Guatemala 2024

Hello, all. Let’s talk about my photography trip to Guatemala April 2024.

I chose to go to Guatemala rather suddenly. I was looking for somewhere to travel for photography. And just then I saw a viral recommendation to Guatemala from a photographer I follow on Instagram. And by then I was already 80% committed to going. Then I started researching, at which point I was 90% committed. And eventually I bought the flight from Laguardia to Guatemala City which would now make me 100% committed. I spent 8 nights in Guatemala.

What’s in your bag?

Photography gear included Sony a7riii with the Tamron 28-75 2.8, Canon 135mm 2.0 and 3 batteries. And I never used the Canon 135mm. So essentially it was just one camera and one lens. Oh wait, I brought a film camera that I only took about 5 photos with. Sadly, I did not take enough photos to discuss much on film.

Tell us about the photos

Upon reflection and looking at some of my older photos (and from what I’ve been told) this is some of my best work. Over the years I’ve never stopped practicing and I really felt the practice paid off on this trip. I was prepared to capture many types of images and I feel I was very successful.

This trip consisted of visiting 3 specific places. That would be Antigua, Volcan Acatenango and Lake Atitlan. This was very much a photography trip. Photography was the priority throughout. Obviously, I found ways to entertain myself outside of photography including hiking and eating.

3 out of 8 mornings started at 330am. While 5 out of 8 mornings started at about 630am. Sunrise and sunset are indeed the best time to take photos. Thus, greatly increasing my chances for a better image. I also had success with some night photography, high contrast photography, and some long exposures.

Where did you go?

Antigua was great for street photography. It is one of the most beautiful cities to just stop and look at. It’s just like being 200 years in the past but also very much in the present. It might be simply because it is a very accessible city. Or it may be because they have not taken anything away from the city visually for the last 100 years. There is not a single sore site in the entire city.

Tell us about the volcano hike

We have to talk about the hike up Volcan Acatenango where you can view the active Volcan Fuego. This is an absolute must-do when visiting Guatemala. It is a once in a lifetime experience that I highly recommend. It was one of the greatest adventures of my life, truly. Hiking Acatenango was the most difficult hike I’ve ever done. It’s basically entirely up hill at high elevations. The hike itself rises 1500m in elevation.

After a 4.5 hour hike we reached base camp where there are cabins awaiting us to spend the night. Once we’ve reached base camp there is a total of 2 optional hikes to add on to your customizable volcano adventure.

Option 1: once base camp is reached and after a 2 hour break you can continue onto the ridge of the active Volcan Fuego. Unfortunately, I was too tired to consider this option. But if I could have I would have.

After we go to sleep we all wake up at midnight to the sound of eruptions. It’s at this point that we exit our sleeping quarters and view the glowing night eruptions from Volcan Fuego. You see, it is only at night that you can view the glowing red hot lava. There we viewed the beautiful fireworks of mother earth.

Option 2: After sleeping, wake up at 330am to continue to the top of Acatenango with an 1 hour hike and rewarded with stunning views of Fuego erupting during sunrise. What a lovely site that would be. Indeed, I choose to venture to the top without question.

You can also do both options.

Then we descended down the volcano which is about a quarter level difficulty compared to the accent. I used a company called V Hiking Tours. 10/10 recommend.

What about the big lake?

Finally, for the final leg of my trip I visited San Marcos; a small village located directly on the north west area of Lake Atitlan. The lake is the largest lake in all of Central America. I felt a little uncomfortable as I was not mentally prepared for a sense of isolation. The village is very small and underdeveloped except for the small village center which has many locally run shops. They called this area “Hippie Highway” in reference to the type of people San Marcos is known for. This small peaceful village is a good place to escape from it all. And I certainly enjoyed that feeling once I settled in.

During my stay I accomplished two adventure day trips. First was the 4am sunrise hike on the Indian Nose Trail which leads to the famous viewpoint over the lake. This is also a must-do as it’s only a 30 minute hike. Very easy. By the time it was over I was back in town doing site seeing at 8am.

The second day trip during my time on the Lake was to the famous Chichicastenango market. It’s exactly what you’d expect. A big, fascinating, colorful market in the middle of this busy city called Chichicastenango or as the locals call it Chichi. This is a great day trip that I highly recommend. We found a lovely and cozy local restaurant (and I mean real local) and the food was delicious and of course well priced.

How can I purchase these photos?

Photos are currently available only as individual prints upon request. Contact me here.

You can see more available photo prints at my website. Here.