Pacaya Volcano is one of the most active—and most popular—in all of Guatemala. Stationed some 8,000 feet (2,500 meters) above sea level, this destination is an ideal spot for travelers who want an easy hike, epic views, and some memorable stories. This tour allows you the comfort and ease of pre-arranged transportation to ensure you get the most out of your hike.

Transportation to Pacaya Volcano from Antigua
See one of Guatemala's most active volcanoes
Hike to the top with a professional local guide
Take in the views from the top of the volcano

What's Included

Trail Guide in both languages Spanish-English (Basic English)
Hotel pickup (selected hotels only)
Collective transportation Antigua-Volcano-Antigua

Entrance fee Q100.00 per person
Food and drinks
Gratuities
Horse ride (Q200.00-Q300.00 round trip)

Meeting And Pickup

Pickup points

Select a pickup point

Ticket redemption point

Volcán Pacaya, 99JW+FPX, San Vicente Pacaya, Guatemala

Pickup details

- We can pick up in any centrally located Antigua Hotels, Air BnB and family homestays. - We DON'T pick up in the villages around like hotels or Air BnB in Santa Ana, San Bartolomé Becerra, Ciudad Vieja, San Juan del Obisto, Santa Inés or Santo Domingo del Cerro, Antika or San Pedro el Panorama. - You are purchasing a collective service, this means several people will join the tour. This means that the van will experience some delays caused by travellers that are not ready in time, or gave a wrong address. Please be Patient. - Please sen us your hotel name or home address to confirm the reservation.

What To Expect

Pacaya Volcano

3 hours • Admission Ticket Not Included

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking, unless booked within 12 hours of travel. In this case confirmation will be received as soon as possible, subject to availability
Not wheelchair accessible
Children must be accompanied by an adult
Minimum age is 8 years
Not recommended for travellers with back problems
Not recommended for pregnant travellers
No heart problems or other serious medical conditions

Travellers should have a moderate physical fitness level
Take note that Rainy Season is from May to October, more chance of rain in the afternoons
The hike it runs even if it's raining.
Wear hiking boots with good traction and toe protection, pants, jacket (rain coat and waterproof clothing in rainy season)
Only cash of quetzals is accepted to pay the admission fee
If you want to rent a horse, bring cash of quetzals
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 20 travellers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.

Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.

Traveller Photos

Featured review

Alice_C

What an amazing experience. Lovely tour guide and showed us the way.. took about an hour to get there and then hiked up even though it rained, the views were stunning and then cleared up and was just spectacular!! Definitely worth doing whilst staying in beautiful Antigua. Thank you for such an amazing experience

Reviews

4.5

174 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travellers.

Showing 1-10 of 174 reviews

All round good trip to see the active volcano

Anne_S, May 2023

Lovely trip. We were met off the bus by the local guides who looked after us on the walk up. Views of the volcano were excellent as was the trip back down over the lava field. The day was cloudy so we didn't get the views to the other distant volcanoes. Don't expect to go to the crater, that's not part of the tour. It is easily achievable for anyone with a basic level of fitness.

Best thing I have done in my life! Must try!

Alegra_M, May 2023

Active or not, this was a moderately easy hike. Lots of breaks! They picked us up by bus at our hotel and back which is a super plus! The guide are the sweetest and the option of horses is a nice touch (Def bring carrots or an apple for them) make sure to read your emails and dress accordingly ! Bathrooms before and after (free) and tip them ! They climb these 2x a day! If you are afraid if dogs don't go bc there are lots of pups that tag along. The views are like a different planet. The entire experience is something that brings out of you you didn't know you had. Bravery and adrenaline going down. Make sure to get your socks dirty and embrace nature!!

Great experience

staceyr, May 2023

Great trip. Comfortable shuttle bus up and back to hotel. Guide on the mountain was lovely. Hike was quite hard with only a couple of stops on the way up. The horses follow you in case you give up and need a ‘taxi’ haha. Great views from the top as well. Recommend

Amazing view

Suganiy_S, May 2023

This was a really good tour! The guide was great at explaining the history of Pacaya and we got to roast marshmallows on the way down.

Great hike not too hard and beautiful

Roberto_C, May 2023

Great spot and great tour guides. One note is that the volcano is currently not active since 2021 so keep that in mind

10/10

Gabi_T, Apr 2023

We loved our guides and had a great time with them! They even took us “skiing” down part of the volcano. The pizza is amazing!

What an amazing...

Alice_C, Apr 2023

A tough ride is worth the reward

Katherine_M, Apr 2023

The journey is tough but it's worth the views. If you aren't someone who has a lot of cardio conditioning I would recommend taking the horse up. The ride to/from the volcano is pretty tight so be prepared to be friendly with your fellow hikers. We had marshmallows at the top which was cool. In terms of attire (went in early spring April) I'd recommend a light jacket and shorts with sturdy shoes.

Fun hike and Volcano Pizza!

Ben_V, Apr 2023

This was a fun hike and would highly recommend. If you have difficulty hiking, they offer horses to assist.

