Volcanoes are among the most amazing landscapes on earth, this makes them superb targets for photographers. Volcan de Fuego and Acatenango pair, is not an exeption. Fuegos’s activity, the sharp contrast in the flora and fauna between different parts of the volcano pair and its bone-crushing weather, makes this place a “nice” area for hiking and backpaking, and why not, taking some good pictures!

The Guatemalan volcanic chain seen from the top of Santa Maria volcano on January 2005. Here you can see 7 volcanoes, which are, starting from the farthest to the left to the closest: Agua (almost completely hidden by Acatenango), Acatenango (with its two summits Yepocapa and Tres Marias). Fuego (showing an erupted ash cloud), Toliman (with the two summits, Plaza de Toros and Mayor), Atitlan, San Pedro (in this picture apparently bounded with the Paquisis ridge) and Zunil (where threes are discernible in the silhouette). Fuegos ash plume shines bright yellow as the light of the rising sun is being dispersed by the ash, shining into the cameras lens. That was a really could, could night!!!

Volcan de Fuego summit, taken from the Alotenango plain. One of the hardest volcanoes to climb in Guatemala, one of the most dangerous and one of the most beautifull… it’s definitely worth the effort to climb it!

Three fourths of the climb are behind us! This is the point where vegetation starts to be scarce… but no only vegetation, also the oxygen becomes something you’d like to have more, and usually also water starts to run short! You notice this because conversations start to revolve around food and water.

For today it’s enough… Soon I’ll put the rest of the pictures.