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TO THESE QUESTIONS:
Things you need to bring yourself: Long pants for when the sun goes down, a sweater or another extra layer that will keep you warm, spare socks, a backpack (45L minimum). Optional: A sun cap and sunblock.
Provided by us (but will have to be brought up by you as well): A warm sweater a jacket, a headlamp, gloves and hat, 4 liters of water, snacks, your lunch (all other meals will be brought up by us).
No. Shoes are not part of our normal rental gear. You will have to bring a pair of your own in which you could do the hike.
We do have some shoes in the supply center (at the volcano), but you can not try them on in advance and there is no way of reserving shoes. Lava Trails can never guarantee a pair of shoes for you.
Yes you do. If you do not have one yourself, you can rent one at our supply center for 50Q.
We provide the highest quality of lodging available on the volcano, a warm sleeping bag, extra blankets if necessary, a 15 cm thick foam mattress, a glass of wine during dinner, chocolate milk and marshmallows at night and coffee in the morning.
Out of experience, only a small part of the hikers experience an effect from altitude sickness. If you already know you are easily affected by it, you can always bring something and take it in advance. (For example: ACETAZOLAMIDE). Our guides are trained and experienced, they will help you out in the best way they can. Note: A physical effort like this will always be challenging and tough, especially on this altitude. Altitude sickness pills are not magic beans that will make the hike any easier.
No, Lava Trails has an international background. Despite this, we have the same goals as local agencies. We are proud to say our guides are all local and get paid the highest wages on the volcano. We sponsor the Acatenango youth football team and yearly community Christmas party.
The duration of the hike will vary strongly from group to group but on average the hike takes around 5 to 6 hours. Including 30 minutes lunch break + 1 more hour in separate smaller breaks.
It is definitely a challenging hike! The majority of the hike is climbing and going up on a pretty steep and tricky surface. But as long you come prepared, it is definitely doable!
In general returning will always be on foot with a guide. If you sustain an injury on the way, an emergency team from the municipality will bring you down on a stretcher.
Hiking boots are recommended but if you are not traveling with them, running shoes or another shoe with a good profile will get you up the volcano as well.
Even though we suggest leaving your bag/stuff at your accommodation (most likely they allow you to take a shower on the day of your return) we have lockers in our supply center for you to use.
When the sun goes down, so does the temperature on the volcano. During the coldest months of the year (November to February) temperature will drop to 0°C/32°F. On the summit it can even feel colder due to the wind. The secret is to layer-up!
The weather is always unpredictable, especially on a volcano. 😊 Particularly during the rainy season (May to October) rain and “bad” weather can be part of your volcano adventure. Our high quality cabins will protect you from the elements.
You can prepare yourself extra by bringing extra spare clothes and getting a waterproof cover for your backpack.
Yes you can! For a fee of 250Q someone will carry up your bag for you. This goes 100% to the guy helping you. Note: It is 1 way only, you will have to bring your bag down yourself. The bag can contain everything a normal hiker would bring. If you want to add 10 cans of beer on top of your normal gear, the porter will charge you more for the extra weight.
Once you arrive at basecamp, you can decide if you would like to add the extra hike to Fuego itself. This 3 hour hike (1,5 h going and 1,5 back) will get you as close as possible to the erupting Fuego volcano. Based on how tired you are after the hike and the weather, you can make this decision at basecamp.
The extra cost for this hike is Q200 per person and will have to be paid at arrival in the supply center.
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