Awesome excursion! Definitely worth the hike!! - Of my 15 night Panama Canal Cruise itinerary, this excursion was my favorite! The drive to and from the volcano took over an hour each way, so make sure you use the restroom before you get in the van. This was my first time hiking an "active" volcano. I have hiked Diamond Head (Hawaii), Lava Beds National Monument (Tulelake, CA), and lots of 14,000+ foot mountains in Colorado. If you're going to make the entire Pacaya Volcano hike on foot, you need to be in shape! Otherwise, there are some additional cost options you should consider when you arrive to Pacaya Volcano. When you arrive to Pacaya Volcano, kids will surround your vehicles to rent you a "walking stick." I don't find walking sticks useful, but my wife swears it was worth $2 to rent the walking stick. The second available option is horses. There are lots of people willing to rent-a-ride on a horse to the top of the volcano (or up-and-down) for $25-$50/person. Since I was there to hike on-foot, I declined these add-on options. The hike was steep, but no worse than the other hikes I mentioned above. So, again, if you're in-shape, have water, and a protein bar, I am sure you'll enjoy this hike! The natural beauty was breathtaking, and the panoramic views from the top of the volcano are certainly worth the trip! Lakes, tropical forest, Guatemala City view, and more... it was awesome. Since the volcano was still active, our guide talked about previous eruptions and toasted marshmallows for us over the steam vents near the top of the volcano. Following the hike, we used the restroom facilities and then made our way to a house for a Guatemalan lunch... fresh avocado tostada, maize/corn tamale, and coffee. It was a perfect finish to our hike! This excursion made Guatemala my favorite stop on the cruise!

Excellent excursion from cruise ship port - This was an excellent cruise ship excursion. The company provided an excellent tour guide, Rimero, and the transportation was a very nice van driven by Americo. There was some traffic along the way because the road bridges had been washed away by rains, and lots of road work, but the guide and driver were excellent. We didn't really realize how extreme of a hike this is. I knew from other reviews that I would need a horse ride to the top ($45 cash extra) but my husband, a firefighter used to hiking, was surprised how much of an extreme hike this was. A few people in our group had to get horses after only a few hundred yards. There is a point of no return to get a horse, and the worst of the hike was after that. So be prepared. I thoroughly enjoyed it via horseback, but my husband wished he knew how rough it was or he would have gotten one too!! They roasted marshmallows in the caldera. And after the hike, we stopped for a wonderful snack of tostadas and (forgot the name) something like a tamale. Excellent tour, wonderful guide, great transportation. Would highly recommend. But be forewarned to bring water, a jacket (extreme winds and very cold at the top!!) and cash for a horse and tips ;) Wonderful experience.

Eating Pizza on a Volcano 🌋 - What an amazing hike! We were doing a full transit Panama Canal cruise with a stop in Porto Quetzal. The ship’s excursions didn’t sound very interesting so I looked at what Viator had to offer. I found the Pacaya Volcano Adventure and signed us up. Nelson met us outside the ship and took us to the van. The ride up to the base of Pacaya is beautiful. Once there we met our guide Roberto. He was great! I mentioned we had seen a You Tube video with Mark Wiens eating pizza on a volcano. He called ahead and made our reservations. The hike was amazing. Roberto stopped frequently to point out interesting sights. We also had the option to go by horseback but we wanted the exercise. Just passed the caldera is the pizza. It’s freshly made and cooked in the rocks of the volcano. While we sat eating a nearby volcano began erupting. It was surreal to sit up there and watch! A short downhill hike from there and we were back to the van. The hike is about four miles total. The van took us back to the ship with plenty of time to spare. There is nothing we would change about our day. I would highly recommend this tour company and this excursion!