‘chicken buses’ – the slow, open-air, rickety buses that trawl through much of Central America – being hijacked by gangs who rob the passengers by gunpoint. As usual, the chances of this happening to you personally are slim, but it is still commonplace enough for me not to take any chances on this occasion.
I spent my first few days in Antigua, its former capital and a UNESCO heritage site. It was just an hour away from the airport, and its cobbled roads made the last few minutes of the journey a very bumpy affair. My hostel was on the outskirts of the old town by the ruins of a church and – despite how excited I was to be there – I waited until the following day to start exploring, as I was exhausted after my flight from Colombia (one that had left in the early hours of the morning and entailed a layover in Panama).
I have visited many an old town during my travels, but Antigua is one that made an impression on me. Despite having a completely different ambience and architecture, it reminded me of Kathmandu because you can find all kinds of interesting things to see by wandering aimlessly. Whenever I was on my way to a place I wanted to tick off my list, I kept coming across ruins of churches and other buildings; remnants from when the survivors abandoned this place in favour of the new capital after a series of devastating earthquakes in the eighteenth century. An event that simultaneously destroyed the city but left what remained frozen in time. This place was never fully abandoned, and those who did stay rebuilt around the ruins using a similar baroque style, unintentionally predestining it to once again rise as UNESCO world heritage site centuries later.
I won’t bore you by listing all the places I visited, but if I were to name some highlights from the days I spent here, two in particular spring to mind. Firstly, the Convento de Santa Clara: an old monastery whose inner courtyard has been partially restored and turned into gardens.
The walls of the main church – including its sacristy, upper choir, and altar – still stand, and its outer façade still has its original stucco moulding.
And another highlight was the Museo Nacional de Arte de Guatemala (MUNAG), which is free to enter, has an audio guide, and places a particular emphasis on the history of art. I was pleased to see that the indigenous population of Guatemala is well represented, and it is also home to pre-Colombian artefacts.
But besides these two things, I would urge those visiting Antigua to simply wander. And do so not just around the areas surrounding the plaza but also around its outskirts, as there are fewer tourists, and you will glimpse a different side to Guatemala.
Another good thing about doing this is that the locals on the outskirts seem less jaded about tourists. I got the impression that some of the churches closer to the centre of Antigua have become a bit fed up with the waves of gringos wandering in and out. There was one in particular that I never managed to get inside because they had people at the door controlling who could come in or out. The first time I tried to enter, they told me that I couldn’t because I was wearing shorts, so the following morning I wore trousers, but then they had another reason. I eventually realised that these were excuses and they just don’t want gringos there. I am not sure how I feel about this. I understand how it could become annoying when your place of worship is a tourist attraction, and some of the less-sensitive tourists can be very obnoxious when they stomp around waving their cameras. On the other hand, most gringos are either Christian or come from Christian backgrounds, so such gatekeeping seems a bit weird. It must be frustrating for people of a pale complexion who legitimately want to pray, but I am not one of them, so I don’t feel I can weigh in too heavily here. I can say that I visited lots of churches on the outskirts of Antigua, and when I did, I was respectful, and locals didn’t seem to mind me. Many of them were very welcoming.
Antigua sits within the Motagua Fault Zone that cuts through Guatemala. It is the reason that it has suffered so many natural disasters and is also surrounded by some spectacular volcanoes, many of which can be summited, including one called Acatenango.
I initially intended to hike there under my own steam – as I possess camping gear and it is possible to – but when I looked into the logistics, they seemed complicated and the tours offered by Antigua’s various companies also happen to be very reasonably priced. Eventually, I decided it was worth paying that little extra to save myself the inconvenience of fiddling with public transport and carrying all my camping gear up a mountain.
So, after doing some research online, I eventually settled upon CA Travelers as they were simultaneously one of the cheapest and had some of the best reviews. A driver picked me up early in the morning from my hostel and first drove us to their office – to meet our guides and access any equipment we might need – and then we were driven to a village called La Soledad.
We started on the trail almost immediately, and it was a steep climb up a path of volcanic soil. We were ascending over fifteen hundred meters in altitude that day, but the sky was cloudy, the air was blessedly cool, and it wasn’t raining. Perfect hiking weather. We were told by our guides that we were lucky.
