A yoga teacher plunged to her death earlier this year while hiking up a Guatemalan volcano to watch the sunrise in the nude, an inquest has heard.

Catherine Shaw, a 23-year-old British backpacker, was reported missing on March 5 after failing to return from the walk, according to the NZ Herald.

Although authorities were initially concerned foul play was involved when her naked and battered body was discovered near San Juan La Laguna on March 11, Coroner Darren Salter has since ruled her death an accident.

View photos Catherine Shaw, a 23-year-old British backpacker, was reported missing on March 5 after failing to return from the walk with her puppy. Source: Instagram More

He told the inquest Ms Shaw had multiple injuries but there was no evidence to prove anyone else was involved.

The 23-year-old, who had been fasting for a couple of days before the walk, was dead for four to six days before her body was found, he added.

Her puppy was also found nearby “shivering and alone”.

View photos The experience traveller’s social media is filled with pictures of her adventures, including some nude images. Source: Instagram More

Ms Shaw is believed to have removed her own clothing during the hike.

Her father told the court his daughter had often visited nudity-friendly areas and was “comfortable in her own skin.”

"This is something she was quite capable of. It is unusual for a 23-year-old to not be body-conscious and she was not,” he said, according to the NZ Herald.

View photos Ms Shaw's father told the court his daughter had often visited nudity-friendly areas and was “comfortable in her own skin.” Source: Instagram More

The experience traveller’s social media is filled with pictures of her adventures, including some nude images.

"We know that Catherine had been fasting for the days leading to her disappearance and that she had been disposing of possessions, including clothing,” Ms Shaw’s family said in a statement released by Lucie Blackman Trust.

"She was very much a nature lover and adored sunrises, so it seems quite conceivable that she went up the mountain to greet the sunrise, shedding clothing as she went, and due to her lack of intake of food and fluid may have passed out or fallen, causing the wounds to her body."

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