San Pedro Volcano Hike, Lake Atitlan, Guatemala

#volcanSanPedro #guatlinda #guatemala
Are Robbers a Problem Hiking The San Pedro Volcano?
The San Pedro Volcano is one of 37 volcanoes in the country of Guatemala and the oldest of the three that rise above the beautiful Lake Atitlan. San Pedro soars to an impressive height of 3,020 Meters, just shy of 10,000 feet. It is a stratovolcano and not considered active. Summiting San Pedro is a very popular tourist activity in the region, but the trail has been plagued in the past with robbers, causing some uncertainty and fear amongst hikers. To reach the beginning of the hike you travel to the town of San Pedro La Laguna which sits on the volcanoes slopes. For many people including our family this means a boat ride across the lake.
So how safe is it to climb San Pedro? This is one of the most frequently asked questions when people consider this hike, because of it's shaky history with robbers on the trail. Are you going to get robbed if you try to climb San Pedro? This was a question that we asked many people while living in Panajachel before we ever attempted to do the hike. The answer we usually got, was that robbers were not really as much of an issue anymore. This always came with a caveat though, that it was still a possibility. In response to the problems with robbers on the trail, the Town of San Pedro la Laguna sends a pair of police officers up the volcano every day and hiking alone is highly discouraged. Contrary to what some places on the internet say, you do not need to hire a guide to go up the volcano. Guides are included as part of your fee to enter the ecological park that protects the volcano.
In our experience this hike was nothing but fun! It was difficult yes, but robbers were the least of our worries. This doesn't mean that they don't exist however. Talking with our guide and with the local police we learned that they had arrested people just a few weeks prior to our arrival. Just be smart about things. follow the rules, don't hike alone, and stick to the trail. In our opinion robbers on San Pedro are the exception, not the rule and the Guatemalan authorities are doing their best to make this a fun and safe adventure for all to enjoy.
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Thanks for watching!

[@zaratewilliam4878]

Awesome videos!!.. I have watched your videos and Is amazing how you edit each of them. Undoubtedly that part of the world is magic and amazing. I'm guatemalan but I've never been to those places, I hope to be there in the future. I'm a sub from New York and good luck to you and your beautiful family on all your trips throughout the world.

[@OurMillionAdventures]

Thank you so much for the kind words! Guatemala is truly amazing, we hope to return in the future.

[@johnd746]

Your children always seem to have a positive attitude about your adventures. Great experiences for them.

[@odylucero296]

Nice

[@odylucero296]

Nice video

[@OurMillionAdventures]

Thanks

[@cheminu]

Awesome guys! I'm watching this from San Pedro!

[@AnkleSnapper72]

That sense of achievement your kids would have in doing this, life lesson that can't be learnt in a class room. Stunning views. Another outstanding video, thanks for sharing. San Pedro, San Juan and San Marcos are all worth visiting. Just a beautiful part of the world for nature, lake scenes, artists and local craft.

[@MsRickylynn]

Morning FF, just waking up, making pancakes. Thanks for a great start! Erica

[@OurMillionAdventures]

mmm pancakes! Thanks for watching Erica!

[@marcellareese8853]

How beautiful. My children were both born in Guatemala. I will be sharing your videos with them. Thank you.

[@OurMillionAdventures]

So glad you liked them, thank you for watching!

[@nepalesenomad1195]

enjoyed watching, thanks for sharing.

[@relicofgold]

Great videos. The big question is of course: How does a family of 7 have the money to just drop everything and go on a million adventures???

[@OurMillionAdventures]

I work 9-5 everyday doing remote software development. Just need the internet. So our adventures are usually just weekends and evenings. It's honestly not an easy lifestyle but the freedom to be anywhere is worth it.

[@relicofgold]

@@OurMillionAdventures Your vids show sophistication in editing, so of course. That makes sense, and congratulations on figuring it out. Such a beautiful family you have and your hard work has made your adventures possible. Sub'd!!

[@OurMillionAdventures]

I Won't lie we were a bit nervous when we heard they could be robbers while hiking the San Pedro Volcano. We talked to a lot of people about it before ever going to do the hike. What about you? Have you hiked San Pedro? What was your experience?

[@IWORSHIP-qf9zh]

Hey. Looking to travel lago atitlan. Is there a partiular location you would have liked to stay in a hotel nearby? My family is from Guatemala but looking to visit the area in a few months. What kind of camera you felt safe using?

