July 30, 2019

Guatemala – Hiking San Pedro Volcano for a Spectacular Sunrise

The San Pedro volcano sunrise hike was ANOTHER spectacular volcano hike in Guatemala. We ended up shoving three volcano hikes in 6 days while in the country (see Roasting Marshmallows on Pacaya Volcano and the Acatenango Overnight Hike), but hiking up San Pedro in the dark to watch the sunrise over Lake Atitlan was magical. I don’t want to sugar coat it; this is a challenging hike with a safety risk. With this in mind, I would not recommend it to everyone. However, to minimize the chance, I recommend going with a guide, doing the sunrise hike, and prepare with proper research to understand the risk. I will detail out my account in all honesty so that you can make a judgment for yourself.

I contacted Guatemala Tours & Travel Services leading up to my trip for their San Pedro Sunrise Hike listing on their website. They put me in contact with Henry at Guatemala Sur Mesure, who we hiked the trail with on July 30, 2019.

This post contains affiliate links, which means if you make a purchase through these links, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. The commissions help support Moderately Adventurous stay alive and kicking. Click here to read my full disclosure policy.

Catching a Midnight Boat

The problem with sunrise hikes is that you need to get your booty to the top of whatever you’re hiking before the sun rises. Including getting ready, transport, and the hike… all in the dark. It may sound obvious, but it sunk in when we had to set the alarm at 1:00 am to catch a boat at 1:45 am. During our time at Lake Atitlan, we had accommodations in the small town of Tzununa. Walking through the village in the middle of the night woke up every dog in the vicinity, but the hired boat was waiting for us at the town’s dock. To get to the trailhead, we would take a boat from Tzununa to San Pedro La Laguna, then a van from the dock area to the trailhead.

Without delay, we pulled away from the Tzununa dock and into the darkness of Lake Atitlan. There was a cool breeze as we skimmed across the water, and we could see the stars above. While on the boat, I had mixed emotions – partly enthralled by the fact that I was on a boat in the middle of a lake surrounded by volcanos – and partly nervous about the hike. Our boat driver had us wait on a street corner in San Pedro La Laguna for a van.

San Pedro La Laguna is one of the “larger” towns on Lake Atitlan. It is a backpacker’s hub and has a bit of a party-destination, though it still has authentic markets and Guatemalan people going about their lives. At two in the morning, the street corner felt like an empty movie set. There were all the cues for the bustling center of town, but it was silent and still under the yellow glow of a streetlight.

At a Glance:

Rating: 4 (out of 4) stars, would do it again in a heartbeat
Intensity: Full hiking gear with 2+ liters of water
Cost: $75 – $100 USD, which includes transportation, entry fee, coffee, and snacks) – I HIGHLY recommend you use a trusted guide/company for this hike
Restrooms: At the trailhead (if they are open)
Distance: 5 miles
Elevation Gain: 4,000 – 4,500 ft
Timing: 6 – 7 Hours

Highlights:

Taking a boat across Lake Atitlan in the middle of the night with the stars above
Watch the sunrise over Lake Atitlan with a view of another volcano
Coffee with an incredible view
Tire swing!

Lowlights

1:00 am wake-up call
Challenging steep hike
The safety risk of bandits (see “Bandits on San Pedro” section below)

San Pedro Volcano Sunrise Hike

We hopped in a van, picked up one other hiker, then had to make a stop to pick up a large, exceptionally built beautiful pitbull named El Capitan. El Capitan was going to do the San Pedro volcano hike with us. It was a short drive (about 5 minutes) to the trailhead/National Park entrance. We were the only ones around with the boarded-up buildings. Like the other buildings, the bathrooms were not open. We got our headlamps comfortably placed on our foreheads and began to hike, which was a single-file trail.

The first part of the trail crosses a dry stream bed and passes through farmland. With only your spotlight to find your footing, it is hard to know what else we passed. It was steep pretty much immediately after the dry stream. About 30 minutes into the trail, we stopped at an overlook for a water break. We could see the sparkling lights of the different towns around Lake Atitlan. Henry, our guide, handed us a delicious pear as our morning snack. After 10 minutes or so, we continued on our way. We had one more sitting break, with smaller breaks to use the restroom or get water as needed.

Although I’ve mentioned it already, this trail is steep. It felt like we climbed stairs for the entire route. The steep incline with the darkness made me focus on the climb and my breath. Unfortunately, there were no distractions, but probably a good thing if we were going to catch the sun. When we were nearing the top, our guide was monitoring the light and relentlessly encouraged us to continue hiking.

Sunrise at the Peak

It flattens out at the top with a rocky outcropping at the peak. We made it before the sun! It was light out, but we beat the sun! The sky was a pinkish-purple haze as we took in the view of Lake Atitlan, the nearest volcano, the town below, and the other volcanoes in the distance. The positioning of the peak is facing east and southeast toward Antigua. The vegetation blocks about half of the lake, which is something to consider! We were able to settle in and watch the sunrise as Henry passed out coffee and a breakfast sandwich. El Capitan desperately begged for our sandwiches.

The view is phenomenal. While watching the sunrise, we could see Acatenango Volcano and Fuego’s plume after it erupted. What seems to be below your feet is the largest bay that comes off of Lake Atitlan and the town of Santiago Atitlan. The sky turned from purplish-pink to orange.

