Hike Volcan San Pedro in Lake Atitlan
14, Guatemala
Details
Distance
4 miles
Elevation Gain
4500 ft
Route Type
Out-and-Back
Description
Added by Andres Arriola
San Pedro Volcano hands down the best view of Lake Atitlan. You can see his volcano brothers around the Lake and further. The hike is a challenging 4,500 ft of elevation gain (1,400 meters aprox.) and takes about 5 hours Round trip - depending on your level. The top sits about 10,000 ft above sea level (3,000 meters).
The trail starts a few hundred ft above water level. There's a tourism booth on the road towards Santiago where you have to pay the entrance - 100 Quetzales (Guatemala's currency) or 13 USD. Half the price for Guatemalan locals. Price includes a local guide - I recommend going with them as your insurance policy and supporting local guides.
The trail is very clear and you can easily see the signs for the correct route. It's steep. Familiar with the stepmaster? Yes, great for your glutes! There's some rest stations as well as a rope swing - no waivers needed, you're at your own risk like everything in Guatemala.
From the top you can see neighboring volcanoes Toliman and Atitlan to the south. On a clear day you can see Acatenango and Fuego (south east behind the other two mentioned above). To the west you can spot Cerro Quemado.
The hike can be done year round. Best time of the year is mid November to March. Rainy season is from May to October approximately. Bring a light jacket for wind chill and possible rain.
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Hike Volcan San Pedro in Lake Atitlan Reviews
It is hard to find the right words to describe our hike to San Pedro Volcano. Incredibly disappointing, unfair treatment, piss-poor communication are some of the phrases that come to mind. I would highly highly highly discourage any person from doing this hike. Unless your ideal way to spend a hike is to get almost to the summit and get turned around by police who tell you that bandits who assault tourists have been spotted in the last couple of days. What made this experience doubly frustrating was that throughout the 3 hour ascent upwards (it is a straight incline), we passed multiple police officers who did not say anything to us about the bandits or the trail closing. Furthermore, the “park rangers” (although the term “park rangers” is generous. A more accurate description would be “crooks wearing t-shirts” in the park office who made us pay exorbitant entrance fees into the park), did not let us know about the bandits nor mention the fact that we couldn’t make it to the summit. These “park rangers”/”crooks wearing t-shirts” treated the hikers very disrespectfully and rudely. All in all, an unfortunate way to spend a day. Do not do this hike!
1.0
This was an absolutely amazing hike! Beautiful views, especially from the top!
5.0
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Hike Volcan Acatenango
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