An experience money can’t buy

Brian_C, Apr 2023

Had a great time on this tour. Instructor gave us info on the way. Although the weather was bad, we made the best of it and loved the vibe from everyone there. Not a frown in sight.

Hard! BEWARE wll weekend warriors

DrMichelle_D, Apr 2023

This is harder than it is sold as. The altitude is a challenge coupled with the loose gravel uphill climb. Our guide never waited or slowed down for us. And he spoke very little English. At the top it was all fog so no beautiful vista to be seen. So the weather may not be on your side. Do not go unless you are in excellent daily runner kind of shape- or just ride one of the horses. You will have a sore rear but you won’t have a medical emergency in the middle of nowhere!

Response from Host, Apr 2023

Thank you Dr mich for explaining your personal view of a natural area to visit. As you might be aware, many people do understand to read the product they are going to buy. And in our description it is clear that it says that we offer a trail guide. It is interesting that you give us a 2 star on something that is entirely your misperception. Thank you for lowering our rate, when we give our best to improve our service and are comitted to our good service to our customers.

Nice Pacaya hike

Nisim_C, Apr 2023

Very nice and easy tour. The tour guide was very nice, stopped a few times until we got there. We stopped to eat hot marshmallows and came back.

Great experience

Claudia_M, Apr 2023

I was picked up early at 6am for the ride to Pacaya. We had a quick stop to buy snacks and use restroom. They coordinated the reservation with the pizza at Pacaya. Group was small enough to go at a good pace. I ended up getting the horse ride up.

Awkward

Robin_H, Apr 2023

This would have been 100% better as a self-paced hike. Everyone in our group was a 20-something, European with the lungs of a mountain goat, so myself and another hiker who weren't as swift felt really uncomfortable. It would have been a pleasant hike on my own, but the guides would make the younger hikers stop and wait for me, which pissed them off and embarassed the heck out of me. I also got chased by horse vendors for nearly half the hike and it was super upsetting. At one point I had a horse on each side and one behind me and was literally being shoved off the trail while the vendors tried to sell me a horse ride. They nearly trampled my daughter and after asking them politely to back off a dozen times in Spanish, I lost my temper and yelled at them, which finally got the message across. The guide at the back with the slower hikers was very pleasant, the views were nice and the marshmallow was fun, but nearly being trampled by horses and getting dirty looks from smug hostel kids made me miserable and self-conscious. I would find a way to do this hike alone if I were to do it again.

Response from Host, Apr 2023

Thank you Robin for your descriptive message. I totally understand your feelings, but you also have to remember, you are visiting a 3rd world country, and people depend on turism, especially in the pacaya town. Also, this volcano, requires the use of a trail guide. You can not climb this volcano without a trail guide. I am sorry for your experience, but i do feel that it is not fair to judge our service based on external situations.

It was very cold when we...

Melannie_B, Mar 2023

It was very cold when we went, but an amazing experience! We were picked up on time, and had no issues regarding this tour. The guides were super friendly.

AMAZING EXPERIENCE!

Laskmy_R, Mar 2023

The guide and entire experience was phenomenal! Loved the hike, the view, and roasting marshmallows at the top! Excellent in every way!

Amazing trip and beautiful sunset... also roasted marshmallows!

Melissa_M, Mar 2023

Such an amazing trip. The office was very communicative with pick up information. The drive up to the base was scenic and pleasant. The guides are terrific and very kind. They made sure everyone was safe and helped those (me) that had a little more trouble on the jagged rocks. The sunset was amazing and we roasted marshmallows in the vents. Cute dogs visiting the peak as well. Would definitely recommend! We were a family group ages 13-53. Make sure to bring extra cash as the price on the horses was Q150 each way and entrance fee was Q100 per person. Also need tips for guides and driver :)

Great views!

Kali_O, Mar 2023

The views were incredible. The guides were lovely. Highly recommend this experience. My husband and I live at elevation and were able to do the hike without much difficulty. Horses were offered for this less comfortable with the hike/elevation gain. Thanks!

Tour guide was great, we...

Alessia_A, Mar 2023

Tour guide was great, we hiked up and took around 1.20hr, we took plenty of stops on the way so good if you aren’t a seasoned hiker. Toasting marshmellows at the top was a nice way to finish. Would recommend for the price :)

Good and bad

Francisco_G, Mar 2023

The hike is pretty easy. It takes 1.5 hours to get to the base of the volcano. You can't go to the summit for safety reasons. Once at the base, you can heat up marshmallows from the volcano's steam which is pretty cool. The views are beautiful, but the experience itself is not so much. It felt very rushed, we were only at the base for less than 20 minutes before the guide told us we have to go back down. We hiked for over an hour just to be at the top for less than 20 min. Very disappointed with the experience.

Response from Host, Mar 2023

Hi Francis! thank you for your comments. I do want to explain that the trail guides will make choices in time, depending on weather, or advices from the government. Also, when people wish to go for a longer period of time, they pay a private service.

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