The charming city of Antigua, Guatemala is famously surrounded by four volcanoes. The most accessible one to explore is Pacaya, which has a hiking trail that provides stunning views of Antigua and the other surrounding volcanoes—AND has the world’s only pizzeria on the side of a volcano! Here’s everything you need to know about doing the Pacaya Volcano Hike, from what to expect along the trail to how to experience its unique pizzeria for yourself!
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About the Pacaya Volcano Hike
The Pacaya Volcano hike is an excellent option for travelers who want to experience a bit of Guatemala’s unique natural beauty.
The country actually boasts 37 volcanoes, three of which are still constantly active—Fuego, Santiaguito, and Pacaya.
While it’s easy to reach either Pacaya or Fuego from Antigua or Guatemala City, Pacaya is BY FAR the more accessible one. The Acatenango hike, which you climb to see Fuego erupt, is EXTREMELY challenging and only suitable for travelers in tip-top shape, whereas most visitors at a decent fitness level will be able to do Pacaya without issue.
Along the Pacaya Volcano hike, you’ll hike through a lush forest, past fields of rugged volcanic rocks and jaw-dropping views near its 8,373 foot summit, and to steam vents that are hot enough to roast marshmallows on (yes, really!).
Pacaya Volcano Hike Stats
Length
3.5 miles
Elevation gain
1,479 feet
Difficulty
Challenging
Pass or permit?
You used to be allowed to hike Pacaya by yourself, but, after some tourists got lost along the trail, you are required to go with a guide here. Additionally, you are required to pay a Q100 entrance fee (around $13 USD) per person to Parque Nacional Volcán de Pacaya.
Trail map
How to Get to the Pacaya Volcano Hike
The Pacaya Volcano is located about an hour and a half southwest of Guatemala City or about an hour and a half southeast of Antigua.
Joining a tour to the Pacaya Volcano Hike
The vast majority of travelers, including my husband and I, do the Pacaya Volcano hike as part of a guided tour, where you’re picked up from your hotel, from either Antigua or Guatemala City, in a shuttle; taken on a guided hike; and then returned at the end of the day. Most tours also include marshmallows, which you can roast over Pacaya’s steam vents or, if there’s an active flow, even lava!
Tours can range anywhere from Q150 ($20.00 USD) to well over Q465 ($60.00 USD) per person, depending on whether lunch, the national park’s entrance fee, or other stops, like the hot springs at the Kawilal Hotel, are included or if you’ll be going with a smaller group or totally private tour.
If you go for a tour on the cheaper side, like we did, you’ll likely be driven to and from Pacaya on an older and cramped shuttle, without air conditioning. Given the ride isn’t terribly long, we didn’t think it was too bad.
However, if you prefer a more comfortable ride, you may want to consider going on a private tour, where you’ll usually be transported in a more modern vehicle, like this option from Antigua or this option from Guatemala City.
Pacaya Volcano Hiking Tours from Antigua
We chose to go on a group tour from Antigua with Voyageur Tours, which cost $35 per person (which did not include the national park entrance fee).
We initially chose them as they were the most affordable option that we could find that helped you pick a date and time when Pizza Pacaya is open, given there’s no set opening times and days for the pizzeria (more on that below!). We had a great experience with them—our shuttle was on time, our guide was informative, and the tour was well-paced. Definitely would recommend!
Pacaya Volcano Hiking Tours from Guatemala City
There’s several tour operators to choose from if you’re staying in Guatemala City.
Consider booking a tour with:
- Guat2do Travel Experiences, which has over 195 five star reviews on TripAdvisor (out of 205!) and offers an all-inclusive experience, including your entrance fee and lunch
- GTM Tour Guide & Travel Services, which offers a small group tour and includes your entry ticket to the national park and a helpful guide.
Getting to the Pacaya Volcano on your own
Theoretically, you could get to the trailhead for the Pacaya Volcano hike by yourself, like if you’re already renting a car in Guatemala or if you’d prefer to take public transportation.
However, you’re not really going to be saving much money by going this route.
