Pacaya volcano near Antigua is one of Guatemala’s most active volcanoes, the other being the Fuego volcano. Pacaya and its frequent eruptions are often visible from Guatemala City. With its almost continuous activity, the volcano has been a popular tourist hike. Pacaya is easily accessible from Guatemala City or Antigua. Many tours will take you to Pacaya or some of the other volcanos in the area. Pacaya volcano and surrounding area lie within the Pacaya National Park, which was created to supervise and protect tourism in this region. The Pacaya Park generates its income from tour groups charged a small fee to enter the park.
Bring Together Pacaya
We elicited Matt Geo Travel once again, we used Matt’s services before when we did the Indian Nose Sunrise tour out of San Pedro. Besides his knowledge of volcanos made for an added bonus plus he cares about the overall experience that he is delivering to you.
Matt had agreed to drive us to El Paredon in part because it would provide him a nice relaxing day on the beach. Furthermore, the Pacaya hike was another tour package that Matt offered as well. The drive and Pacaya hike would make for a long day but we were excited to see and hike Pacaya.
We talked to our San Pedro Airbnb host about our upcoming trip to Pacaya and El Paredon. A friend/co-worker of our host who stayed with them had been listening to the conversation and was interested in joining. Lauren was on her own and had not booked any excursions as of yet.
We told Lauren a little more about the trip, including costs, and with another person coming along, the costs would be divide 3 ways, which made the excursion and transportation a real good value. Lauren decided to come along and continue her travels after El Paredon.
Getting To Pacaya
The four of us set out to discover Pacaya, it was an early start. Approximately a four and a half hour drive to the base of Pacaya where the hike would begin. Matt drove the back route through to Santiago from San Pedro. Matt knew that this route could be dangerous as bandits like to stop vehicles where the road got rough and you had to slow down.
We had nothing to fear as Matt stopped in at the police station before leaving San Pedro and asked for a police escort once we got to the area of concern. It was all good and we made it through without a hitch. On the drive to Pacaya, Matt took the time to explain about the different areas we were driving through. Coffee plantations, Feugo’s destructive lava flow the topography and the rivers and how they were a conduit for lava flow.
Pacaya the Hike
Arriving at the base of Pacaya, Matt looked at the low lying clouds and warned us that we might not see the volcano in all her glory. Asking if we still wanted to do the hike. We concluded that we were here to hike Pacaya, maybe we might get lucky, and the blanket of clouds might dissipate.
So with another guide provided by the park, we set off up the trail toward the volcano’s peak; the hike would take 1 1/2 hours to get to the lava fields. Ascending the trail, we were coming to terms that we would not be seeing Pacaya in all her beauty today as the clouds were thick. Making the viewpoint, all we could see was the low clouds completely blocking any view of Pacaya or the lava flow itself. We could hear the volcano lava and rocks rolling down the hill and the gases escaping but could see nothing. Pacaya volcano, poof, it’s invisible. I can’t lie….we were all disappointed, but that’s the chance you take. Mother Nature, at times, does not flaunt her beauty but only teases.
Final Thoughts Pacaya Volcano
Disappointed that we were not able to completely experience Pacaya in all her wonder
Our Positives
- The tour guide was great
- Enjoyed the hike
Our Negatives
- Mother nature didn’t co-operate
Would have, Could have, Should have
- Maybe we should have tried again with a tour out of Antigua (you only have so much spending money)
Next Stop
Drive down to the west coast to El Paredon for 8 days.
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Recommended Travel Essential
Cindy and I call ourselves nomadic so with this lifestyle, we use certain essentials to make this way of life easier and more comfortable. With this in mind, we have composed a list of what we feel are essentials and some tips you might use to plan or take your next travel adventure.
- Travel Packing Essentials to help organize and make this task less stressful
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- Living Essentials to make life a little more comfortable, be this resting, working, or playing.
Accommodation Options While Traveling The World
- Booking.com is one of our go to’s when we are looking for a place to stay for a couple of days or longer
- Agoda.com we find is best to use when in Southeast Asia, but hey you never know what you might find
- Airbnb.com used to be our go to but some of their cancelation policies are reasonable, give them a try as well
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