Pacaya tour prices

How much does a Pacaya volcano tour cost in 2026?

From $20 for a seat in a shared van from Antigua to $335 for a sunset horseback ride with dinner. The classic shared hike from Antigua costs $35.

Here is every Pacaya tour on this site, cheapest first. Look at the third column before the second: a cheap tour that leaves out the fee is only $13 or so cheaper than it looks.

How much is the Pacaya park entrance fee?

Q100 per foreign visitor, about $13 to $14, paid in cash in quetzales at the park entrance. Guatemalans pay Q30, and children under 6 go free.

The fee goes to the Parque Nacional Volcán de Pacaya y Laguna de Calderas, a protected area of about 1,800 hectares run by the San Vicente Pacaya municipality with INAB and CONAP. Every 2026 listing we checked asks for Q100 from foreigners. The Guatemala City operator spells out the rule: credit cards, dollars and euros are not accepted. Local operator Turisteando lists Q30 for Guatemalans with ID, and Voyageur Tours, which runs the main Antigua hike, says on its own page that children under 6 pay nothing.

You will still find Q50 quoted on older blogs. That price is out of date. Bring Q100 per adult in small notes and you won't be stuck at the gate. The 2026 park fee post tracks any change.

Which Pacaya tours include the park fee?

Five of them: the premium and private options of the Guatemala City shared hike, the Guatemala City day trip, the morning hike with lunch, and the cruise-port tour.

• Fee included: the shared hike from Guatemala City on its premium and private options; the Guatemala City day trip at $117; the morning hike with lunch at $138, which lists all park and guide fees; the Puerto Quetzal tour at $120.
• Fee extra, Q100 in cash: the $20 half-day hike, the $35 shared hike from Antigua and the basic option of the shared hike from Guatemala City.
• No park fee at all: the ATV tour. It rides village trails and a private plantation's lava fields and does not enter the national park. Its own entrance and parking fees are in the price.
• Not stated: the sunset horseback ride. Ask the operator before you pack cash.

Do the sum before choosing. The basic option plus Q100 at the gate usually lands close to the premium price that already covers it, so pick a date on the listing and compare the two before you book.

Hotel pickup in Guatemala City, a bilingual guide, bottled water and the park entrance, all paid before you leave.

★ 4.6 · 6 hours · from $117

Explore the Guatemala City day trip → Tour details

What extras do you pay in cash on the trail?

A walking stick for Q10, a horse for Q150 to Q300, marshmallows on some tours, and pizza if you order it. All of it in quetzales.

Local people run the trailside trade at the San Francisco de Sales entrance. Here is what the listings and recent guides quote:

The pizza comes from Pizza Pacaya, the business David García started in 2019, baking pizzas in the heat of the lava rock (Tasting Table). Voyageur Tours can ask your guide to take you there, but orders and payment go straight to him. The cruise-port listing names "Lava Pizza 8 slices" as not included. Only the sunset horseback ride puts lava-cooked food in the price.

Is it cheaper to book with a local agency in Antigua?

A little. Antigua agencies and hostels sell the same shared shuttle for about Q150 to Q300 ($20 to $40) plus the park fee, against $20 to $35 online.

Online listings from local operators show the same range: CA Travelers sells a 06:00 or 14:00 departure for $22 with marshmallows, fee extra, and Living in Guatemala quotes Adrenalina Tours at $20 plus entry. The van, the trail and the guides at the top are much the same.

What you get by booking ahead: a confirmed seat, a written list of what is and isn't included, and free cancellation up to 24 hours before on every Pacaya tour here. Walking in off the street can save you a few dollars in a quiet week. In the dry-season rush it can leave you on the 14:00 van when you wanted the 06:00.

The classic climb with Voyageur Tours: 06:00 or 14:00 from Antigua, 1.5 hours up and 30 minutes on the lava field.

★ 4.5 · 6 hours · from $35

Explore the shared hike from Antigua → Tour details

What do the expensive Pacaya tours add?

Private transport, the park fee, food and sometimes no hiking at all. The trail and the view from the lava field are the same.

The morning hike with lunch ($138, minimum 2 per booking) brings private transport, all fees, a first-aid trained bilingual guide and a fresh lunch eaten on the shelf below the cone that the operator calls la Meseta. The sunset horseback ride ($335) from Finca In The Clouds puts you on a horse with a private cowboy guide, then serves pizza cooked on the lava, chips and salsa and s'mores. Wine is for sale.

Is it worth four or ten times the price? For a family that hates logistics, or anyone who can't walk two hours uphill, often yes. For a fit traveller on a budget, the $35 hike sees exactly the same rock.

What is the real total cost per person?

About $35 on the cheapest tour, $50 on the classic Antigua hike and $90 if you add a horse there and back. The Guatemala City shared hike starts at $73, and its premium option is all-in.

Worked out with Q100 at about $13 to $14:

Tips come on top. The Guatemala City, lunch and day-trip listings all name gratuities as not included, so carry some extra quetzales for a guide who looked after you.

How do you pay at the volcano?

In quetzales cash, every time: the gate, the horse handlers, the stick sellers and the pizza. Get cash in Antigua or Guatemala City the day before.

There is no card machine at the gate and no ATM on the trail. Small notes help: the horse and stick sellers rarely have change for a Q200 note. If you booked a tour that includes the fee, you still need cash for anything you buy on the way up.

Count on toilets only at the park entrance, too. Everything else on the mountain is a cash-in-hand business run by people from the villages below. More on what to carry in what to wear and bring for Pacaya.

Frequently asked questions