[@OurMillionAdventures]

I just used my normal camera (sony a6000) and never felt unsafe there. As for hotels we stayed in a few different ones in Panajachel and San Pedro. It really depends on what you are looking for. Some are nicer but more expensive. Where you stay really depends on what you want to do. 😁

[@KarenMeneghin]

Five hours up and four hours down. Its too much work for robbers! We had a native guide while hiking everywhere in Guatemala even when we went to Tikal and crossed military checkpoints

[@OurMillionAdventures]

That's a great way to do it!

[@LifeIsOhana]

You've raised a family of mountain goats

[@OurMillionAdventures]

Hahaha they enjoy a good hike, though not always in the moment 😉

[@checha404]

😳😳😳😳👍

[@mirthakoch]

Volcán San Pedro safe? Even for little kids? Why, then, do I see many TripAdvisor review complaints of armed robbery posted through mid 2019? I see no consistent mention of police escort protection. Is it perhaps only an occasional service? I read of cases where people pay the entrance fee and learn only later, perhaps 70% of the way to the top, that visitors aren't allowed to go any further, due to bandit risks. Apparently, the bandits are almost impossible to eradicate, since they are too clever to threaten police directly, can hide too easily, and cannot be legitimately shot in the back as they flee. Were your police escorts armed? Did they accompany you only to the mirador or all the way to the top? In the later shots I can see only one guide, unarmed. Or did he carry a machete? Did other guides accompany other parties to the top the same morning? Any minimum size required to persuade a cop to accompany a group all the way to the summit. I suspect it would be courteous to give the guide a tip. Police are not supposed to accept gratuities, which may make them reluctant to climb just as far as an ordinary guide. More pain for no gain.

[@OurMillionAdventures]

Like I said in the video, our experience was that it was a safe hike. We were not even allowed to begin hiking until our police escort arrived and they came all the way to the very top with us. Yes, they were also armed, and were actually very polite. I talked with one of them for almost a third of the hike. He said that the police in San Pedro take turns each week going up the volcano. The two police officers that accompanied us up actually stayed at the very top to be there to protect groups that would come up throughout the day. The guides are very knowledgeable and want you to have a safe trip but they don't carry weapons. One had a machete in one of the groups that followed us up, you can see it at about the 10 min mark but that was it. I talked with our guide for awhile and he said that bandits were arrested just the week before on the volcano. As far as the entrance fee, it's a mere 100 Quetzales per adult which is about 13 bucks, so if you had to turn around for safety's sake I wouldn't count it a total loss. Most of the fun was actually going up to the Mirador and the rope swing. Half the time the top of the mountain is shrouded in clouds anyway. So I guess it is your choice. I went up fully OK with the fact that I was bringing expensive cameras, and that if they got stolen it was my fault. After talking to many people in Pana that had done the hike (including one who was a guide for many years) they put my fears at ease saying that robbery happened far less than online resources would make you believe.

[@jasonrosman2379]

How much did the police officers cost ?

[@OurMillionAdventures]

There is no fee for the police. It's just part of the park's security.

[@jasonrosman2379]

@@OurMillionAdventures those poor guys having to hike they all the time . At least they have an excuse for not going to the gym .

[@OurMillionAdventures]

Yeah, I talked with them a bunch. They take turns rotating through the force. They are definitely in shape!

[@jasonrosman2379]

@@OurMillionAdventures Im hoot to say that tomorrow I hike San Pedro

[@OurMillionAdventures]

Enjoy!

[@marksfamilyadventures8]

Are there many English speaking people??

[@OurMillionAdventures]

In Panajachel there are quite a few actually. There is a sizable expat community there. Most guides when we hiked San Pedro also knew some English. Almost eveybody else hiking up that morning also spoke english.

[@marksfamilyadventures8]

Our Million Adventures i guess better to learn spanish

[@fartknocker132]

Hi, I hiked this volcano by myself last summer. I started late, at 1pm. I also brought a gun with me. I didn't encounter any bandits but I have heard a lot about them showing up there.

[@OurMillionAdventures]

Yeah, I think they are a lot less of a problem now. Glad you had a bandit free hike as well 😁

[@fartknocker132]

@@OurMillionAdventures Same to you. Where did you stay when you were there? I stayed mostly in Santa Cruz.

[@OurMillionAdventures]

@@fartknocker132 we stayed in Panajachel