Pacaya Volcano Sunset Tour from Antigua

Amazing view at the top of the volcano and at the valley!! Tour guides were extremely friendly and super nice. 10/10 would recommend.

Me and my gf did the full afternoon tour and had a great time with Gabriel, Angel and Heidy. They were really nice, talkative, punctual and the whole experience of climbing for the Pacaya view is great. Points to improve for the future: ● Guides to take better care and attention of the hikers when going up and down, some people may need more attention and some spots while going down are quite dangerous ● Overall more preparation from the guides providing the tour, seemed like the were very knowleadgable of the track to be followed but not much else from there. Nothing bad or dangerous happened to us but it could, and dont feel they were quite prepared if this instance could happen.

We found and communicated with Old Town online before we left on our trip to Gautemala. They were offering a Pacaya hiking trip that we really wanted to do. Their price was variable on the number of people going up – starting at $165US each for the three of us; but we understood it could drop as low as $80US if a bigger crowd joined us. When we arrived in Antigua, there wasn’t anyone else signed up for the trip, so we checked with a few other travel agencies and discovered everyone else was offering a significantly lower price. We ended up paying about $24US/each (plus $16/each for park entrance) with a different operator (American Travel) for virtually the same trip with five other people, the only difference the lack of a picnic lunch.

We were extremely disappointed with Old Time Outfitters, as based on other reviews we expected so much better. We had a very poor (perhaps racist) experience with Old Town and our guide Esmeralda for Pacaya tour. Three of our family were stuffed in the last row with little legroom. A different party of four (from Britain) were given four individual seats. There were middle seats, which were not opened. This was done for the 90 min each way ride (though to be equitable the other party should have moved to the back). Our guide on the mountain, we were Team Monkey, was good. Once back down, tired, the promised dinner was limited to chips, cut tomatoes and cucumber, and guac - clearly not enough (please see picture). On the way to Pacaya and back, our guide did not share any helpful information about sights we were passing etc. Esmeralda was on her phone almost the entire time. Please consider other companies.

+1

I looked up the information online and then booked with Tami in the store. She was incredibly helpful and though my Spanish is quickly improving, she was kind enough to use English to ensure that I fully understood the trip. I did the Pacaya Volcano Sunset Tour with Diego! It was wonderful. It was a life goal of mine to be on a volcano and this experience was outstanding! I'm an avid long-distance runner and let me say, this hike is challenging. Give or take, it's about 2 miles each way. When we arrived we hooked up with a guia from the volcano. It was nice having two guides to talk to and ask questions of. I was also really lucky, it was only me and only two other hikers. (Loved getting money back from the tiered pricing.) I know it doesn't sound like much but there aren't really switchbacks. You are able to take breaks along the way. Near the top there is a store, we paused there before going into the lava field. The lava fields were more challenging to walk on. Watch your ankles. In alignment with other reviews I've read, I 100% agree that roasting marshmallows over a heat vent has to be one of the coolest (hottest lol) things I've ever done! After "playing" in the lava field for a bit, the volcano guide took us up another 400 feet and there's no other way for me to describe it than saying it was like walking through volcanic sand. Coming down the "front" was very steep and the stepping/sliding motion was a lot of fun. (Wear tall socks and gaiters!) We then stopped for dinner. Watch your food, the random dogs may try to steal it :-) We then hiked down, returned to the car, and were dropped off back at the store!!! In total, my Garmin had us just under 4 miles total with an elevation gain of 1,417 feet. For those unfamiliar with this part of Guatemala, please remember you are starting at an elevation of 6,000ft.

+2

Really enjoyed the views, instruction on the history of Guatemala, and all of the guides were exceptionally friendly and helpful.

Wonderful tour guides and overall great experience! It wasn’t too difficult but the incline at some points were steep (to be expected when climbing a mountain). But I would recommend it for both novice and expert hikers. Definitely bring your water and a jacket (if hiking in the evening since it gets cool as the elevation gets higher).

The afternoon hike up Pacaya is a great way to spend a couple hours. It’s not the most challenging hike unless you’re out of shape but it isn’t easy either when you factor in the altitude. Our guide Diego was very nice and educational about the hike and the area and took great care that we had a fun and safe time. While it was too foggy to see the valley or the volcano the day we went it was still really cool and getting to cool S’mores via volcano was unique!

Really professional and informative guides, excellent dinner picnic on the top of the volcano (although a little windy!) and a good, sociable group.

This was a great experience! The Old Town staff and guides are top notch. The hike itself is perfect to have a volcano experience and getting to watch the sunset with a great meal was a bonus. This was my third trip with Old Town and cannot recommend them more!