Can You Climb Fuego?

No. CONRED, Guatemala’s disaster-reduction agency, said on 9 August 2026 that the ascent of Volcán de Fuego is not authorized, for members of the public and for its own system’s staff alike (as reported by Emisoras Unidas). Fuego, 3,763 m (CONAP, 2008), is an active volcano that INSIVUMEH reports on every day. What you can do is watch it: from the base camps on Acatenango, the volcano beside it, or from the top of Pacaya.

See the Acatenango hike facing Fuego

What the authorities say

• The ascent of Fuego is not authorized. CONRED, 9 August 2026, after images circulated of people climbing it.
• No staying or camping on La Meseta or El Camellón. The Municipalidad de Acatenango forbids it in those two areas of the volcano’s municipal park because of incandescent material thrown out by Fuego. INSIVUMEH’s daily bulletin of 7 November 2026 advised against staying on the meseta or near Fuego’s crater, as ejected material can travel more than 500 m.
• Acatenango, the climb next door, was restricted too. On 4 August 2026, during Fuego’s eruption, CONRED said the national police were at the entrance to Acatenango to stop tourists going up. Operators were selling Acatenango dates in November 2026 when we checked. Check CONRED and INGUAT before you go.

What Fuego does

INSIVUMEH, the national institute for seismology, volcanology, meteorology and hydrology, publishes a daily volcano bulletin. On 7 November 2026 it recorded three to five explosions an hour on Fuego, weak to strong, with ash rising to between 4,200 and 4,700 m and drifting south and south-west, and avalanches of material down its flanks (INSIVUMEH bulletin, 7 November 2026). That is a description of one day, not a forecast.

The last big episode came in early August 2026. INSIVUMEH’s special bulletin of 4 August described a paroxysmal phase with pyroclastic flows down the ravines on Fuego’s flanks; after about 50 hours, CONRED reported, the activity returned to its normal levels (CONRED bulletin 245-2026). That is when the Acatenango restriction above was put in place.

The “Fuego” trips sold on Acatenango

Several Acatenango tours sell an extra trip to Fuego on top of the hike. Where those trips go is not stated, and we do not guess. Read them beside the two rules above: the ascent of Fuego is not authorized, and staying on La Meseta and El Camellón is not allowed.

Where to watch Fuego from

From Acatenango. The base camps on Acatenango look across the valley at Fuego, and the overnight tours spend the evening there: you arrive in the late afternoon, eat dinner there, and see what Fuego does after dark, cloud and the volcano permitting. Volcano Expeditions' two-day hike is from US$57 a person (checked November 2026), with hotel pickup in Antigua, three meals, a night at base camp and the sunrise summit of Acatenango.

The calendar shows the dates on sale. You can reserve now, pay later and cancel free until 24 hours before, which helps if the volcano or the weather changes your plans.

From Pacaya. In daylight, from the top of Pacaya, you look across to Agua, Fuego and Acatenango; Volcano Expeditions' Pacaya tour takes six hours from Antigua, from US$23 (checked November 2026). See the Pacaya volcano tour.

For a fuller list of Guatemala’s volcanoes and their heights, see Guatemala’s volcanoes.