Everything you need to know before hiking Pacaya Volcano
Pacaya Volcano, located in southern Guatemala, is one of the most active volcanoes in Central America. It's a vision of grandeur, power, and breathtaking beauty - and for the adventurous traveler, you can get up close and personal with all its might by climbing it!
This is without a doubt a must-do on a visit to Guatemala, and I've got you covered with everything you need to know prior to the hike. Read on!
How to get there
Pacaya is located about an hour and a half outside of Antigua, and the same distance from Guatemala City. There are plenty of tour companies that provide roundtrip transportation from Antigua to the trailhead, and guided excursions up the volcano.
About the hike
The hike up Pacaya is a 3.5-mile, out-and-back adventure. You'll get directly below the crater (but not to it - this is an active volcano with lava flow, after all) and - in an extra unique twist! - roast marshmallows over dried lava fields. It's the kind of experience that will take your breath away (in more ways than one!)
Here's what else you gotta know:
Do not attempt it without a guide.
In fact, it's not even allowed to do so. If you arrive sans guide at the trailhead, you'll have to hire someone there to take you up.
We booked our tour the day before from a local travel agency in Antigua called Mayan Kingdom Travel. It cost us $12 per person (yes, you read that right) for roundtrip transportation and the services of a local guide (which meant they only spoke Spanish) to take us up the volcano. You can choose between a sunrise or sunset half-day tour. We chose the latter, which meant we left Antigua at 2PM and returned around 8PM.
There were a lot of other people in the tour group (at least 20), which meant the experience didn't feel all that personalized - and it definitely got crowded on the trail.
Other tour companies, such as OX Expeditions and Old Town Outfitters, provide bi-lingual guides and presumably smaller tour groups, but you pay a premium for them - OX tours are $59 a person, while Old Town Outfitters is $240 a person, with prices decreasing the more people there are in your group.
No matter which company you choose to take you up Pacaya, the excursion generally takes between 6-7 hours (depending on traffic) with about 4 hours dedicated to the actual hike.
It's not a walk in the park.
For the average person, I would say this hike is moderately challenging. There seem to be conflicting views online, and several things I read prior to doing the hike ranked it as "easy." I would disagree.
I won't pretend like I'm a crazy experienced hiker, but I'm in relatively good shape, and I've done some challenging hikes in my travels. For me, conquering Pacaya was moderately difficult.
The hike features steep grade pretty much the entire way up, with loose volcanic rock to navigate once you reach the lava fields. In between, you've gotta tackle a variation of concrete, sandy inclines, and narrow, uneven paths - with a lot of horse poop pretty much all over. (Let me explain: instead of hiking, you can rent a horse to take you up the volcano for 100 quetzales. Even if you choose not to, they'll follow you all the way up to the lava fields, just in case you change your mind. And they'll, erm, take care of business just about anywhere they please, which generally means all over the trail.)
To add insult to injury...
You'll feel the altitude.
Especially if you live at sea level. Yes, the hike is only 3.5 miles, but it has an elevation gain of over 1,000 feet.
Make sure you're well-hydrated and have eaten a square meal before you go. I'd also suggest spending a few days in Antigua beforehand to acclimate to the higher altitudes.
It's got crazy good views.
While parts of the trail are covered, there are plenty of viewpoints along the way to give you some serious scenery. You'll spot the glistening navy waters of a lake formed over an old caldera, as well as unreal panoramas of nearby Agua, Acatenango, and Fuego Volcanoes (the last of which you'll see constantly erupting.)
Once you make it directly below the crater, the remainder of the hike is completely in the open. It takes you down winding paths through extraterrestrial fields of dried lava, then all the way up a steep ridge of crumbling volcanic rock to one of the most stunning lookout points you may ever see.
What to bring
You'll want the following items on your hike:
Cash - You'll need it to pay the 50 quetzales entrance fee for the National Park (which is charged separately from the cost of the excursion.) You'll also need it to tip your guide, and for any snacks or beer you may want to purchase at the Visitor's Center after the hike.
Plenty of water
Sunscreen
Hat
Hiking boots - I wore tennis shoes on the hike, and while they worked fine, I really wished I had had better ankle support.
Bandana - It almost feels like you're at Coachella with the amount of dust up there! 😂
Snacks
Windbreaker - It gets pretty cold and windy on top of the volcano, especially if you're there after sunset.
Headlamp - The trail is pretty much pitch black after dark.
Walking stick - You can rent them for 5 quetzales (~$0.65) from local kids running around the trailhead. Trust me - just do it. At first I felt kind of stupid doing so, but I was so grateful for it during the hike. Again, the trail is steep pretty much the entire way.
Other things to note
It's crowded up there.
This was probably one of the biggest cons. There were a lot people up on Pacaya the same time as us, which added a degree of chaos and congestion to the experience.
Due to the crowds sharing the trail with us, we felt a bit rushed. Within our tour group, the guide dictated the pace, which meant during some of the times we wanted to stop and enjoy the views, we were being ushered along with shouts of "vamos!"
I understand wanting to make it up to the final viewpoint before sunset, but at the same time, part of enjoying a hike means getting to soak up the views along the way. This was not always possible. (And neither was being able to catch our breath in times we needed to...haha!) This is where shelling out more money for a private tour would've had a big advantage.
It is possible to see lava at the top!
Before I embarked on the hike, I was fully prepared to come away from it without any lava sightings. Everything I had read beforehand indicated that lava had become scarce on Pacaya in recent years.
Needless to say, I was shook when we began descending into the lava fields and our guide pointed out actual, fiery, spewing lava bursting out of the side of the crater above us.
Not only that, but as we found our way to the final viewpoint and the sun began to set, an actual stream of lava began to trickle down the volcano from the crater itself! It was absolutely unreal.
I won't promise you that you'll see flowing lava while you're up there, but it's definitely possible!
You just might glimpse one of the most beautiful sunsets you've ever seen.
You know those true pinch-me moments, where you can’t help but wonder, ‘is this actually real?’ This was one of those.
There I stood, speechless on a volcano while it spewed lava behind me. The valley below was lost in a sea of clouds, dyed cerulean and cotton candy and orchid. To the right, three more volcanoes lay nestled in sunset. And I felt really small.
Photos don’t come close to doing this moment justice, but that’s okay - the mental image is one I’ll never forget.
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Interested in a hike up Pacaya Volcano? Let’s discuss options of including it as part of a Guatemala vacation!
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