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Pacaya Volcano Tour and Hot Springs from Antigua

Badge of ExcellenceAntigua, Guatemala

Pacaya Volcano Tour and Hot Springs with Lunch from Antigua

From $65.00

Select Date and Travelers

up to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)

9 hours
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

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Overview

Enjoy the perfect mix of adventure and relaxation on this 9-hour day trip, ascending Pacaya Volcano and then soaking your muscles at Kawilal Hot Springs. Scale the 8,300-foot (2,500-meter) heights of Pacaya, one of the most active volcanoes in Guatemala. At the top you’ll be able to peer down into the boiling lava of the crater and feel the earth’s rumble. Descend back down from the summit to enjoy an included lunch and soak in the thermal waters of Kawilal Hot Springs, including 12 soaking pools, 25 steam baths and 3 hydrotherapy baths. Your Pacaya day trip also includes entrance fees, a guide and round-trip hotel transport.

Hike Pacaya Volcano and visit Kawilal Hot Springs with an included lunch from Antigua
Climb to the top of one of Guatemala's most active volcanoes and peer down into the lava in its crater
Soothe your aching hiking muscles in the thermally-heated waters of Kawilal Hot Springs
Enjoy the hot springs' collection of 12 soaking pools, 25 steam baths, and 3 hydrotherapy baths

What's Included

Lunch
Local guide
Entrance to Hot Springs ( If option selected)

Food and drinks, unless specified
Gratuities
Entrance to Pacaya Volcano National Park (15 USD )

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

Gray Line Antigua Guatemala - Tours & Experiences
2a Calle Oriente, #4B, Antigua Guatemala Antigua, Guatemala 03001, Guatemala
This is our pick up point for our excursion. Please be 15 minutes prior the starting time.

Start time

07:30 AM

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

What To Expect

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
Not wheelchair accessible
Child under 13 years is not allowed to take the thermal circuit.
Tours include bilingual guide (English and Spanish).
Vegetarian option is available, please advise at time of booking if required
Please Note: During holy week ( April 17 – 21, 2019) we do not pick up on hotels, you will be request to move to our meeting point where we will pick up you. Please be ready on the meeting 15 minutes prior the start time of the tour. Our meeting point are: Casa Santo Domingo Hotel or Soleil Hotel.

Infants must sit on laps
Please contact local provider if you need a guide in any other language. French, German and Italian in private services, subject to additional costs and guide availability.
For groups of 10 persons or more, please contact local provider to arrange.
Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
To find pictures of our experiences, search us on Instagram as @graylinetoursgt
Sometimes your return can be vía Guatemala city
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 50 travelers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.

Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Featured review

Scott_J

Beautiful views of the other volcanoes while hiking up to the molten lava flow high on Pacaya. After the amazing hot smoky lava fields, the private time in the spa was the perfect way to clean up and relax our legs.

Reviews

4.5

63 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers.

We perform checks on reviews

Showing 1-10 of 63 reviews

Great tour!

Andrea_H, Jan 2024

The tour was wonderful, our family had an amazing time. The tour operator is not very forthcoming with the details beforehand so here are some tips: Bring a sweater/jacket and water. Bring cash to pay for the Pacaya park entrance. Rent the walking sticks. The terrain is composed of loose pebbles so you will need the walking sticks the children have for rent at the entrance to the park. I slipped to many times to count and the stick literally saved my butt. That being said, the difficulty level of the hike is about medium. After the hike, when you go to the hot springs you are on your own. The guides drop you off at the restaurant and you have to figure things out for yourself. Turns out we were supposed to guess that the tour bus would leave at 4.30 pm. Other than these details, the tour was great. The bus was clean and comfortable, the guide was kind and knowledgeable.

