Tajumulco Volcano

Tajumulco reaches four thousand two hundred and twenty metres in the western highlands near the Mexican border, which makes it the highest point in Central America, and it is climbed as an overnight trip: a walk of three or four hours from the road up through pine forest and then open volcanic ground to a camp near the top, a cold night at altitude, and a pre-dawn scramble to the summit for sunrise. From up there the whole volcanic chain runs south-east, with Tacana next door on the border and the line of cones toward Atitlan and beyond, and on clear mornings the shadow of the mountain is thrown across the country to the west.

What you actually see

• The highest point in Central America - 4,220 metres in the western highlands.
• Sunrise over the volcanic chain - the cones running south-east.
• The mountain's own shadow - thrown west across the country at dawn.
• High camp on volcanic ground - the night above the treeline.

When to go

The dry window from November through April. Two days with a camp near the summit. Nights are below freezing and altitude affects most people. Go with a guide or an organised group.

Honest expectations

It is genuinely cold at the top and people arrive badly underdressed. Altitude sickness is common on a fast ascent from Xela. There are no facilities and everything is carried. Go with a group or a guide rather than alone.

Nearby

San Marcos is south-east; Tacana rises west on the border.