It’s one of the most popular tourist destinations in Central America, and you can stand just a few hundred meters from boiling lava.
If you meet a backpacker in a hostel bar in Central America, there’s a good chance they’ve hiked or are planning to hike the twin volcanoes of Acatenango and Fuego.
“What I remember most is the bubbling sound,” recalled Layla Mitchell, 23, who visited in 2022. “There was this huge eruption of glowing orange lava. It took my breath away.”
Recent increases in volcanic activity have made tours more popular, but also more dangerous.
“It’s just a matter of time before someone dies,” said Matthew Watson, professor of volcanoes and climate at the University of Bristol.
Tierra del Fuego’s eruption can be seen from the neighboring island of Acatenango. [Getty Images]
The twin volcanoes are located on the outskirts of Antigua, a city in Guatemala’s central highlands.
Climbing the mountain is considered a rite of passage for tourists visiting the country, and Mount Fuego in particular is a must-see as it is an active volcano that erupts 200 times a day.
Tour companies take full advantage of this natural feat, taking groups perilously close to Tierra del Fuego’s boiling crater, some to within 100 metres of the crater’s rim.
Deadly eruption in 2018 buried the town of San Miguel Los Lotes [Getty Images]
Watson used to take students on annual field trips to Tierra del Fuego, but stopped after increased volcanic activity in 2015. “The volcanologists at INSIVUMEH advised us not to go there, and we haven’t been there since,” he says.
INSIVUMEH is the government agency that monitors Volcano Fuego. Since 1999, the agency has recorded 79 severe eruptions (paroxysmal eruptions), with 47 more occurring since 2015.
Six years ago, this escalation of activity led to tragic consequences.
On June 3, 2018, a powerful eruption stunned much of the surrounding area, burying the entire town of San Miguel Los Lotes under ash and rock.
Locals say as many as 3,500 people died in the 2018 eruption. [Getty Images]
Jonathan Dovgan Pulera was leading a tour group returning from Tierra del Fuego to Acatenango that day.
“I remember hearing the shaking and an older guide saying something bad was going to happen… ‘Just get out.'”
His tour group that day was made up of college athletes, and they were able to sprint back to base camp unscathed. “I felt the ash and rocks hitting me,” he recalls. “It was one of the scariest moments of my life.”
The official death toll from the eruption is 218, but locals say as many as 3,500 people were reported missing that day.
Prof Watson said this discrepancy, and the difficulty of identifying the remains, could be explained by old census data.
Despite his near-death experience, Jonathan continues to climb Fuego, leading two or three tour groups up the active volcano each week.
“The explosive activity continues virtually uninterrupted every day,” says INSIVUMEH volcanologist Roberto Mérida, “and that’s exactly what attracts tourists.”
However, many people are completely unaware of the risks associated with this highly touted tourist experience.
Leila’s boyfriend, Luis Martreu, 23, visited the volcano with her. “We signed a piece of paper and laughed about the fact that we were signing away our lives.”
She first heard about the 2018 eruption from another tourist after she returned home. “I was stupid not to realise how bad it was,” Leila said.
“It’s made for tourists and it’s a common occurrence so I thought it was perfectly safe.”
Louis Martreu took this photo just a few meters from the edge of Tierra del Fuego. [Louis Martlew]
Now, six years later, the hike is more popular than ever.
Local guides estimate that between 200 and 400 people visit the volcano every day, with numbers rising to as many as 1,000 on busy days, such as Fridays and Saturdays.
Matt Hertel was one of the first adventure tour guides to open up shop in the area in 1998. “We were the only guys on the mountain,” he recalls, “and now we have as many as 30 other companies there on any given day.”
Tourism is a major economic driver for Antigua in particular, and Guatemala in general: in 2018, the industry brought in more than £838 million to the Central American country.
And those most at risk are those who make their living guiding groups around the volcano, because they spend much more time in the danger zone than most others.
“Some of my guides don’t want to take people there,” Matt Hartel said, adding that he himself tries to avoid going “as much as possible.”
So, are there any alternatives?
The terraces of Acatenango, Tierra del Fuego’s dormant volcano, offer spectacular views of Tierra del Fuego’s lava formations.
All tours begin by hiking up Acatenango, resting at the base camp there, and then, if you’re feeling adventurous, continuing on to Fuego.
The nearby city of Antigua is a popular stopping point for tourists wanting to climb the volcano. [Getty Images]
Professor Watson is perplexed that tour groups continue to visit the active volcano, given that the terraces offer a fantastic viewing platform. [of Acatenango] That seems like a totally unnecessary risk.”
INSIVUMEH publishes daily bulletins in Spanish on Facebook, X and its website warning people that going too close to the crater’s rim can lead to injury or death.
But because climbing Mount Fuego is not illegal, INSIVUMEH can only warn of the dangers but has no power to stop visitors from going there.
On the ground, it’s not clear who is in charge: local authorities levy entrance fees for different parts of each volcano and its surrounding area.
Our guide, Matt, says volcano tourism is a “cash cow” for local governments and the central government “doesn’t have the power to impose restrictions”.
INSIVUMEH volcanologist Roberto Mérida doesn’t think anything will change in time to avert a disaster.
“Local governments, tour operators and tourism associations have prioritized economic exploitation over disaster prevention.”
“The behavior is normal [only taken] “The response to the tragedy,” he added, “in this case, will continue until one or more tourists die at Volcan Fuego.”
Many tourists climb volcanoes without knowing the risks. [BBC]
In response, Guatemala’s National Tourism Board (INGUAT) told the BBC that it “issues advice and suggestions for visits to both domestic and international tourists, based on official information on risk prevention and in accordance with the regulations of each national park, protected area and nature reserve.”
INGUAT added that it does not promote tourism in “places that pose any kind of danger” for tourists and does not “receive any kind of income or profit from visits to national parks, natural parks or volcanoes.”
The cities of Acatenango and San Juan Alotenango have been contacted for comment.
Some suggest that better communication channels might help.
Dr Ailsa Naismith wrote her doctoral thesis on Volcano Fuego. On her research trips, she spoke to many guides who were eager to learn more about the volcano they’ve built their careers on. “From your research experience, it may seem obvious that it’s dangerous, but sometimes that’s not the case,” she says.
Asked if he would like to have more interaction with volcanologists and monitoring groups, guide Jonathan Dobgan Pulera said he would love to: “That way we’ll have a better idea of what’s going to happen.”
Fellow guide Matt Hertel said he would like to see a formal roundtable discussion between groups who regularly visit the volcano and people with expertise in effectively managing both tourism and volcano protection.
But volcanologists don’t think that’s enough.
Roberto Mérida proposes “restricted zones whose radius would depend on the level of volcanic activity.”
Some people think the risks are too high and would rather no one go to Mount Fuego and only climb Mount Acatenango.
Alex Gordon summited Tierra del Fuego earlier this year. [Getty Images]
But convincing adventurous travelers isn’t easy.
For some, like 24-year-old Alex Gordon, the experience of being so close to a boiling crater is unique and they’re willing to take the risk.
“That feeling [of being] “This place on top of the volcano will stay in my heart forever,” he says.
Leila isn’t so sure. She’s climbed both and says that while the dormant volcano offers great views, “it would still be challenging to walk while enjoying the beautiful views.”
Now that she knows the risks, she will happily enjoy the spectacular eruption of Volcan Fuego from a safe distance.
