The Acatenango 4x4 Tour
Acatenango by 4x4: the overnight tours that drive most of the way up and walk the rest, what they cost, the days they run on, and what was restricted in August 2026.
The 4x4 way up Acatenango drives you most of the way to camp, so the long climb of the ordinary overnight tour shrinks to a short walk. On GetYourGuide that is Silverbacks Experiences’ Acatenango with Overnight Stay by 4WD + Glamping, from US$430 a person (checked November 2026): a 4WD to a parking area high on the volcano, about 40 minutes on foot to a glamping tent, hot meals, a campfire and the summit at dawn, for a group of at most 8.
On 20 January and 10 March 2027 the price was US$430 a person, and two adults paid twice that on 20 January; 27 November 2026 had no availability (checked November 2026).
How the 4WD trip runs
Silverbacks Experiences takes you from Antigua to a farm at the foot of Acatenango, where a 4WD drives up to a parking lot high on the volcano. From there the walk to camp takes about 40 minutes. At camp there are hot drinks, cold-weather gear (a jacket, gloves, hat and headlamp), a storage area for your things and a glamping tent with a sleeping bag; dinner is hot, with a vegetarian option, and there is a campfire facing Fuego. At dawn the group climbs to the summit, 3,976 m (CONAP, 2008), then has breakfast at camp and goes back down by 4WD.
The entrance fees to the farm and to the national park are in the price. The departure from Antigua is given both as 8:00 AM and as 11:00 AM, so confirm the time when you book. The guide speaks English. The trip has 9 reviews on GetYourGuide, 5 of them five stars and 2 at three stars; one of those two, from July 2026, calls the guides nice and the food awful, and the other has no text.
The other 4x4 trips
- Cyman Travel, an Antigua operator, sells a 4x4 overnight on its own site at US$315 a person, which covers the 4x4 there and back, a guide, two meals, a shared cabin at base camp and a jacket, gloves and hat; from the 4x4 it is about 2 hours on foot to camp. Its page, updated on 9 October 2026, says departures resumed on 14 October 2026, Monday to Thursday only, at 8:00 AM from your hotel in Antigua, by the Finca San Sebastián road, which it calls the only motorized access authorized at present. That is the operator’s own statement; we did not find the authorization at an issuer (Cyman Travel, checked November 2026).
- AcateGo GT's 2-day trip on Viator, from US$129 (checked November 2026), offers a 4x4 option at an additional cost on top of the walking version, with shared cabins.
So a 4x4 trip costs from several times the price of a walking tour, and on Cyman Travel’s account it runs Monday to Thursday only. If you want the 4x4 for a Friday to Sunday, check before you plan around it.
Who the 4x4 suits, and who it does not
It suits anyone who wants the night facing Fuego and the summit at dawn without five hours of climbing on day one. It does not remove the climb to the summit, which is on foot from camp. Silverbacks Experiences’ trip is not for pregnant women, wheelchair users, people with respiratory problems, a cold or altitude sickness, or children under 2.
Before you book
CONRED restricted the ascent of Acatenango on 4 August 2026, during an eruption of Fuego; operators were selling dates in November 2026 when we checked. Check CONRED and INGUAT, Guatemala’s tourism institute, before you go. If you are walking instead, camp or cabin compares the beds on the hiking tours.
More from Antigua
Volcano Tours from Antigua with Open Dates
Overnight hikes and other trips from Antigua with live availability. What is included and the cancellation terms show before you book.
A 4WD Up, Then 40 Minutes on Foot
Silverbacks Experiences' overnight trip: a 4WD to a parking area high on Acatenango, about 40 minutes on foot to a glamping tent, the farm and park fees paid, and the summit at dawn.
Check 4x4 dates