Don’t Use This Company, But if You Do, Read This

Lynn_M, Dec 2023

Do not use this company. Look at their reviews on Google maps under Gray Line Antigua. Firstly, their Viator booking flow is set up incorrectly. There is no hotel pick up. You must meet at the office. This in and of itself is not a big deal, but you have to figure it out on your own. The company does not respond to messages on Viator. Their confirmation said to contact them via a phone number or an email address. I tried both repeatedly and never got a hold of anyone. If you do book this experience here’s what you need to know. - 7:15 meet at the office in Antigua - 7:30 departure - 9 arrive volcano - 9:30 hike start - 11 reach summit and explore petrified lava - 11:30 begin decent - 1 drive to lunch/hot springs at Santa Teresita Hotel y Spa Termal - 1:30 lunch - 2 water park - 4:30 depart - 5:30 arrive back in Antigua The tour guide will provide no value. They will literally not guide you at any point. There was no information setting off for the day or provided by the company before the hike starts. There is an hour and a half drive to the volcano park. The bus stays there so if you’re wondering if you need to carry everything with you, you don’t, but they won’t bother telling you that. You can buy snacks and water at two different points on the hike. The hike itself is a moderate hike, but easy for anyone remotely fit. If you are fit, you will probably find the pace of the hike excruciatingly slow. The group stops about every 15 minutes making the hike to the summit about 1h 30min. The hike up is a dirt and rock trail covered with greenery. There is only one view point. You are not hiking to the peak of Pacaya, you are hiking a separate peak that will give you a good view of the main peak. You will not see any active lava. The pictures attached to this experience are what you see for about 15 minutes after you hike up. Then you hike down again through a covered forest path. After you go to lunch and the hot spring pools at Santa Teresita Hotel y Spa Termal 30 minutes away. Guide lets you off the bus and says noting then disappears. Lunch was chaos (and terrible, you can choose from pepperoni pizza, club sandwich, hamburger, barbecue chicken). Some in our group ordered beers which they thought were included and then there was chaos after. Guide never came back. After a while of us sitting there people in our group just decided to get up. We wandered into the water park area and no one knew what was going on: whether towels and lockers were included, where to go, what time we were leaving, etc. The water park area is split in two sections, one which was not visible and I discovered after wandering around. I let others in the group know after we had all spent an hour hanging out in this tiny area. At this point, we found towels and a much nicer area. We later found out from staff that our wristband included a free smoothie. The whole group was laughing at how absurd it was that the guide literally gave no information and we didn’t know what our access included. None of us knew what time we were leaving, but managed to all get together about 4:30. We went to go leave and we were locked in the park. Again absurd. All this confusion could have been avoided if our guide bothered to give us a 2 minute speech with some guidance once we arrived.

Incredible Trip with Wonderful Guides

Stacey_P, Apr 2023

This was an incredible experience. Everyone was kind and very knowledgeable. Definitely bring some extra money in case you need a horse part of the way. I gave in halfway up. The terrain is stunning, something you don't see. And the thermal waters felt amazing after. I can see why some parts could be a little more difficult if you don't speak Spanish or you're not with someone who speaks Spanish. Just be patient, ask questions and use your phone if you need to to translate. This is not to be missed.

Response from Host, Sep 2023

Dear Stacey Thank you for having booked with us and for takes the time to share your experience during the tour.

Local Pacaya Volcano...

NANCY_D, Apr 2023

Local Pacaya Volcano Guide Claudio and Gray Line driver from Guatemala City Fernando were awesome! Friendly, informative!

Response from Host, Sep 2023

Dear Nancy Thank you for having booked with us, we really appreciate your review.

Great Tour

ladyuzma, Mar 2023

The tour was great - pickup was at their office and the hike was a medium level hike! the morning is where you see the volcano the best before the clouds set in so I recommend! I agree that the tour just drops you off the hot springs hotel but they left is with someone who told us what our lunch options were. Communication could be better but overall, this was a GREAT day!

Response from Host, Apr 2023

Dear Thank you for having booked with us and for takes the time to leave your comments, we will take into consideration your comments

Fun day and come prepared!

Tiffany_S, Dec 2022

It is somewhat strenuous. All up hill then all down hill so prepare to take a horse if you can't do an hour and a half straight up hill or back down all with bent knees. Use hiking boots if you have a choice and take water. It's a very fun day! You're on your own when get dropped off at the spa with no explanation so make sure to say your group name so you know what you're supposed to do.

Response from Host, Apr 2023

Dear Tiffany Thank you for having booked with us and takes the time to leave your comments, for us it is really important your opinion.

Fun and memorable

Camille_S, Aug 2022

We went as a family of five. It was a great day. We ending up taking the horses up as we were too out of breath but it only added to the experience. It is so lush and gorgeous. It was a little chilly so bring a jacket. We loved the marshmallows! Lunch was good and hot springs are at a resort. It’s nice enough but not American style resort. We still enjoyed the pools were all different temperatures to try. Good for blood circulation. :)

Response from Host, Aug 2022

Dear Camille Thank you for having booked with us and for takes the time to share your experience with us!

