Volcan Acatenango by Sam Webb

Are you a traveler who isn’t afraid of a challenge? Perhaps volcano-gazing is for you! Close to the city of Antigua, Acatenago is joined with Volcán de Fuego and reaches an impressive height of 3,976 meters (13,044 feet). In his journal Volcan Acatenango, RealTraveler Sam Webb chronicles his exhilarating ascent to the top of the Acatenago stratovolcano in Guatemala.

To reach the top, travelers must hike through four distinctly different zones: Farmland, Cloud Forest, Alpine Forest, and Lunar Zone. In the following excerpt from Sam Webb’s Volcan Acatenango journal, he describes two of these zones:

“Cloud Forest. By far the coolest of the different zones. A stunningly thick and luxuriant rainforest with copses of bamboo. Hard going, but I was starting to get into my stride.

Alpine Forest. Ugh, things were starting to get harder. The number of switchbacks reduced and the path got a hell of a lot steeper. We started to get breaks in the trees though and we could finally begin to see just how high we had climbed. I can honestly say that I don’t think I have ever been above the cloud cover before – breathtaking.”

Later, Sam recounts the rewards of the challenging and beautiful climb:

“Sat and watched the sunset over Acatenango and nearby Volcan Fuego with a glass of wine, all very sophisticated. But it was when the sun went down that the show really began. Fuego is an incredibly active volcano. She’s an explosive rather than an effusive volcano; see all that time studying Geology was actually useful! Basically it meant that every 40 minutes or so we were treated to a massive explosion with lava and volcanic rock thrown high into the sky accompanied with an absolutely deafening boom.” (more…)

For more of Sam’s story about Acatenango and the rest of his Central American , adventures, read his travel blog.

For tips to forge your own Central American adventure, be sure to visit:
Central America Guide
Guatemala Guide
Climbing Acatenango and Fuego

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From Last Week in New Zealand, Including Mount Cook by Beats Working!

The Mount Cook area is a popular destination for tourists, especially those with an adventurous spirit and love of natural wonders. According to Wikipedia, Mount Cook is New Zealand’s tallest mountain and is surrounded by glaciers like the Tasman Glacier and the Hooker Glacier. Mountain climbing, glacier trekking, boating, and exploring the surrounding rainforests are some favorite activities for travelers to this sublime spot.

Here’s what RealTravelers Beats Working! have to say about their visit to Mount Cook:

“We did a three hour walk up to a glacial lake with even better views of the mountains. As we walked we could hear and see avalanches up in the mountains. A highlight was an afternoon Glacier experience tour which involved a boat trip on a huge glacial lake where we got to get up close to the terminal face and see massive icebergs that break off and float around the lake.” (more…)

See more splendid photos of Mount Cook by visiting Beats Working’s Travel Blog and Mount Cook Travel Photos.

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