Aside from its Mayan heritage, Guatemala is arguably most famous for its volcanoes. Volcán de Fuego (or Chi Q’aq) is an active stratovolcano around 60km from the country’s capital, and hiking around five hours to the summit to witness the spewing lava is a popular tourist activity.
However, an increase in seismic activity led to mass evacuations on Sunday March 9, and it’s obviously worrying news if you’re on your way to Guatemala. So, here’s everything you need to know about travelling there right now and what the eruption could mean for your trip.
Is it safe to travel to Guatemala?
Travelling hasn’t officially been advised against, but travellers are urged to exercise caution.
Though hiking to Volcán de Fuego is popular among travellers, around 1,000 people were evacuated on Sunday when seismic activity increased. Lava, ash and rocks were ejected from the volcano and people were moved to safety from communities such as El Porvenir and Las Lajitas, with another 30,000 people being put potentially ‘at risk’. Thankfully, no casualties have been reported so far, but the largest concern is about the spread of potentially harmful ash.
The government has closed schools in the surrounding region, and a highway which passes from Antigua to the south of Guatemala has been temporarily closed, according to The Tico Times.
Where was the volcanic eruption in Guatemala?
Volcán de Fuego, or Chi Q’aq (which translates to ‘the place where the fire is’) is Central America’s most active volcano, one of the most active in the world, and is part of the Pacific Ring of Fire. It’s around 60 km away from Guatemala City and around 16 km from the famous colonial town (and Guatemala’s most popular tourist attraction) Antigua.
It had previously been inactive for 50 days, and hiking groups who were near the summit on Sunday were the first ones to see it active again.
Are more eruptions expected?
According to euronews, Guatemala’s disaster agency said that the flow of volcanic material is moderate but expected to increase. However, according to the state-run Volcanology Institute, this eruption was considered to have ended by late on Monday (March 10).
Have flights been cancelled?
There are no reports of flights being cancelled, but airlines are apparently operating with restrictions because ash clouds from the volcano can reach up to 7,000 metres, according to Insivumeh. You can keep an eye on Guatemala City live arrivals and departures on Skyscanner here.
What is the UK Foreign Office saying?
The FCDO is yet to update its travel advice page in response to the eruption. However, the ‘volcanic eruptions’ section of the safety and security page reads: ‘There is a risk of volcanic eruptions in Guatemala. Monitor local media and seek advice from your tour operator in case of possible travel disruption. For further information see CONRED, Guatemala’s disaster agency (in Spanish).’
What are your rights if you’ve booked a trip to Guatemala?
As the FCDO has not advised against general travel, it’s likely your trip will go ahead as normal, unless the advice changes. That means that until then, it’s unlikely you’ll be able to cancel your trip without a penalty. Contact your travel provider directly for all the latest information about whether your journey is going ahead as planned.
When was the last eruption in Guatemala?
The last serious eruption of Volcán de Fuego was back in June 2023 and led to the evacuation of around 1,200 people, but in 2018, a severe eruption killed 215 people and left about the same amount missing, according to the Guardian. Rivers of lava poured down the sides of the volcano and the village of San Miguel Los Lotes was completely devastated.
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