Hike one of Central America's most active and accessible volcanoes on this unforgettable adventure just an hour from Antigua. Pacaya offers dramatic volcanic landscapes, including solidified lava flows and steaming vents (no flowing lava is visible), but you’ll feel the heat beneath your feet. What truly sets this tour apart is the chance to experience a unique geological wonder with the added possibility (on select departures) of cooking pizza over hot volcanic rocks, a fun and memorable highlight when conditions allow. We ensure a smooth and well-organized experience led by knowledgeable guides. With round-trip transportation, bilingual assistance, and optional horse rentals at the trailhead, this tour is ideal for travelers seeking an authentic and scenic outdoor adventure near Antigua.
From the operator’s live schedule on Viator, checked Oct 10.
Embark on an unforgettable half-day adventure to Pacaya, one of Guatemala’s most active volcanoes. After a scenic one-hour drive from Antigua, begin a guided hike through lush forests and volcanic terrain. The trail offers striking views and leads to a plateau with dried lava fields and steaming vents—clear signs of ongoing volcanic activity. For safety reasons, visitors can’t approach the crater, but the volcanic heat is felt underfoot. On select departures, and when conditions allow, you may even cook pizza over hot volcanic rocks (a fun and unique treat). At the summit, take in panoramic views of nearby volcanoes and the vast Guatemalan landscape before descending back to the base. This experience blends natural beauty, light adventure, and a rare geological encounter, perfect for curious travelers and outdoor enthusiasts alike.
Since this is a shared tour, please be ready outside your accommodation at the scheduled pickup time. We allow a 20-minute pickup window to accommodate all guests. The more promptly everyone is ready, the smoother the tour will run for all. We offer pickup from centrally located hotels, Airbnbs, and homestays within Antigua Guatemala. Important: We do not provide pickup from areas outside the central zone, such as El Hato, Santa Ana, San Bartolomé Becerra, Ciudad Vieja, San Juan del Obispo, San Pedro Las Huertas, Santa Inés, Villas Orotava, Santo Domingo del Cerro, Antika, or San Pedro el Panorama. Please note that even if the booking platform allows you to enter your address, it may not mean it’s within our pickup area. If you are staying in a private home or Airbnb, we recommend sending us your exact address to confirm whether pickup is possible. This is a shared transportation service, so occasional delays may occur due to traffic or location issues. We appreciate your patience and understanding as we coordinate pickups for all participants.
Reviews collected by Viator and Tripadvisor
Excurgo comparison of 384 Viator tours, recalculated daily.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Hike to Pacaya Volcano from Antigua lasts about 6 hours. The itinerary has 1 stop.
Prices start at $35 per person for this Antigua experience, booked through Viator with the price shown before checkout. There are 2 booking options, so the final price depends on the option you choose.
According to the operator’s current schedule, it runs every day, starting at 6:00 AM and 2:00 PM.
Yes. Cancel at least 1 day before the start for a full refund. Later cancellations are non-refundable.
Yes, pickup is offered. Since this is a shared tour, please be ready outside your accommodation at the scheduled pickup time. We allow a 20-minute pickup window to accommodate all guests. The more promptly everyone is ready, the smoother the tour will run for all. We offer pickup from centrally located hotels, Airbnbs, and homestays within Antigua Guatemala. Important: We do not provide pickup from areas outside the central zone, such as El Hato, Santa Ana, San Bartolomé Becerra, Ciudad Vieja, San Juan del Obispo, San Pedro Las Huertas, Santa Inés, Villas Orotava, Santo Domingo del Cerro, Antika, or San Pedro el Panorama. Please note that even if the booking platform allows you to enter your address, it may not mean it’s within our pickup area. If you are staying in a private home or Airbnb, we recommend sending us your exact address to confirm whether pickup is possible. This is a shared transportation service, so occasional delays may occur due to traffic or location issues. We appreciate your patience and understanding as we coordinate pickups for all participants. Pickup points include Casa Mimi Antigua Guatemala.
The experience is available in EN, ES.
It is a small-group experience with a maximum of 24 participants.
Minimum age: 4 years. Children must be accompanied by an adult.
- Accessibility & Requirements Not wheelchair accessible.
Yes, bookings are confirmed instantly.
Travellers rate it 4.5 out of 5 across 566 reviews on Viator and Tripadvisor; it is run by Voyageur Tours.
Reviews collected by Viator and Tripadvisor
Come for the hike, not the volcano. It’s unusual to see the lychen-encrusted lava fields and have a meted marshmallow, but it is not a transcendental experience. The view at the top is nice though. The trail has some steep sections for which a moderate condition is required. Total length is 5.1 km with 380m elevation gain.
