Antigua and the Volcanoes

My first destination after Xela was Antigua in Guatemala. The city is located west of Guatemala City and is the place for anyone who lands in the capital but doesn't want to stay there. Antigua has a beautiful old town with many colonial-style buildings and the famous archway, behind which the peaks of the surrounding volcanoes rise above the city. Antigua is also the starting point for THE volcano hike that almost everyone does when they come to Guatemala: the hike up Volcan Acatenango, which offers a great view of the still active and exploding Volcan Fuego. 

I also came to the city with the goal of doing this hike, which fellow travelers had already told me about in Costa Rica. The climb is said to be very strenuous, but you spend a night at the basecamp of Acatenango before descending the next day. So, my plan was to spend a few days exploring the city, then hike up Acatenango, and then continue my journey. But as fate would have it, everything turned out differently...

On the day I was supposed to do the hike, I woke up with a sore throat. Since the hike was supposed to be so strenuous and you also move at an altitude of about 4000 meters, I decided to postpone it for now. However, my condition didn't improve even after three days, and in the end, I had to give up the hike...

Instead, I wandered the streets of Antigua, sat in the many nice cafes, and visited the 'Cerro de la Cruz' viewpoint in Antigua. There is also a macadamia farm near Antigua that I visited. You can get a short tour and a facial massage with macadamia oil there for a small tip

In the end, I decided to do a simpler hike up the still active Pacaya volcano. The climb to Pacaya takes about an hour. However, you don't go all the way up to the summit as it is too dangerous. We (our travel group) stopped a few hundred meters below the summit and roasted marshmallows over the hot rocks. From there, we could also observe lava flows near the summit. Normally, you also get a nice view of Acatenango and Fuego from Pacaya. But on that day, the peaks were hidden in clouds. 

Despite everything, I enjoyed the trip and my time in Antigua, where I made nice acquaintances once again. After a very peaceful week, I finally set off to other destinations in Guatemala.