For example, the cheapest option to get from Antigua to Pacaya is to take a public bus to Escuintla (Q10/$1.30 per person), transfer to a bus that goes from Escuintla to San Vicente Pacaya (Q15/$2.00 per person), and then finally getting a tuk tuk up to the trailhead (depending on your negotiation skills, expect to pay at least Q10/$1.30 per person).
In addition to this, you’ll still need to hire a guide at the trailhead for Q200 (around $26)—so you’d be doing a whole lot more leg work to save a few bucks (if that!).
What to expect along the Pacaya Volcano Hike
After you’re picked up from your hotel and driven to the Pacaya Volcano entrance, you or your tour guides will stop to pick up your entrance tickets at the window.
There’s a bathroom here, with a flush toilet and a sink here that I’d suggest you use before your hike, and usually some local kids that rent out walking sticks for Q5 ($0.65 USD). If you have bad knees or aren’t in the best hiking shape, you might want to consider picking up one to help provide extra support on the rocky and uneven terrain.
The first portion of the hike is along a gentle incline through a lush, green forest.
After about half a mile, you’ll pop out of the forest and instead, be hiking across rocky volcanic fields. Here, the incline gets a lot steeper and the climb more challenging, due to the large and loose rocks under your feet.
From here, you’ll hike up until you reach a large flat area near the summit, where you’ll have spectacular views of the city of Antigua, the Agua Volcano, and, in the distance, Acatenango, and Fuego (keep an eye out for it erupting every 15-20 minutes!).
Your guide will usually also find a vent that’s warm enough and pass out sticks and marshmallows to roast or, if Pizza Pacaya is set up, you’ll be welcome to order a pizza that’s cooked over a volcanic steam vent!
Once you’re done, you’ll simply retrace your steps back to the trailhead and take the shuttle back to your hotel.
About Pizza Pacaya
I’m going to be honest—one of the main reasons that we chose to do the Pacaya Volcano hike was to get a pizza cooked on top of a volcano. I mean, where else in the world can you do that?!
Essentially, an entrepreneurial local accountant, named Mario David García Mansilla, noticed that tour guides were roasting marshmallows on Pacaya, using geothermal heat, and wondered whether anything else could be cooked on it. For a few years, he started baking pizza for friends and family in small cave-like ovens over the steam vents along the volcano and, eventually, opened a business, making pizzas for tourists here as well.
Nowadays, when Pizza Pacaya is open, he’ll hike up near the summit of the volcano with 60 pounds of ingredients and equipment on his back, ready to make some seriously tasty pie for some hungry hikers like yourself!
There’s one catch, though—Pizza Pacaya has no set schedule whatsoever and is closed more days than it’s open. Chef Garcia Mansilla usually ONLY makes the trek up the volcano when people pre-book private tours that include a stop at his pizzeria, like this option or this option. These tours include transportation, a guided hike, and, of course, a pizza!
Most of these private tours were a bit outside of our budget, so I emailed a TON of the group tours that leave from Antigua to see whether they coordinated with Pizza Pacaya.
Voyageur Tours was the only one that we could find that did, providing us a schedule of when Pizza Pacaya would be open, so that we could book a tour during one of the time slots.
It’s worth noting that, unlike the private tours, Chef Garcia Mansilla does not specifically open up his shop upon request for group tours booked through Voyageur. Accordingly, if none of the time slots when Pizza Pacaya is open that Voyageur provides work for you, you’d have to book one of the private tours to ensure that it will be open and ready during your hike.
If you visit when Pizza Pacaya is open on a group tour, you can order a pizza for $35 for a small, $45 for a medium, or $55 for a large (remember to bring cash!). DEFINITELY on the pricey side, but the dude literally carries up all the ingredients and equipment on his back—and when else are you going to have a pizza cooked over a volcano! Plus, it was REALLY good when we tried it!
Pssst... we made a YouTube video about our experience hiking up to Pizza Pacaya and eating some super tasty volcanic pizza!
