Pacaya Volcano Tour: Scenic Hike from Antigua

Explore Pacaya Volcano from Antigua: a thrilling hike with stunning views, volcanic sand trails, and steam vents. Perfect for adventure seekers!

Duration: 6 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Pacaya Volcano - Embark on an unforgettable half-day journey to Pacaya Volcano, one of Guatemala’s active volcanoes. This tour provides travelers with a unique chance to hike through a variety of landscapes, ranging from lush forests to rugged volcanic terrain. The adventure begins with a scenic drive from Antigua to the volcano’s base. Upon…
What's Included
  • Collective transportation Antigua-Volcano-Antigua
  • Hotel pickup (selected hotels only)
  • Trail Guide in both languages Spanish-English (Basic English)
What's Not Included
  • Entrance fee Q100.00 per person
  • Food and drinks
  • Gratuities
  • Horse ride (Approximate cost Q300.00 round trip)
Additional Information

Pacaya is among the most active volcanoes in Central America, standing at an impressive 2,552 meters above sea level and is easily accessible. For more than 50 years, it has experienced a consistent moderate eruptive phase, making it a highly recommended destination for its breathtaking landscapes.
The climb is a moderate hike with some sections…

Location
Pacaya Volcano
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.4
(387 Ratings)
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Ruth_b
Feb 22, 2025
Picaya Hike - There is a lot of conflicting info on the hike up Pacaya volcano so this will hopefully help to clarify. First off it was a fun and educational adventure, a must see. We were picked up at our hotel in Antigua and then went to a coffee shop where we merged with another bus of hikers. If you don't want spend the time driving around Antigua to pick up people, or spending 1/2+ hour at the coffee shop, I would recommend just walking to the coffee shop. We dri e was long, but very interesting going through villages and mountains. We paid the 100 quetzal entrance fee and we paid 10 quetzal for a walking stick. If you are not an avid hiker, a horse is the way to go up because it is a 1500 foot altitude change, total elevation 8373 ft. We first tried walking but it was steep and we were followed by guides with horses. We opted for horses for 300 quetzal each. They do not take credit cards. It was steep the entire way up. When we got to the top we had great views of the volcano. We were still not close to the volcanic crater but could see the top through the clouds. We decided to walk down. We first walked down to an area of volcanic lava rocks from the 2021 eruption. It was like being on another planet. We warmed up marshmallows in a hot steamy rock area. We then walked on a trail that was less steep. Our guide “Monkey” pointed out interesting plants for making tequila and different berries plus a tree used for making marimba’s. At the end is a hut that has drinks and fruit. We then took the 2 hour bus trip back to Antigua. The guides were very helpful especially with the horses. Even a novice rider will have no problem as a guide is with you all the time. They do expect tips. The guides hike up and down twice a day which is amazing. We wore light jackets and pants so dressing in layers is a good idea and good hiking shoes.
Review provided by Viator
George_c
Feb 16, 2025
The hike is challenging... - The hike is challenging in parts, but doable for most fitness levels. The option is always there to take a horse taxi. Local dogs joined at our hike, which made the trip more fun. The guides were knowledgeable, fluent in Spanish and English. The vulcano is fascinating, great views of the countryside from the top. Overall, this was a very enjoyable experience, and the trip takes only half a day.
Review provided by Viator
Nathanpb4006dk
Feb 16, 2025
Amazing! - The hike was amazing with incredible views. Freddy and Carlos did an amazing job, highly recommend them for the pacaya hike.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Chad_s
Feb 16, 2025
Awesome tour guide - Our guide, “Monkey”, was amazing. He was very caring of my finance who was 2 months postpartum. The hike is a workout, but that is expected considering you’re are hiking a Volcano. The bus ride out was decent and everyone at the Volcano was kind. Amazing views and experience! Highly recommend.
Review provided by Viator
Richard_d
Feb 15, 2025
Nice steep hike up... - Nice steep hike up Pacaya. The locals will try to push horse rides and sticks for rental. It’s 250 quetzal one way or 300 round trip if you do plan on renting the horse.
Review provided by Viator
Kate_s
Jan 28, 2025
An underrated must! - Was too ill for Acetenango so did this as an alternative. Highly recommend. Beautiful 🌅 marshmallows didn’t get as toasted as hoped but that’s the volcanoes problem. Not the tour leader.
Review provided by Viator
Martin_e
Feb 18, 2025
Nice walk - Lovely walk with the tour guide. You could ask him many questions and he was ready to answer them all.
Review provided by Viator
Purpledomerock
Jan 23, 2025
Nice but could do without the horses - Nice views and guide but could do without all the horses (smell), horse sh*t on the trail, and people asking you to ride a horse to the top for 300Q (~$42). I get they need to make a living too, but personally I would prefer only the hike.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Sean_b
Jan 18, 2025
A great experience - with major caveats. - Ok, let’s start with the good. I was considering pulling out after reading some of the reviews. I’m glad I didn’t. It was a really cool experience, and I wouldn’t trade it for the world. Some tips for those considering. 1. Unless you are an avid hiker, get the horse. There really is ZERO reason to hike this. Not much to see until get up top and have to surrender the horse anyway. Just pay the 300Q and get the horse. Trust me. 2. For folks in the reviews complaining, you are literally walking up a volcano. No, it’s not going to be easy. Yes, it will be dirty. Prepare yourself. Wear gross clothes. You WILL get messy. 3. Bring PLENTY of cash. (See note below) 4. Quit complaining and live into the experience. You are part of history here. Ok - but - there are plenty of ways to improve. Which would make this a 5-star experience. Operators, I hope you read this. 1. Yes, the transportation is unacceptable - under any circumstances - and I’ve done these types of things around the world. I was lucky enough to get the front seat. But the travelers behind me, stuffed into TINY seats for nearly two hours is really incomprehensible. You need to fix this first. 2. Choose your guides carefully - and make sure they are, indeed, GUIDES. I learned very little about the volcano I was hiking. He was nice. But I literally learned nothing at all. They need to be better trained on how to deal with tourists - who are looking to learn. 3. Split your tour folks up into horse riders and hikers. And build the horse rental into the price of the tour. Because there is a mix, you lose the continuity of the group, and also lose your guide. 4. Tourists don’t want to haggle with vendors. Pick your vendors for the sticks, the horses, the food, and build it in to the price of the tours. Your clients will thank you for it. Negotiate that for us. 5. Just general training on what tourists need. (No, not what they WANT.) What they need. Have water for them (lord it’s dusty up there.) Teach them how to handle the horses. Just do the basics to make it a pleasurable trip. I could have bashed this experience, but the fact is, once you make it, it is truly breathtaking. Just a little more thoughtfulness and training from the operator would make this much better.
Review provided by Viator
Daniel_s
Feb 9, 2025
Good price, get what you pay for - The hike was fairly moderate and the view of the volcano was good. The guide did not speak any English and he seemed determined to hurry us up. He also pressured us to use a horse rather than walk for what seemed to be to hurry us up and down the mountain. All in all it was a pleasant tour, but not a memorable one.
Review provided by Viator
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March 2025
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