It is quite chilly on top of San Pedro at sunrise. Primarily coming from wind-chill, I was happy to have my rain jacket to keep the wind out. My fingers got quite chilled, so consider bringing lightweight gloves! As well as sunglasses! We took a TON of pictures. Henry brought a Guatemalan flag, and he seemed stoked at the photos we got of him! El Capitan was majestically standing on the rocks, so we captured photos of him too. Based on the timestamp of the pictures, we arrived at 5:42 am and stayed until roughly 6:22 am – about a half-hour.

The Hike Back

Hiking in the daylight was a revelation compared to 30 – 45 minutes before. And here is the bright side (pun intended) of a sunrise mission – you get two hikes in one. Since you cannot see anything on your way in, there is plenty to discover on the way out. The vibrant green was shocking after watching the orange sunrise, but incredible to see the flora of the San Pedro volcano.

It is just as steep going down, which can do a number on your knees. We did a mix of short-step jogging and walking. There were a couple of slips from our crew, but I don’t recall anyone having a total wipeout.

The Tire Swing and Return to Tzununa

We made two more-or-less formal stops on the way back – one at an ancient tree and the other at the tire swing. The tire swing hangs in a tree over a steep hill. In the distance, you can see San Pedro La Laguna and Lake Atitlan. The flight through the air was exhilarating! The only trouble is trying to get off, so it’s better if someone catches the tire and holds it for you to step down. We also had a fresh mango snack that Henry cut up for us – it was juicy and sweet.

We finally made it back at the trailhead by 8:45 am. Instead of taking the van back to town, we ended up squeezing into one of the tiny tuk-tuks —all four of us, the driver, and El Capitan. We dropped off El Capitan, our fellow hiker, and took the tuk-tuk to the dock with Henry. Since the price of the hike included transportation, Henry spoke with and paid the water taxi organizers before heading out. At 9:21 am, we were on a boat back to Tzununa.

Our Guide, Henry

It was at the peak that we observed the wackiness of our guide. Not like other guides, Henry liked to joke and chilled out, but seemed a little distracted. He answered our questions about San Pedro, the Lake, and so forth without too much elaboration.

At one point during our return trip, he got further and further ahead of us on the trail. It was a tiny bit concerning, but luckily there were no other trails to get lost. He met up with us at an open clearing, which has a few shacks around. He finally disclosed that this is where the bandits ambush people, but we were fortunate that there were none around that morning. El Capitan was panting. All the pieces clicked together – El Capitan and the giant machete on his belt was for protection against the bandits. It is obvious now, but at the time, our focus was on traveling/hiking. I am grateful he waited to disclose this information, so I wasn’t thinking about it for the duration of the hike.

We didn’t hesitate to continue on our way. I looked at El Capitan differently after that – Henry and his brother trained him to search out bandits and attack on sight. Near the end of the trail, we overheard a scuffle between some local farm dogs and El Capitan. It sounded ferocious, but everyone came out of it unscathed. It also made sense why Henry seemed a touch distracted, even though there were only three of us in the group.

Hiking Safety in Guatemala

When you start researching different hikes in Guatemala, you’ll inevitably come across scary reports of bandits holding tourists at knife-point and asking for their money. While not fatal, these instances are frightening. With this in mind, there is a risk involved with hiking San Pedro Volcano. I encourage you to do research and find current accounts and conditions.

Personally, I believe it is up to the traveler to ensure their safety. Make good decisions about where in the country you go, what you’re going to do, and how you’re going to do it. Although I believe that the Guatemalan people are genuinely kind and caring, the country is quite poor, which leads some people to become opportunistic. While in Antigua, we regularly saw police to ensure the safety of the town and tourists. However, Lake Atitlan is much larger and spread out, making it difficult to ensure safety.

Hiking Safety Tips:

Research the different hikes before you go to ensure you know the risk.
Go on a professionally guided tour and group while hiking. We went with a guide for all of our volcano hikes – Pacaya Volcano from Antigua, Acatenango overnight from Antigua, and San Pedro sunrise from Lake Atitlan.
Go on a professionally guided tour for any sunrise or sunset hikes.
If you’re hiking between the towns, I recommend you familiarize yourself thoroughly with the route and pick out hotels/restaurants along the way that you can dip into, as needed.
Don’t carry valuables with you and only carry minimal cash.
Don’t embark on a hike while intoxicated (for many reasons).
Carry a headlamp if you start hiking in the afternoon.

Other things to do in Guatemala

In addition to hiking San Pedro Volcano we did other activities to explore the culture, history, and natural environment. Check out my other posts…

In and around Antigua:

From Lake Atitlan:

Overall Thoughts: San Pedro Volcano Sunrise Hike

The San Pedro volcano sunrise hike was thrilling. Although it was challenging like Acatenango, there was something spectacular about watching the sunrise over the lake. The midnight boat ride across the lake and the tire swing also added to the specialness. The hike exhausted us for the rest of the day but in an accomplished sort of way. Somehow we did make it down to Maya Moon Lodge for one final dinner at Lake Atitlan, where we marveled at the thunderstorms that seemed to hover around the volcanos.

Although I had concerns about the bandits, I also trusted the guide/company to know the conditions of San Pedro volcano and dynamics of the people better than I ever could. I had read that more recently, you can go with the armed tourist police. I am glad they are acknowledging the situation and hope that thieving is no longer the easiest way for some people to make money. I know El Capitan and Henry’s machete also did their part to dissuade a possible threat.

Where else have you done a sunrise hike? Or a volcano hike and absolutely loved it? Let me know where else in the comments below so I can check them out during my future travels!

Happy Travels,

Hanna