Frequently Asked Questions about the Pacaya Volcano Hike
How hard is the Pacaya Volcano hike?
Despite its short length, this trail is definitely on the more challenging side of moderate, due to its steepness; the loose, rocky volcanic soil; and the relatively high altitude you’ll be hiking at.
Still, I think most travelers in decent shape will be okay on this hike—our guides went at the pace of the group and stopped to take plenty of breaks.
When should I visit the Pacaya Volcano hike?
Guatemala has a rainy season, from May through October, and a dry season, from November through April.
Obviously, during the rainy season, you have a higher chance of clouds, impacting your visibility, and rain, making the slippery terrain even more sketchy.
You have a much better chance of having clearer skies during the dry season, although there is a higher chance that you’ll encounter more crowds along the trail. For what it’s worth, we did this hike on a weekday in February and barely saw anyone else along the trail, so I wouldn’t be too worried about it being overly crowded!
Additionally, there’s usually two time slots that you can book your tour—in the early morning (which leaves Antigua or Guatemala City around 6 AM) and in the afternoon (which leaves around 2 PM).
I’d STRONGLY recommend choosing the morning option. While waking up early sucks, clouds and thick smog usually roll in during the afternoon, occluding your view.
Is it dangerous to hike the Pacaya Volcano?
Generally, it’s safe to do the Pacaya Volcano hike, so long as you go with a guide and follow their instructions.
There’s always some risk involved with outdoor adventures, including hiking the Pacaya Volcano, but you can easily mitigate these risks.
For example, Pacaya is an active volcano, so there’s a remote chance that it could unexpectedly have a large eruption—but if you stick with your guide and don’t get too close to Pacaya’s crater, the risk that you’ll be impacted by an eruption is extremely small.
The most significant risk along the trail is likely altitude sickness, given Pacaya’s relatively high elevation at over 8,000 feet. Be sure to drink plenty of water before and during the hike and give yourself a day or two to acclimate in Antigua if you’re coming from someplace at sea level, like El Paredon.
Are there porters or horses that you can hire for the Pacaya Volcano hike?
At the beginning of your hike, your guides will offer you the opportunity to take a horse to the top of Pacaya for around Q300 ($40), instead of hiking.
However, I would strongly discourage you from taking them up on this offer—the horses that we saw in Guatemala were not treated very well.
Given the short distance of the hike, there are no porters available for the Pacaya Volcano Trail, although you will find them along longer, more strenuous hikes, like the Acatenango Trail.
What to bring for the Pacaya Volcano Hike
Water
This hike is fairly challenging and at a high elevation, so be sure to stay good and hydrated to avoid dehydration and altitude sickness.
Justin and I brought along our beloved comically large Nalgene bottles to Guatemala, which definitely came in clutch during this hike!
Remember that it’s not safe to drink the tap water in Guatemala, but most hotels and hostels in Antigua, including the one we stayed in, Hotel Casa Rustica, provide filtered drinking water (or you can pick up clean drinking water at convenience stores around the city).
Hiking boots
Proper hiking boots will help provide extra support and traction against the loose and uneven volcanic rocks you’ll be hiking up. These are the lightweight hiking boots that I brought to Guatemala (and am SO glad that I did) and these are the pair that Justin uses.
Sunscreen
There’s limited shade along the trail and UV exposure is more intense at high elevations. So be sure to pack some sunscreen!
Trekking poles
If you’re going on more hikes in Guatemala or Central America, you may want to consider packing along some adjustable trekking poles or just renting a walking stick at the trailhead, to provide some extra support along the steep and rocky terrain.
Motion sickness medication
If you get motion sickness, you might want to consider bringing along some motion sickness medication for the shuttle to and from the trailhead, which goes along some bumpy and curvy roads.
Justin struggles with motion sickness when he’s not driving and felt not-so-great in most of the shuttles we took around Guatemala.
Cash
To tip your guide and for your entrance fee and pizza, obviously!
We had an absolute blast along the Pacaya Volcano hike and hope you love it as much as we did! Do you have any questions about this trail? Let us know in the comments below!
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