Unfortunately, I cannot give this tour a good review. I was incredibly fortunate to see Fuego erupting with visible lava and an amazing sunrise from the summit of Acatenango, but the safety and equipment issues I experienced were unacceptable.
The biggest issue was my **headlamp**. It stopped working after sunset, and although I told the group leader several times and was promised a replacement, I never received one. I had to use my phone flashlight instead.
Even more concerning, the next morning I again asked for a working headlamp before the pre-dawn summit hike and was told to **“just walk between people with one.”** Hiking steep, uneven volcanic terrain in complete darkness without my own light felt extremely unsafe. I was shocked that a guide would knowingly allow this rather than provide a replacement.
There were several other problems as well:
* The zipper on my lunch bag was broken, so my food and containers kept falling out while hiking.
* There was trash around the campfire and kitchen areas.
* My sleeping bag was visibly dirty and had what appeared to be dried blood and/or nasal mucus on it.
Any one of these equipment issues might be understandable, but together they made me question how thoroughly the equipment is being inspected, cleaned, and maintained.
The volcano itself was an incredible experience, but **the headlamp situation is ultimately why I am giving this tour one star.** Equipment can malfunction—that happens. But after repeatedly reporting a safety problem, I should never have been sent on a pre-dawn summit hike without a functioning headlamp.