Hiking the third highest peak in Central America… with no previous training.
A few months before my 29th birthday I started feeling that pressure of doing more adventurous things, mixed with the concern of becoming a complete sack in my thirties. Turns out, it´s not that bad. A year later, I can say that I would do it again and I would worry less about training. Why would I put my body into such stress and craziness? The correct answer is: for the view.
I swore for 28 years that it wasn´t necessary to be on the top of a volcano to experience what I had been seeing in photos and videos… It turns out it was. And it is completely possible to do it with no previous training, at least if you hike with the correct company. I will make a list of very important topics that I considered for the hike and why I chose Wicho & Charlie´s.
Booking the tour. Which company meets all my necessities?
How did I make my decision on a tour company? Two months before my birthday I booked with Wicho & Charlie´s. It was the second company I considered and they made it really easy. I was looking for experience, commodities and an all inclusive tour company. To be honest, I just wanted to show up, follow instructions and go. After a thorough investigation on Instagram, I found all the information I needed and with every post I saw I had my questions anwered. Second of all, they had cabins! A-frame cabins on a volcano, or real shelter, as I say. It didn´t really take much to convince me that this was the company I wanted to book with, they seem to have a great organization, reviews were great and it was all inclusive.
What do they offer?
They provide everything you need to hike, and when I say everything, I mean you don´t have to take a sleeping bag and tent. (You should see the faces of people going up with a backpack twice their size.) They do include everything but 1 thing: shoes. I would never rent shoes that don´t fit me perfectly to hike a very steep angry mountain, or to anything else than bowling. To be fair, I saw a bunch of people hiking with sport shoes and they seemed fine. Going back to what they provide, included in the price, you could rent as many jackets and wind breakers as you needed (I rented 3), beanie, scarf, buff, gloves, headlamp and water bottles. For a very small price you can also rent 40L backpacks, trekking poles (so neccessary, don´t try not taking them), pants and extra warm gloves. You do need to bring an original ID, or $100 in cash to leave as a deposit for whatever you rent. They have a locker room with lockers and shelves to leave the backpack you thought was big enough to hike with and those extra 3 blouses you thought you needed.
What about the food?
I personally chose this company because they serve 100% plant based food. They include 4 meals for the tour (breakfast at the agency before leaving for the hike, lunch, dinner and breakfast at the volcano) a natural energy shot, snacks, which include a tail mix you design yourself, fruit and water. You are welcome to bring as much filtered water as you need. They recommend 4L per person and around 1L more if you´re hiking Fuego aswell. Everything was delicious, flavorful and I felt I had enough energy to keep going. I have a sensitive stomach and it was fine, it didn´t feel upset or anything, which was great and very appreciated.
Basecamp
When I tell you I was astonished, my jaw literally dropped when I saw the campsite. The platforms are the highest and kept thanking myself for choosing Wicho & Charlie´s after I saw the A-frame cabins and comparing the other camps below us with their tents. They have a cool resting area where you find the fire pit and you can enjoy the view of Fuego and its eruptions. We were assigned to our cabins and first thing I saw was how beautifully our sleeping mats and bags, cover and pillow were set. There´s enough space for backpacks and trekking poles, and I´m not gonna lie, I was completely comfortable and I slept very well. Pro tip: make yourself a taco with the blanket and then get into the sleeping bag, with just 1 layer of clothing. I woke up sweating, and that is a big statement since the temperature was about 4°C. Overall, for this reason alone, booking with Wicho & Charlie´s was the greatest choice.
The hike
Hiking the third highest peak of Central America is no joke. This angry mountain (or volcano, as others call it) is very steep, it almost feels like torture if you´re not an avid hiker and your head will probably play games on you. Hands down, this is the most physically challenging thing I´ve accomplished in my life. The first hour and a half is the most difficult part of the hike, but trust me, it does not get better. And I´m not saying this to make you scared, it´s to prepare yourself! It is pretty impressive how you feel the micro-climates just by stepping into different areas and how cold it gets really fast. I did take my phone and headphones to distract myself when I needed to, I never felt alone or abandoned by the guides, which is good because I was definitely not hiking with the very avid hikers or europeans, I stayed in the middle group. For me, the hike lasted around 4 and a half hours, and the last ones from our group came to basecamp around 40 minutes later than I did. I have to say, the only reason why I was able to do so, is because I hired a porter. They typically
charge in between Q220 and Q280 depending on the weight, I ended up paying Q220 and an extra tip. He never left my side and encouraged me to keep going. If you need a porter, just let the staff at the agency know once you get there the morning of the hike. Also, rent the trekking poles, and keep reminding yourself that you are amazing and that your powerful legs will take you anywhere. You really need to believe in yourself for this one.
The staff
The staff at the agency looks so fresh at 7 in the morning and seem to have everything under control. They explain everything about the hike and make sure we rent everything we needed. Lastly, they welcomed us back with big smiles on the next day, ready to take care of you. They have a very efficient system for taking back everything you rented from them, charging if necessary and giving your ID back.
I read everywhere that the guides were amazing and I have to say, they truly are. Not only are they well prepared and professional, they´re very nice and always have smiles on their faces, they´re great conversationalists and speak both Spanish and English, definitely the cherry on top for the tour. Overall, I appreciated that this company is very empathetic and collaborative with eachother and the hikers.
The extras
Other things I found very fortunate when I booked and hiked with Wicho & Charlie´s:
- they have faucets in their garden that you can use to wash the excess of dirt you have on your feet, arms, and face. You are also welcome to use their bathrooms
- the staff offers you a Coronita or a non alcoholic juice once you return your rentals, this is complementary and so necessary
- they´re the only sustainable tour company in Antigua Guatemala
- what you see is what you get, everything from the food, to the basecamp was as shown in their webpage and social media
- you can make the decision to hike Fuego once you get to basecamp, and since it´s an extra tour (Q200), you are charged once you get back to the agency
- you get to hike to summit for sunrise and enjoy a 360° view of the surroundings, including other volcanoes, mountains, lakes and even the pacific ocean
- if you decide to stay and not participate on any of these extra hikes, you can stay at basecamp, enjoy the milky way and the firepit
- if you leave a review on Google or TripAdvisor they donate an extra $3 for a cause
- overall, everything with this company feels extra, the price is completely fair for the value of this tour and everything this company offers
Enjoy the hike! Your legs can make it and will!
Ximena Garcia
Artivist
