Stunning Volcan San Pedro, Guatemala

Written by Benji

We commenced our journey up the volcano with a tuk-tuk (a three wheeled vehicle used as a taxi) up through the town as the volcano loomed above it.   Our trip was organized by an agency in the town of San Pedro.  We were accompanied by our guide, Cesar. We reached the entrance and started our walk up the volcano that stretched above our heads.

Cesar provided us with information about the nature around us and pointed out a bunch of cool spider nests.  At one point, after about an hour, we stopped at a lookout and we were very tired, Then our guide pointed out the map to us, and informed us, to our displeasure that we were only a quarter of the way up.

The path was rocky, steep and slippery.  It was hard on our legs and we took constant water breaks.  It was a treacherous hike, but halfway there was a good view of the San Pedro side of Lake Atitlan.  You could see all of the boats crossing the lake.  You could see the proof that the lake was once the  a giant volcano, and that the lake was formed in the crater itself.  We took a bucketload of pictures and ate sandwiches that we brought with us.  Most of the people at the top did not have a guide!

On the way down, we ran with speed and agility.  We sprung like gazelles.  When we reached the bottom, we thanked our guide and went to our hotel to rest for the rest of the day.

The whole next week we were very sore.  Our time for the hike was two and a half hours up and one hour down.

This was a worthwhile experience that I will never forget.