Hiking Pacaya Volcano: Tips and What to Expect

Guatemala is home to some of the most majestic volcanoes in the world.

Thanks to its place in the Central American Volcanic Arc, Guatemala has been blessed with an abundance of volcanoes across the entire country.

This country has long been on our bucket list, mostly because of the impressive Mayan ruins — with the most popular one being the Tikal Archaeological Park.

Though after hearing about all the volcanoes, we really made sure to hike to at least one volcano during our visit.

We ultimately chose Pacaya Volcano thanks to its accessibility to Guatemala City and Antigua.

We had the opportunity to hike this geological wonder, thanks to our travel partner, Tinggly.

In case you haven’t heard of them, they’re an awesome gift-giving company that encourages people to give stories not stuff. One gift box buys you an entire selection of amazing experiences for your loved one to choose from. We recommend that you check out all the experiences they offer all around the world!

The awesome thing about our Pacaya Volcano and Hot Springs Tour is that it also gave us the chance to visit the Amatitlan area hot springs. This definitely sounded like the perfect activity after our hike. This gave us a great combination of relaxation and adventure.

Wondering if this tour is right for you, too? Read on to see how our day went:

 

Pacaya Volcano Facts

Guatemala has a total of 37 volcanoes, with 3 being currently active.

Pacaya is popularly considered to be Guatemala’s most active volcano as well as its most accessible one. It’s very conveniently located near both Guatemala City and Antigua, about an hour and a half drive each way.

More than 8,300 feet (2,500 meters) at its tallest point, Pacaya Volcano’s last major eruption was in 2014. It released huge ash clouds into the air, and caused many flights to be diverted.

At present, it is still consistently producing moderate eruptions. Its crater still spews out steam, rocks, and lava. Occasionally, the lava’s bright red glow can even visible at night.

Previously, some hikes were able to take you all the way to the crater. But in recent years, visitors are no longer allowed to visit the crater, due to safety concerns.

 

Our Impressions of the Hike

We found this hike to be moderately-challenging but manageable for most healthy folks.

After having come from the Himalayas just a few weeks ago, this hike didn’t feel as daunting in comparison.

Sure, there were portions that were narrow and steep. But there were enough flat parts and rest stops with benches peppered in between, which made the hike feel much more manageable even for the casual and leisurely hiker.

In total, it takes about 2.5 to 3 hours to complete the hike up and back.

 

Tips for the Pacaya Hike

1) Follow your guide –
There is a park entrance fee of Q50. Also, note that all visitors are required to hike with a local guide, for an additional fee. The good thing about joining a tour such as ours is that they take care of all fees, the local guide, and registration for you.

2) Be prepared for the challenge –
Like we mentioned, there are challenging parts on the hiking trail. But in our opinion, most healthy beginners can do it as long as you take your time. We highly recommend that for everyone to have hiking poles handy, even for experienced hikers.

3) Hire horses if you need to –
People who are not confident enough to do the hike on their own have the option to do a horseback ride. Horse rides up the trail start at $19 or 150 quetzales. Actually, at the beginning of the hike, the locals with horses trail your whole group. They’re there to see if there are any that might give up hiking and hire the horse instead. As they like to say, the horses are the volcano’s “Pacaya Uber.”

4) Prepare your gear –
It’s not a long hike, so you don’t need to bring much. However, we recommend everyone to be prepared with some important basics such as:

• • Shoes – Make sure that your shoes have excellent grip because some parts of the trail can be slippery at times.
  • Walking sticks or hiking poles – We suggest having these with you, even for advanced hikers. This is because you will be hiking on some unstable and ashy portions on the trail. Many locals sell wooden walking sticks at the base of the trail for about $1 or about 8 quetzales.
  • Bug spray – This is a must as there were many mosquitoes while we were there.
  • Poncho or jacket – Have a poncho handy as it rains intermittently throughout the year. Early in the daytime and in the cooler months, it may also be cold up near the summit, so it may be good to bring a light jacket just in case.
  • Water – Bring a small bottle with you, to make sure you are hydrated.
  • Sunscreen – Most of the hiking trail will be shaded. But the area near the summit is almost completely exposed, so make sure to put on sunscreen before you reach the top.

