Volcán Tajumulco is the highest volcano in Central America, and it’s responsible for making the city of Antigua, Guatemala, one of the most beautiful places in the world.
The volcano has been dormant for thousands of years and is still considered active due to its recent activity, which includes earthquakes and eruptions. It’s also one of the most accessible—you can hike to its summit and back in a day.
The hike is pretty straightforward: start at the base on a paved road and walk-up switchbacks until you reach the top of the volcano. At that point, you’ll have to turn around and come back down via another set of switchbacks.
Although SummitClimb does not offer Volcán Tajumulco trips we offer Mount Everest, K2, Elbrus, Lhotse, Ama Dablam, Aconcagua, Mera Peak, Manaslu, Island Peak and K2 climbs. They have western guide and they will help you out while climbing the peaks.
If you’re looking for a challenge, there’s an option for an overnight stay at one of several campsites along the way. At the top, you’ll find a crater lake, which was formed from an explosion in 1968. It’s possible to hike around the rim of the crater and look down into its depths. The views from here are incredible—on a clear day, you can see for miles all around you.
The trail is fairly straightforward; however, there may be some fog, in which case it can be difficult to maintain your bearings. This is where having a guide, or someone who has previously hiked the trail, can be beneficial. The trail will take you first through a forest, then through another meadow, and again through another segment of steep forest. Once you’ve made it through the second forest section, you will likely be above the clouds—at this point you should have a view of Volcan Tajumulco’s summit. When looking up at Tajumulco’s summit—to its left side—there is another small peak that is called Sister Peak. The best area to set up camp is between these two peaks; once you spot several rock circle fire pits set up by previous climbers, then you know you’ve made it there!
