¡Pacaya Volcano Tour from Antigua!

The tour operator did not show up or pick us up. I sent three messages asking for a status the morning of the tour and waited outside my hotel for 45 minutes. The company read my messages but did not respond. About two hours after the scheduled start time, I finally received a response saying that the guide/driver had an emergency and could not pick us up. While I can understand emergencies happen, better communication was needed so that I was not left waiting outside my hotel. This tour operator has dismal communication, and wasted a day of my vacation. Do not recommend!

I don’t think this excursion is worth it. It’s totally overpriced. Although everyone was very nice and friendly. We started the hike ready to walk up the volcano and were told we needed to pay an additional $15 entry fee. they walked pretty quickly so it made it feel like they really wanted you to purchase a horse for an additional $50 per person. We got 5 minutes into the hike and they do let you know if you don’t purchase the horse now they’ll be going back down. Once we got to the top there is a cool lava shop. And right next to it some folks who make a pizza however, the pizza is totally overpriced and for a large was about $75. We did split it amongst us 4. But we didn’t even get to the highest point which was fine because it did seem pretty steep. We stayed took some pictures and then made our way back down. I think for $100 pp booking on Viator, the entry fee, pizza and horses should have been included. This was not worth $100 at all. For a hike that took us about 1.5 hrs in total including taking pics and eating pizza. Save your money.

Our guide took great care of us. We rode horses up the volcano and ate the famous pizza!

+1

Amazing! Alfonso was fantastic. Smooth drive to and from the Pacaya volcano, considering the winding roads! He gave us very interesting facts about the region and volcanos. We recommend horses for a quicker hike (45min at 300Q). There is pizza and marshmallows. Everyone was super friendly. Highly recommend Alfonso! Español - fantastico! Alfonso fue súper! La manejada tiene muchas curvas pero Alfonso fue muy suave. El nos dio muchos detalles interesantes de los volcanes. Sujeremos cabellos para subir más rápido (45 min). Hay pizza y malva viscos! Toda la Jente fueron muy amables. Recomiendo a Alfonso!

He was prompt on picking us up at our hotel, spoke great English (which was great because our Español is no bueno). Private is the way to go if you just want to do the hike at your pace (fast or slow). We left at 8 and got back to our hotel in Antigua by noon.

This hike was definitely harder than we anticipated, mostly due to high altitude (we come from Georgia). My wife and I didn't make it far up the mountain before we had to hire a horse to taxi us the rest of the way ($45 USD, not GTQ). Our tour guide kept up with us the whole time and made sure we were okay, teaching us about the volcanic history. Views were incredible. We even got to roast marshmallows at the volcano! Be sure to prepare for cold, windy weather at the top. Great experience!

+1

The trail is all uphill. The guide walked very fast at the beginning and we had horses behind us following us. So we felt preasured to get on a horse, and targeted because of our age. (Sixty) I understand they want to make money but it was very manipulative and not a good experience. If we were left to do the hike on our own speed I would've maybe made it. They pushed and pushed the horse for 300 and demanded a tip. The kid seemed dissapointed with 50 for a tip. That kind of made it not the best experience for us. Otherwise the rest was good.

Great communication. Pickup was on time. Our guide Wendy was exceptional! We loved it !! The pizza at the top is a fantastic add-on. So worth it.

Our group of 4 seniors booked the tour through a tour desk near our hotel in Antigua. We were to be picked up from that location, transferred to another bus, then transported to the volcano park entrance. There is a restroom there, kids renting out hiking sticks for the duration of the hike, and the kiosk to pay for park admittance. Our group had a main guide, along with a couple others. Our main guide was very nice. You could also rent a “taxi” for the hike. A horse. Several did opt in, and they continued to offer this horse service for quite a while at points during the hike up. It was nice to have a walking stick for both the uphill, and descent. Footing is mostly loose. The hike was not easy for us, and we certainly were not the fastest of the group. However if we were doing the hike on our own, it would’ve been a lot more fun taking more breaks along the way. We did have a good time on the hike, and the scenery was wonderful, but we would not do any organized hike like that again. Been there, done that!

This was a wonderful private tour! We took the horses up and down, highly recommend especially if you are not a big hiker! The horses were a bit pricey but worth it! Daniel was a good guide and made the experience better!