If you are looking for something to do for a few hours outside of Antigua, Guatemala than hiking Pacaya Volcano may be a great choice! (Well that depends on who you ask…I’ll revisit this later).
about Pacaya volcano
Volcán Pacaya is a stratovolcano located in Guatemala, approximately 30 kilometers south of the capital city, Guatemala City. The volcano has a long history of activity, with its first recorded eruption dating back to 1565. Since then, it has erupted numerous times, with the most recent activity occurring in 2021.
The eruptions of Pacaya have had a significant impact on the surrounding region, with the volcano being responsible for ashfall, lava flows, and lahars (mudflows caused by volcanic ash mixing with water). Despite this, the volcano remains a popular tourist destination, with visitors often hiking to the summit to witness the eruptions firsthand.
Over the years, Pacaya has played a significant role in the culture and mythology of the local indigenous communities. The volcano is considered to be a sacred site, and its eruptions are often viewed as a sign of the anger or displeasure of the gods. Thankfully the gods have not been angry sense 2021 as it is currently dormant. Today, Pacaya continues to be closely monitored by scientists and authorities, in order to ensure the safety of those who live in the surrounding area.
about the hike
- Location: Just southeast of the town of Saint Vincent de Pacaya
- Distance: 3.5 miles roundtrip
- Elevation Gain: 1,433ft
- Route Type: Loop
- Difficulty: Moderate – Difficult
- Details: Can be done without a guide. Bring at least 2-3L of water with you and snacks! If you go with a tour you will likely start around 6 – 7am and get back to Antigua around 12 or 1pm.
- Walking or Horseback riding? There’s options and the locals know that the short but steep incline will exhaust some hikers. If your experience is anything like ours, the locals will follow you with a few horses whilst yelling “Taxi, Taxi” and for a short fee you can quickly make the rest of the trip on the back of a horse.
- Traveling Time: From Antigua it takes about 1.5 – 2 hours of driving to get to the start of the hike and another 1.5 – 2 hours back to Antigua. Normally the shuttle will pick you up at your hostel/hotel and then drop you off in Central Park.
- Trailhead Location:
what we paid
If you are like us and love to price compare than here is what we paid to give you an idea!
– Pacaya Guided Tour: $11 (included: shuttle to/from, english speaking guide) Of note: regular price ~18$ through Hostel Esperanza.
– Pacaya National Park Entrance Fee: ~ $13 USD per person
– Tip for guide: 20 Quetzals
Pro Tip: If you book this Pacaya trip through a local travel agency in town expect to be crammed into different shuttle busses with other tourists that booked with different agencies. We are pretty certain that the agencies work together to maximize the amount of tourists that go to Pacaya Volcano. Which, in a business stand-point, definitely makes sense. As a tourist stand-point, kind of annoying to be packed into a small shuttle bus with everyones hiking backpacks for 2 hours there and back. NOT the worst thing but just so you have a heads up. Everyone’s experience is different so you may not have to deal with this at all.
what to bring
- Hiking shoes
- Walking stick (or rent one from the local kids as they will be waiting for you to get off the tour bus)
- Water (at least 2-3L)
- Snacks
- A rain jacket/wind resistant jacket
- Puffy jacket
- Hiking pants/leggings/shorts (check the weather prior to departure)
- Hat
- Sunscreen
Additional info
Everyone’s experience is different when it comes to hiking volcanos. The experience can depend on things like weather, current mood, friends, relatives, physical fitness level, if you’ve seen active lava before, and the list goes on. SO! That being said, we’ve talked to multiple people who did the hike and were overwhelmingly unimpressed as they were prepared to roast marshmellows on ACTIVE lava… Well! As on February 2023…This is NOT going to happen. Pacaya is currently NOT active meaning in short that there is NO bright yellow/orange lava at the top of the hike. The once active lava is now hard black lava rock with pockets of steam emerging from random areas amongst the sea of rocks. When the guide “roasts” your marshmellow, roasting consists of putting the marshmellows in one of the pockets of hot steam emerging from deep below the black lava rocks. Even after hiking Acatenango Volcano to see and hear Fuego’s glorious eruptions Zack and I still ENJOYED our day trip to Pacaya Volcano as it got us out of Antigua’s gas filled town and into nature and “cleaner” air.
Overall, we think this was a great day trip and would recommend going if you are trying to figure out what to do for the day :)!
Happy Adventuring!