We had an absolutely wonderful experience with our tour guide Roberto! Our volcano hike was definitely challenging and pushed us outside of our comfort zones, but having such a kind, patient, and encouraging guide made all the difference. Our guide Roberto was incredibly knowledgeable, supportive, and attentive throughout the entire hike. They made sure we were doing okay, encouraged us when things got difficult, and never made us feel rushed or pressured. Their positive attitude and kindness helped us keep going, even during the toughest parts of the climb. We truly appreciated all the little things they did along the way to make the experience special. They shared their knowledge of the area, helped us feel safe and comfortable, and made what could have been an overwhelming hike into an incredible memory that we will always cherish. Thank you so much Roberto for your hard work, patience, encouragement, and for helping us accomplish something we weren’t sure we could do! We are so grateful for the experience and would absolutely recommend this tour and guide to anyone looking for an unforgettable adventure in Guatemala. ❤️🌋🇬🇹
This is a great warm up hike before acatenango. Tough elevation but more than doable. Great views & so many beautiful things to like about this excursion
Well you can say you hiked a volcano. Firstly, it’s $40 US to get a horse , you WILL NEED IT . This is not a beginner hike in anyway, or a hike for children to be honest. Guide spoke as much English when he could at times and I appreciate that. Views were beautiful, go at 8am, rain starts later and honestly worth it to go early. Now , if you didn’t get a horse like I said they will offer you a horse at checkpoints , again because it’s not beginner friendly. They will not tell you that you must pay for the horse if you want it halfway(not saying I thought it would be free) . They will proceed to ask you for $35 US and tell you that is only for the one way up. Ridiculous. Then if you want it to go back down it will be another $15 US. This put a sour taste in my mouth as not only did I not use horse the whole way up, they want to charge nearly same amount for one way. Hm, marshmallows were okay, gooey not roosted just fyi. There is literally so much poop along the way , I’d recommend bring shoes you plan to throw away . Bus ride to and from were long but wasn’t crowded since like I said to go 8AM. Met wonderful people at this hike, so points for that. Overall guide is nice, mentions tips occasionally throughout tour, the $35 doesn’t include park entrance as mentioned in Viator details so be ready to have cash. You don’t need a walking stick fr , it won’t help but looks nice lol. There are also several spots to buy things and people at the end selling things . This is my honest review . I personally say it’s like a 3.5 out of 10 but I rounded to 4 because I don’t want to feel like I’m being harsh. I wouldn’t go again tho, but once is enough and definitely can’t trade experiences so hey it is what it is.
Great experience! We did the 6am hike . The pick up /drop off service is such a plus and needed resource so we were happy about that . The hike was a good challenge throughout and pretty rough terrain at the end but doable ! BIGGEST TAKE AWAY : the weather was very windy and very cold , I would bring /pack an extra jacket , long shirt and gloves . We sat at the top in that cold weather for about a hour and half waiting on pizza and I wished I had these items. But I would recommend this hike it was fun !
The overall experience was great. About one hour drive to the volcano. Amazing views of 3 other volcanos plus the magnificent Pacaya foothills. The only reason why it’s not 5 star is because the van. It can get a bit tight when it’s full.
The driver was on time and he was very patience with other people who booked the Pacaya volcano activity, but at the end didn’t show up.
Central America has many volcanoes, but this one is special, all the trails and landscapes are wonderful!
Nice Hike and views! Very good experience. The Guide super friendly and very communicative. The Hike is not bad but you should be with some shape. Anyway, there are guides with horses in case you can’t get up by walk.
The volcano and the landscape are incredible. The guide David was very attentive and nice, he explained many things to us. We invite you to do the excursion also to meet Pelusa. That said, two less good things: - The van ride without air conditioning and the roads in poor condition can cause motion sickness and make for a bad time - The climbing pace is too fast (it didn't even take us 1 hour to go up and you are barely allowed to enjoy the views or the walk) It would be much better if it could be done in a little more time.
| Tour | Duration | Rating | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hike to Pacaya Volcano from Antigua | 6 hours | 4.5 (566) | $35 | |
 Pacaya Volcano Hike from Antigua | 6 hours | 4.4 (44) | $24 | View |
 Epic Pacaya Volcano Hike w/ Pizza & Marshmallows | 6 hours | 5.0 (9) | $215 | View |
 Pacaya Volcano ATV Adventure | 8 hours | 4.9 (302) | $125 | View |
 Pacaya Volcano Luxury Sunset Horseback Riding Tour/ Dinner Cooked by-Lava Chef | 6 hours | 4.8 (73) | $335 | View |
 Acatenango Volcano Overnight Hike with Comfort Glamping | 2 days | 4.9 (55) | $379 | View |
 Day Tour to Pacaya Volcano from Antigua Guatemala on Private Vehicle | 7–8 hours | 4.9 (30) | $95 | View |