From lava flows to scenic hikes: discovering the beauty of the Pacaya volcano
Are you ready to embark on an adventure of a lifetime? With this hike, you will be hiking up Pacaya volcano, surrounded by breathtaking views of the volcano. While climbing to the top, there will be a reward for seeing lava fields! And, this is excellent training for concurring the Acatenango volcano!
We just had bad luck with the weather as we had no view the whole time (only saw the volcano for 5 seconds), so the pictures will all be taken with a phone instead of a camera. But I still want to provide you with all the right information, so you can plan everything for your own trip!
You might also like: Hiking guide for Acatenango volcano
For your information, all these pictures were taken in April 2023.
Table of Contents
Summary
Length
5 kilometers (one-way and back)
Duration
2 h 30 (one-way and back)
Height difference
457 meters (1500 feet)
Difficulty
Medium to difficult
Information about Pacaya volcano
Pacaya Volcano is an active volcanic complex located in Guatemala, close to Antigua. The volcano first erupted approximately 23.000 years ago and has risen to an elevation of 2.552 meters (8.373 ft). Since 1961, the volcano has begun erupting frequently.
At the beginning of 2021, Pacaya was very active and if you see any pictures with lava, it’s from this time. But now, the volcano is in a dormant phase and there is no lava left to be seen, only the lava streams. It’s still a very popular tourist attraction, even without the lava.
Know that you won’t be climbing to the top of Pacaya as it’s quite dangerous but to a viewpoint close by. You still get great views over the volcano. And most tours include roasting marshmallows inside the lava fields.
I’m still quite sad we didn’t get the views I hoped for at the time because of all the clouds. I don’t know what the view or even the volcano looks like in real life.
If you want to see lava, I highly recommend climbing Acatenango to see Fuego erupt!
How to get to the Pacaya volcano?
The best way to reach Pacaya volcano is with a tour guide, as a half-day activity. The tour included transport from Antigua to Pacaya and back (takes about an hour), a tour guide, visiting the lava fields, and roasting marshmallows. The only thing that isn’t included is the entrance fee for climbing the volcano, which is £14 per person.
There are two types of tours: the morning and the evening tour. The morning tour leaves at 6:00 AM and the evening one leaves at 2:00 PM. We did the evening tour as we hoped that we get a sunset, which was pretty disappointing.
You can book a tour through a hostel, even if you’re not staying there. But you can also book the tour online like we did. But be sure to read what’s included and what’s not!
When is the best time to hike the Pacaya Volcano?
To get the best views, it’s best to visit Guatemala during the dry seasons, which are between November and April. In general, the dry season has better weather and less cloud cover. But, we went in April and had the worse weather imaginable. We saw nothing the whole time and felt a bit discouraged.
However, this was at the end of April and the wet season would begin soon, which runs from May through October. If you can plan your activities around the weather, then you should be fine every month, but if you are short on time, I would recommend going in the middle of the dry season.
Pacaya Volcano hiking details
After arriving at the beginning of the hiking trail, you first need to pay an entrance fee of Q100. From there, the only way is up, and that is for more than an hour. This was our preparation for the Acatenango hike, but we still left one day between this hike and the big hike to rest our legs.
The tour guide stopped a lot to give us some rest and explain a bit more about Guatemala and the Pacaya Volcano. Even though he only spoke Spanish, he still tries his best to explain everything to us the best he could. After climbing on the dusty trail, you’ll get to walk between solidified lava, which was pretty impressive.
There was no lava activity when we visited in April 2023, unlike in 2022 when the volcano erupted. If you want to see it, it’s better to hike Volcano Acatenango. We hoped that the clouds would clear up, but we had bad luck. To entertain us a bit at the top, the tour guide began toasting marshmallows in the heat of the volcanic rock. This will always be part of the tour.
After being at the top for half an hour, we descended back down. It’s much faster than going up, but you need to be careful as the trail is loose rock and it can be slippery.
Conclusion
Even though we only got a small glimpse of the view (and by small I mean only 5 seconds), I thought it still was a very fun activity to do. You don’t get the opportunity every day to walk on solidified lava and learn more about a volcano by actually walking on it.
It also gives you a good idea of how you will handle the Acatenango hike as this hike is 3 times as though. I think the sunset hike will be the best to take, even though our view was blocked in the evening. This is just bad luck. But, with the sunset tour, you get to have a sunset view when walking down.
Other things to do near the Pacaya Volcano
Read other blog posts about Guatemala for more inspiration:
- Hiking guide for Acatenango volcano
- Uncovering the Secrets of Tikal: A Guide to the Mayan Civilization
- Exploring Antigua: 5-day Adventure through History and Culture
- Discovering the Magic of Hobbitenango: A Guide to Guatemala’s Hidden Gem
- Discovering the rich history through the churches and ruins of Antigua
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Hello, I’m Ellen and welcome to this blog! I’m in love with exploring the world and hopefully I get to inspire you with these blog posts and pictures to feel the same. You will find detailed itineraries, hidden gems, tips and so much more!
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