 

5) Check out the Lava Rock Shop –
This unique shop is located near the summit viewpoint, at the end of the main hiking trail. Here, they have a beautiful display of lovely lava rock jewelry and decor made from local materials. Most items are reasonably-priced, so make sure to grab a one-of-a-kind souvenir here. The proceeds from the sales also benefit the community.

6) Watch out for the poop and grub –
Given the number of horses that travel on the trail, there’s an abundance of horse manure. In addition, white grub larvae also abound on the trail. They’re somewhat easy to spot because of their white color, contrasting against the black soil. So make sure to keep an eye on the trail so you don’t accidentally step on these gentle creatures!

7) Take your time going back down –
We can’t emphasize this enough – take your time back down. In our case, it was very sunny on our way up, but it started raining on the way down. This made some parts of the trail very slippery. So please make sure to take your time so you don’t hurt yourself.

 

After the Hike – Hot Spring Thermal Circuit

After descending from the hike, we drove another 45 minutes to the town of Amatitlan, known as a natural hot springs area. At Kawilal Hotel and Spa, we enjoyed a hearty lunch and a one-hour thermal pool circuit session, which was both included in our tour.

We found our lunch to be delicious and filling. It wasn’t an authentic Guatemalan meal, but our grilled chicken was definitely one of the best meals we’ve had during our visit.

As for the thermal circuit, it was our first time to try it out. This type of hydrotherapy is all about immersing the body for short periods of time in thermal pools of different temperatures, ranging from warm to cold. The cycle starts with a 41°C pool, followed by a 24°C, then a 37°C and finally a 31°C pool.

It was a great way to soothe our muscles after our hours of hiking. Other benefits of the thermal circuit are said to be: improvement of blood circulation, skin hydration, mind & body relaxation, and even weight loss stimulation.

Booking via Tinggly

Full disclosure: This is a sponsored post. However, everything here is our honest opinion.

And we can confidently say that Tinggly Customer Service was nothing short of excellent.

There was a minor misunderstanding with our booking, which we discovered as we were on the road. We tried contacting the local travel agency but had trouble talking to them since we were traveling.

We reached out to Tinggly Customer Service, who quickly helped resolve the issue.

We are so grateful for their customer service representative, Greta, for going above and beyond for us.

 

The Verdict

Overall, this was an excellent experience to get up close and personal with one of Central America’s most active volcanoes.

It was a moderate hike, which proved to be an excellent way for us to get some exercise on our trip. It was a nice escape from the city, given its close proximity to both Guatemala City and Antigua. We visited during the low season so got lucky that there were only about a dozen people in our group.

We also loved the fact that we were able to cap it off with a short visit to the hot springs. Despite the long hike, we didn’t feel any aches or pains the next day, so it looks like the thermal circuit seems to have helped.

The volcano has continuous moderate eruptions; however, there are no guarantees of seeing hot lava. It was worth it anyway, for the scenic views.

 

Where to Stay

For this trip, we stayed in the capital, Guatemala City. This is also where the country’s main international airport is located. Antigua is also a popular choice for travelers thanks to its beautiful colonial architecture.

For first-timers, we highly suggest starting your journey in either of these two areas before venturing out to other parts of the country such as Tikal, Semuc Champey, etc. Here are some of our recommendations:

GUATEMALA CITY:

• High-end: Hyatt Centric Guatemala City
• Mid-range: Hotel Biltmore
• Budget: Oh Espana

ANTIGUA:

• High-end: El Convento Boutique Hotel
• Mid-range: Los Olivos Boutique Hotel 
• Budget: Hotel Casa Sofia

Are you curious about volcanoes, too?

Have you tried hiking an active volcano?

Tell us in the comments!