Sometimes you have to make hard, strategic sightseeing decisions when you travel. We recently returned from a great hike up Volcan Pacaya, a mildly active volcano. We enjoyed the views, and the geology, and even roasted some marshmallows at hotspots near the summit!
But this wasn’t Plan A.
Let us show you what we did, how we did it, and why so you can plan your own visit!
For months, Plan A was doing the famous overnight Volcan Acatenango hike while we were visiting Antigua Guatemala. This hike is considered a must-do because of the epic night views of the constantly erupting Volcan Fuego, which is within spitting distance of the Volcan Acatenango summit campsite.
Volcan Fuego doing its thing, as seen from Volcan Acatenango.
This hike is considered extremely strenuous because the 4-hour route to the summit of Volcan Acatenango is a relentless series of near-vertical switchbacks.
We aren’t strangers to extremely strenuous hikes, but we are sensitive to getting a visual payoff proportional to the amount of effort invested. The Volcan Acatenango experience delivers this at face value, but that is under favorable weather conditions.
We are currently in Antigua Guatemala during the tail end of the rainy season, but conditions aren’t monsoon-like as one might assume. Rather, heavy cloud cover and some rain are a near-constant threat from around 2 pm – 5 am every day. But generally, every morning and early afternoon are fine, weather-wise.
The problem is that at this time of year, Volcan Acatenango and Volcan Fuego are usually covered by dense clouds during the afternoon and evening, with no guarantee that you would actually see the visual payoff that you worked so hard for.
So because of this, plus the significant cost of the guided tour, plus the fact that we would be camping in low-visibility conditions near the freezing point (with a significant probability of rain), we decided to bail on our original plan.
But Plan B was pretty great!
Volcan Pacaya – A Worthy Plan B
Volcan Pacaya is an active volcano, although it does not erupt even close to the frequency of Volcan Fuego. But it does still erupt in locally impactful ways every couple of years as recently as 2021 (as per the Smithsonian Institution Global Volcanism Program), despite what the incomplete eruption history listed on its Wikipedia listing says.
But the geology, views, and hike to the summit of Volcan Pacaya were widely reported to be excellent, even if they don’t achieve the standard of Volcan Acatenango.
So when we saw a window of perfect morning weather coming up, we booked a tour to take us to see the volcano later in the week!
Booking a Guided Tour
This is easy.
You can book in person at any number of tour agencies in Antigua Guatemala.
Or you can find some of these agencies online and book through their online portal, with the possible advantage of being able to use your credit card. But you may end up paying a little more for the convenience.
We booked in person at Tropicana Hostal & Tour Agency out of convenience because we were enjoying their rooftop terrace and happy hour drink specials. But honestly, you might be able to book a tour for a little cheaper if you shop around.
We paid ~150 quetzales (~$20 USD) per person at the time.
Note that tours usually don’t include the Volcan Pacaya Park entrance fee(100 quetzales/$12.91 USD per non-Guatemalan person), so be sure to read the fine print of your booking and plan accordingly.
Our Tour of Volcan Pacaya
Our shuttle van picked us up at our Airbnb at 6 am. We then drove to pick up 7 other hikers in Antigua Guatemala, and we were on our way!
Our route took us through a series of twisty, turny mountain roads to our destination. In total, it took about 90 minutes to get to Volcan Pacaya National Park.
The view was really nice along the way!
Volcan Fuego and Volcan Acatenango were often in view as we drove.
Once our group arrived at the Volcan Pacaya National Park lot, we met our guide, paid the entrance fee (100 quetzales/$12.91 USD per non-Guatemalan person), and started up the trail to the top.
The view from the parking lot was fantastic and was only a sampling of what was to come.
The trail to the summit of Volcan Pacaya is an out-and-back hike of a little over 5 km (3.1 miles), with around 1,500 feet (457 meters) elevation gain. Definitely a hike of moderate difficulty due to the trail being pretty steep, but the trail conditions were good and the footing was secure.
And for those of limited fitness, horses were available (for a fee) to take you to the top!
The views on the way up were wonderful, and the weather was perfect! Along the ascent, the three most famous volcanoes in the area were always in view.
From R to L: Volcan Agua (dead center), Volcan Acatenango, Volcan Fuego
As we neared the top, you could see evidence of lava flows from eruptions over the last several years.
Recent lava flows were disturbingly close to local settlements. Black hardened flows were just a year or two ago, grey flows were older by several years.
Nearing the top of Volcan Pacaya, the landscape shifted to primarily lava flow remnants…
Until Volcan Pacaya came into view and dominated the landscape.
Despite the desolate landscape, there was evidence of life reclaiming the areas where lava recently flowed.
We scrambled across the fumaroles until we reached areas where the rocks were particularly hot…
And found openings in which we could roast marshmallows!
If you put your hand in the space at the center, you couldn’t keep it there very long!
Getting nice and gooey! The sulfur seasoning kicks it up a notch.
In the intense light of mid-day, the landscape was pretty stark from our position on the fumarole…
But the horses didn’t seem to mind.
Our hiking companions were kind enough to take a picture of us…
But we eventually had to start our descent.
Again, the views did not disappoint…
And Volcan Fuego gave us a bit of a show on the way down!
After soaking up the views, we continued down Volcan Pacaya, eventually returning to our shuttle bus at the parking lot.
Once everyone was loaded onto the shuttle, we headed back to Antigua Guatemala, arriving back at around 11:30 am. Just in time for lunch!
And it was a reasonable cost for the day’s activity. The total cost for the shuttle, guide, and entrance fee to see Volcan Pacaya was 250 quetzales ($32.27 USD) per person.
Closing Thoughts
We had a great time and would recommend the tour to anyone interested in squeezing in a volcano tour if Volcan Acatenango isn’t possible.
And in our case, we don’t feel too badly about missing out since there will be many volcano opportunities in Ecuador!
Until next time…
Thanks for reading!
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2 thoughts on “A Complete Beginner’s Guide to Visiting Volcan Pacaya”
The Lord of the Rings would have been a much shorter story if it had been written by a Central American.
“The ring must be cast into the volcano.”
“Wait, just… any volcano?”
“Yes. Pick one, nuke the Dark Lord by noon, then home for dinner tonight.”
Truth.