Packing List for Acatenango Overnight Hike
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The overnight Acatenango hike in Guatemala is in the top 10 of my favorite travel experiences I’ve ever had. It’s a challenging, yet incredibly rewarding experience that everyone should have on their bucket list! The packing list for the Acatenango overnight hike is crucial.
You can check out my complete guide and review of my experience completing this overnight hike with Wicho and Charlie’s tour group to learn more!
While this hike is absolutely incredible, it is also very difficult and comes with a lot of climate change as you increase in elevation. Many tour groups will include rentals for certain items to make your trip more comfortable, but that varies by group.If you are uncomfortable renting used hiking items, I recommend packing your own.
Here’s a must-have packing list for Acatenango Overnight Hike:
- Hiking Poles — Literally couldn’t have imagined doing this hike without the poles
- Fleece
- Wind breaker — Outer layer, this can be both a wind breaker and a rain jacket
- Hiking clothes for warmer climate at the bottom, I wore a tank and some yoga pants. Others wore hiking shorts and tanks.
- Clothes for layering when it gets colder – Unbound Merino has great options for odor free, breathable wool material!
- Scarf — Much needed if you are planning on doing the summit! It is SO cold up there!
- Thermals — Basically, you just will have a very uncomfortable sleep without them.
- Wool Socks — A must on all my hikes, no matter the temperature. The MVP of preventing blisters.
- Beanie
- Gloves — If you are doing the summit, it is seriously so cold! I took my gloves off for just a couple minutes because *I got engaged* and my fingers were bright red.
- Rain Jacket — Unless you’re winder breaker is also waterproof
- Gaiter — This helps with the dust that comes up from the volcanic rock
- Headlamp — To use the bathroom at the camp or get around you’ll definitely need this. There’s no lights around the camp.
- Portable charger — Not that hiking a volcano is for the pictures, but man, you will really want to take pictures because it is absolutely amazing. Bring a charger! There’s no electricity at base camp.
- Waterproof hiking pants — You just never know what weather you are going to get.
- Hiking boots or trail runners — This trail is STEEP, one of the steepest I’ve hiked. You definitely want some shoes with tread meant for a trail.
- Hiking backpack — this 40L Osprey one is a great choice
- Hiking backpack rain cover — Again, weather is unpredictable.
- Water Bottles — There is no water on the volcano, so you must bring your own. I brought 3 of these.
- Fanny pack — Good for easy access items like your phone, toilet paper, chapstick, etc.
- First-aid kit — Again, this trail is steep! Don’t skip this on your packing list for Acatenango overnight hike!
- Toilet Paper
- Extra snacks — We bought these in town the night before
- Nice camera with a good lens or drone — I highly regret not bringing a drone, I’ve seen some amazing shots from basecamp.
When you book a tour, check their website to see what is included. Sometimes they have items for a fee and sometimes items are included. Either way, you will be able to rent items with most companies. Which is great if you are backpacking Central America, as I know a lot of these items can be bulky.
Keep in mind all rentals are first come, first serve! The companies I listed in my blog on the overnight Acatenango hike all include your sleeping items, and I would use theirs just to minimize your packing.
Again, I highly recommend Wicho and Charlie’s tour group. They include several items and cabins for sleeping to break up the wind. Happy hiking!
