Volcan Pacaya

About 3/4 of the way up, I had to ask for the horse to take me the rest of the way. They have guides that follow you up with horses (in anticipation of it being too difficult for you I imagine) and every time you stop to catch your breath, that’s grounds to ask you for 50 quetzales to ride the horse because the horse is easier. I didn’t have any quetzales on me, but I had four U.S. dollars I hadn’t yet converted and they took it. What a relief for me, otherwise I don’t know that I would have made it. I didn’t think it would be as difficult as it really was. Boy, was I wrong… Talk about an intense workout.

If you go in the evening, make sure you have a flashlight because it was pitch black coming back down. I was lucky, I had a very sweet guy – tourist like myself – who went in front of me (a true gentleman!) to make sure I didn’t fall or slip (though he did plenty for both of us!).

I also singed my shoes… I would say be careful on the hardened lava.

This was an incredible experience. In Antigua you can arrange to have a shuttle take you up to the entrance of the park for about 9 or 10 dollars. Admission to the park is only about $3 and that includes a guide. There is a climb, but it’s not like rock-climbing, more like gentle hiking, but expect to work up a sweat and need to take breaks from the altitude. It’s definitely worth it when you get up to the lava flows though. You can get as close as you dare to red, hot lava! Be careful though – the rocks are hot enough to melt your shoes.

I went up the Pacaya Volcano on a beautifully sunny day. The climb was hard but so totally worth it. From the top of the volcano, we could see all the way to the mountains that mark the border with El Salvador and all the way to the Pacific coast.

Guatemala is a phenomenal country. If you don’t like the weather just change elevation. Guatemala City, Antigua, Quetzaltenango, HueHue, Panajachel and many other highland areas have warm days and cool nights. The tropical coast lands are quite warm or downright incredibly hot and humid. The humidity at Tikal in the Peten Rain Forest makes breathing difficult for some (maybe most). Anyway, you can go from Guatemala City down the main highway to the major port city Puerto San Jose in about 1 1/2 hours and if you drive this highway at night you are guided most of the way by the amazing orange-red glow of Volcan Pacaya.

This was my first, and perhaps only, volcano climb. It was an interesting trip – we had break problems in the van on the way to the volcano, it rained the entire trek up, and while at the top the volcano began spitting out sulphur and other gases, and I honestly thought that was end of it as I gasped for air.

Despite having my life briefly flash infront of me, I would still recommend this trip if only because I like the challenge of climbing stuff, even if those things do happen to be volcanoes. If you’re going to do this, make sure you go with a reputable tour guide (it’s well worth the extra money, as it wasn’t particularily comforting when the van breaks were on the fritz…) and when the weather is good and the volcano isn’t particularily active. Be sure to bring rain gear and some snacks, as the climb is a bit taxing on your energy reserves.