Most of people travelling in Guatemala do normally only go for the Acatenango night hike to incredibly gaze at the ever-erupting Volcan del Fuego on the opposite side. However, many more volcanoes can be hiked in the country for free, within the full day and especially without any paid, guided assistance.
Generally outside the “Gringo Trail”, Quetzaltenango (or locally also called Xela) offers the best logistic base to explore three wonderful DIY volcanoes: Tajumulco (the highest in all Central America), Chicabal and Santa Maria.
While Tajumulco implies a two hours transfer to the North (which can still be made on a full day trip starting very early in the morning), Santa Maria is definitely the best option for an enjoyable 6-8 hours door-to-door hike. Here you may quickly find the self-organized steps in detail:
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CATCH A BUS FROM MINERVA TEMPLE (NOT STATION) TO LLANO DE PINAL: since buses start to run from 6 / 6.30 am on, in my case I walked all the way long (5 Km) to the center and shared an Uber with a friend (costing about 30 GTQ to the trailhead). Although the bus would be the cheapest choice (5 GTQ), it might delay you a little bit. As a consequence, you could get to the summit too late for being able to relish a spotless clear sky. Don’t worry about security at dawn in Xela: I walked safely and without any risk perception at 5 am from the outskirts to the city center : ) Anyhow, the earlier you set off, the better it would be to reach the summit for sunrise or at least with a limpid morning sky.
- GET TO THE TRAILHEAD: although in my case the Uber car left me at the trailhead, you can still walk a short distance (less than 1 Km) from the bus final stop to the end of the road, all straight. Llano de Pinal looks a fairly forsaken neighbourhood but indeed it seems to be quite safe.
- WALK ALL THROUGH THE TRAIL TO THE SUMMIT: from the well-marked trailhead there is almost no chance to get lost. The trail is free and safe. Of course, with an unpaid GPS app like MAPS.ME you would certainly feel more shielded. At any rate the only path fork is after 1.5 Km approx., when you need to keep left, unless you wish to head for the Santiaguito (nearby active volcano) viewpoint and further. The whole stretch to the top (3.180 mt high) is exactly 4.1 Km with 1.246 mt difference in altitude, quite a hike : ) You will be initially faced with 2.3 easy, slightly ascending Kms up to a camping clearing (which I believe you can freely exploit for better experiences), from where the proper steep part of the track starts. The final 1.8 Km are decisively abrupt and require some effort, no doubt. Just keep your own pace. It took me around 2.45 hours from the trailhead to the summit with a decent, steady rhythm.
- PRAY TO BE LUCKY WITH CLOUDS AND WEATHER: it goes without saying that this only partially depends on you. Weather changes very quickly there. However, you may impact these phenomena by picking the right day and / or leaving as early as possible in the morning. In my case, I started maybe too late the trail at 7 am. By the time I reached the summit at 9.45 the sky was to some extent clouded, I must admit. That being said, I could still cherish a constant clear view over the city during the ascent and patchy spick and span glimpses over the Santiaguito and the surrounding areas. In the best days, you could probably distinguish the Atitlan Lake, quite far away.
- ON THE TOP: I bumped into very few people when arriving at the summit. The feeling was amazing both for the sport achievement and the stunning perspectives. Very worth indeed. The way down represented just a formality accomplished in approximately 2.30 hours. I then caught the frequent bus back to the Minerva Temple for only 5 GTQ, 30 minutes ride more or less.
All in all, I highly recommend the Santa Maria Volcano because of the following reasons:
- Very close to Xela and almost no transportation or logistics required;
- The access is free of charge and no security issues to be reported;
- The trail is straightforward with no great experience required;
- It can be done in one full day without any overnight commitment;
- Glimpses along the path and on top are just dazzling, basically 365 degrees;
- I did not detect many hikers on the way nor at the summit;
- You can do it on your own without any unnecessary guide.
Please feel free to add up your comments about your experience as well !
