Pacaya Volcano, Antigua Guatemala

There are many tour companies in Antigua offer you the shuttle service to see Volcan Pacaya. Anywhere from $6 to $12, it's probably easiest to book it through your hotel/hostel, so they'll come directly to the place to pick you up. The ride to the Volcan is about an hour or so, depending on traffic, and dun forget to buckle up, since you'll drive through some uphill/downhill roads and you'll be able to smell the burning rubber from brakes.

Entrance fee to the park is Q40. After you're parked, you'll be mobbed by the village children that will try to sell you a walking stick for Q5. If you're fit, you can probably won't need it. There's a store that sell food and drinks as well. It's the last bathroom (free) opportunity before the hike. You'll also see a group of local horsemen ready to take you up if you can't hike up the trail. Gradually you'll hike up the trail, and in about 1.2 hour you'll reach a point where you have a great view of the peak of the volcan, and from that point on, you'll be hiking on loose volcan pebbles/rocks. It is the toughest, in my opinion, because it's like walking on an elliptical machine. The view is awesome, and you'll take turn to get pretty close to a stream of flowing lava (if you choose). They won't do the tour to the peak because of safety (it's too bad). Tour will turn back the same way. At the end, the tour guide will thank you for coming along, and help preserve this national park. The tour guide doesn't make much off the park entrance fee, so tip him if you like. The whole trip takes about 6 hours or so. Bus will drop you either at the Parque or your hotel.

PS: If you stay in Antigua, and would like to hike Volcan Aqua, talk to the tourismo police, and they can escort you there.

Near Guatemala City is the very active Volcano Pacaya. Pacaya is a strata volcano that was formed 23,000 years ago. It has been continually erupting since 1965. It is an unpredictable volcano that can put out small puffs of harmless steam one moment and violent explosions that can hurl bombs up to 12kms away the next. Tours leave daily from Antigua de Guatemala to climb the volcano and reach within inches of the lava flows. In some cases you can actually walk on top of very recent flows. Don't melt your shoes!

See the video at Climbing Volcan Pacaya

A standard item on the "to do" list of anyone visiting Antigua is heading up to Pacaya, one of the three volcanoes that rings the city. It is an active volcano, which adds to the excitement. The drive is about an hour or so away from Antigua, partially between Antigua and Guatemala City. The hike up to the mountain is beautiful, climbing fairly steeply through the forests and small farm plots. You eventually break through the trees to more meadowland, with warnings that state, basically, if you get hurt it's your own fault. You're on a volcano. I like that, a sort of common sense insurance policy.

The meadow gives way to volcanic sand and rock, which is very sharp and jagged, so watch the step. Depending on the flow amount, you can get close enough to poke sticks into the lava and watch them catch on fire. As you step over the rocks, you can feel the heat from below, and at times it can warm your boot soles and you can see the glow seeping from between the rocks. Spooky. But it is a fun experience, seeing the lava ooze down the mountainside, being that close to the power of nature. Definitely a fun trip.

As for details, most any guide in Antigua can set you up with a hiking trip. They run daily (sometimes a few times a day), rain or shine. It was about US$7 a person to do the trek, but it varied from company to company... some said as little as US$5, some were closer to US$12. It is a whole afternoon (or morning) trek, so be prepared, and bring good hiking shoes.

Climbing Volcan Pacaya was one of the coolest things I have ever done. We booked through a company called Old Town Outfitters. It was a little bit more expensive than the other tour operators but our tour guide was great and he fixed us dinner when we finished the hike. It was a awesome way to get to know the other people on the trip (we were the only Americans so it was cool to visit with the other travelers). As for the actual hike, it took about 1.5 hours to climb to the top. We went at sunset so when we got to the top you could see the sun setting over the other 3 volcanos surrounding Antigua. All I can say is - absolutely beautiful.

When we got the the lava rock our guide informed us that we would be walking over it to get a close up look at the running lava. I recommend bringing VERY tough shoes (fresh lava rock is sharp), gloves, a jacket (it's cold at the top) and a flashlight. We ended up getting about 3 feet away from the lava (you could smell melting rubber as some peoples shoes were melting).

All in all the hiking trip was a little dangerous but I would do it again in a heartbeat. Volcan Pacaya is a "do not miss" while in Guatemala.

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A nice daytrip you can make from Antigua is a trip to the Volcano Pacaya. This volcano is situated north from the city and it takes about 75 minutes to get there by bus. Pacaya is a nice volcano to visit: it is pretty easy to reach it and the chance you see red-hot lava here is reasonable.

In Antigua you'll see lots of little touragencies who organise trips to the volcano. Normally two options are offered: one trip departing in the morning and one in the late afternoon. Tours will take about 6 hours in total: 2,5 hours for the returntrip by bus, about the same time climbing up and down the last part of the volcano (a pretty tough climb) and the remaining hour can be spent on top of and around the lava in the crater.

The tour is easy, not expensive and pretty exciting. For more information, check out my Pacaya-page...

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Found a sunset tour of Volcan Pacaya that left from the central park in Antigua Guatemala at 2 PM and returned about 9:00 PM. I'm sure it was the best $7 I have ever spent. Some people brought marshmellows to roast and share.

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Pacaya ascents are a dime a dozen. It would be crazy to reserve in advance from your home country. I paid $10 at the last minute, and I ended up in a small group with people who had booked from Canada with Gap Tours for probably much more.

The drive to the beginning of the trail is not attractive (about one hour). Water, coffee and snacks are available at the trail house. The trail is delightful: it starts as cloud forest, and it is pretty steep. There might be children offering you to ride on horses. All of a sudden, in the middle of a verdant meadow, you will find a black stream of sharp-edged, cooled lava.

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When you get to the lava, things change dramatically. Walking becomes perilous, as the surface is irregular and brittle. You keep clilmbing, and after a while the ground gets hot. Your guide might insert his walking stick in a crevice, where it will catch on fire. The wind may be chilly, but the heat from the ground is impressive. It's a bit intimidating, yet a lot of fun. In some holes, you will see the red lava glowing faintly. It's a great experience.