The first hour or so was through farmlands consisting mostly of cornfields, but as we rose higher, we reached the cloud forests, where the fog became so thick during some moments that we could barely see more than a few dozen feet before us.
Maybe I am getting fitter now, but it was easier than I had anticipated. We took plenty of breaks to catch our breaths and enjoy the scenery.
The fog did clear up a little as we neared CA Traveller’s base camp. It is on the side of Acatenango (a dormant volcano) but has a view of its ever-active twin, Fuego.
After settling into our tents and drinking a well-earned cup of hot chocolate, the guides told us about an additional hike we could make closer to Fuego if we wanted to. This was tempting, but I was tired, and the volcano wasn’t very active that day. A faint trail of smoke was almost constantly wafting from the crater, but not much else was going on, so there seemed little chance of seeing any lava fields up close.
Also, just as I was contemplating – almost on cue – the clouds returned, and it began to rain. Out of the ten of us, only two hardy souls decided to attempt this extra hike, and they put on their bright yellow ponchos and headed out into the storm. I wished them well and decided to enjoy the view from the comfort of the base camp. The guides lit a fire, and we sat around it for warmth.
We kept looking towards Fuego, and at one point, we suddenly saw a belch of grey smoke between all the fog.
And then, over time, the air gradually cleared, and we could see the volcano again.
Eventually, we could even see the faint outlines of three yellow figures slowly climbing up the side. As more fog cleared, we got to appreciate more of the landscape. We could now see the outline of Agua – another dormant volcano that looms over Antigua – as well as other villages, mountains, and volcanoes.
After our companions returned from their excursion to Fuego, we all ate together, and then I retreated to my tent early to get some sleep. We were due to wake up at 3:30 the following morning to the summit of Atatenango in time for sunrise.
We were blessed with clear skies that morning and made our way up the trail by torchlight. We were only ascending another three hundred meters, but I was surprised by how out of breath I kept getting because of the altitude.
This is usually the point where bloggers like to show off their literary skills and descend into dense verbiage of flowery prose involving lots of superlatives and metaphors, but you have probably noticed by now that on this blog, I tend to let the pictures speak for themselves as to what places looked like and focus on giving you enough information about the experience.
Well, Acatenango is the highest peak for quite some distance, so the panorama from up here spans all directions. When you first reach the crater, you are on the side that looks down upon Fuego.
But then, as you make your way around the rim, you see other landscapes, including Agua, Pacaya, and many other peaks.
At one point, our guide even pointed over to the distance – where the highlands faded into the clouds – and said that was where, on a clearer day, one can see the Pacific Ocean.
And there was also the sunrise itself.
But, it was also very cold up there, so we couldn’t linger all too long. After taking a few group photos, we began to make our way down the eastern side.
This not only offered even more spectacular views but involved a lot of sliding down the volcanic soil, which was fun.
And then, after breakfast at camp, we packed our things and made our way back down the mountain. As usual, this was much faster and easier than the way up. By late morning we were back on the bus, and by lunchtime, we were back in Antigua.
Overall, I was very happy with my experience with CA Travelers. Going with them rather than off my own steam not only saved me from carrying all my camping gear up a volcano but also cut out a lot of hassle in terms of transport and providing food for myself. Their spot on the side of Acatenago has one of the best views, I met some great people, and it was nice to spend the evening sitting by a fire under a shelter with them (instead sitting on my own in my tent as the rain hammered it, as I would have done if I was by myself).
They are also an ethical company that donates some of their profits to one of the local schools. Such schemes seem common in Guatemala, as children are only provided free lessons for the first six years, and many from poorer families don’t get to finish their education. This is a sad situation, but it is at least good to hear that some enterprises are trying to recover from the shortcomings of a weak government.
My next blog will involve an adventure with another socially-conscious enterprise. After I returned to Antigua, I came across a poster advertising a three-day trek through the highlands of Guatemala. This one was also very reasonably priced, and – after doing some research – I found out that the company is a non-profit run by volunteers and helps fund local schools. As I type this, I am currently waiting for my shuttle bus to Quetzaltanango.
Click on these hyperlinks for more photos from Antigua and Acatenango.
Tej Turner 