Great hike, disappointed with the hot springs

Marla_L, Jun 2022

The hike was excellent and quite challenging. Sturdy walking shoes is a must! We opted to do the hot springs too. We were definitely disappointed with the hot spring “experience”. We were dropped off at this hotel, given no information by the tour operator or by the hotel. We ultimately found our way to the hot springs but please be aware that this was not some magical remote hot spring. You literally stay at what feels like a water park. This was not what we were expecting and honestly could have done without.

Response from Host, Aug 2022

Dear Marla Thank you for having booked with us, for us is really important your opinion, we are going to take actions on it,

Great trip!

Lisa_S, Jan 2022

Volcano hike and tour were great. Loved our guide and our driver. Only thing we were confused about....the tour did not include the hot springs or lunch. When I checked out and paid for the tour, it said "no hot springs", so I had a feeling hot springs would not be part of it. Overall, the title was confusing. Nonetheless, we had a great time. Would recommend to all!

Response from Host, Mar 2022

Dear Lisa Thank you for having booked with us, thank you for your comments we are going to take them into consideration.

Volcano and Spa day

Scott_J, Dec 2020

Response from Host, Apr 2021

Dear Thank you for having booked with us and for takes the time to share your experience with us!

Volcano trip

Cody_A, Mar 2020

The trip up to the volcano was awesome. If a question was asked they answered, but I wish the guides would have been a little more informative along the way. There were horses available as soon as we stepped off the bus and they follow you up in case you get tired of walking. No instructions were given though nor was anything mentioned of cost. The hot springs after the hike were nice but is not Natural springs like we were expecting. Overall still a great trip that our group of 4 enjoyed.

Wonderful Experience

Felecia_C, Feb 2020

This tour was a great addition to my stay in Guatemala. The tour guides were very accommodating with pick-up and drop-off at a location near my Airbnb. Plus the lunch was good at the Hot Springs Spa. The hike up the mountain wasn't extraneous if you are accustomed to hiking and walking distances longer than 2-3 miles. I'd recommend going on this tour!

Terrible experience at the end of the tour

Luis_Q, Feb 2020

We booked a tour from Antigua and for our surprise after the tour ended, we were taken to Guatemala City to drop some members of the group. At the end of the tour I checked, and we were 30 min from Antigua and the detour took us 3 hours in heavy traffic to and from Guatemala City. When we call to complain they told us that the tours was a shared trip for both cities but nowhere in the detail description of the tour this is indicated. There is no reason, only to save cost, to have us in a bus for 3 hours after a full day of travel

Volcano tour

jimrows, Feb 2020

Good tour Enjoyed the day with the other guests The guides were very helpful I would recommend this tour

Fine but not exceptional given the price

Sarah B, Jan 2020

Everything about the tour was fine. Picked up at the meeting point (although would have been nice to have a confirmation of meeting point as part of / after booking). Tour guide who took us up Pacaya was experienced. There was a big group at the top, which meant we couldn't toast marshmallows. The guide took us an extra way up instead, but this was disappointing not to see the hottest part of the lava. Didn't feel we got that much information about the volcano (maybe there isn't that much to give?). The food at the hotel was pretty generic and boring - pizza / burger / chicken. The spa experience was nice enough, but I've been to more impressive natural hot springs. So everything was OK, but I expected "wow!" for the price.

Response from Host, Mar 2020

Dear Sarah Thank you for having booked with us and for take the time to share your comments, we will take into consideration your comments.

Great hike

Freedom56896, Dec 2019

Lydia, our tour guide was excellent and had a lot of great information about the area. The hot springs was relaxing and much needed after the hike. Unfortunately we only had 2 hours at the hot springs but those 2 hours were relaxing.

Response from Host, Dec 2019

Dear Thank you for having booked with us and for takes the time to share your experience lived during our Pacaya Volcano excursion!!

Great Bucket-List Experience!

Kimberly_F, Nov 2019

This was a great tour! I highly recommend it. The views are AMAZING and the volcano was actually erupting (not a major eruption) when we made our way to the upper level... we were able to capture it on video. (Just a WOW moment!) You do not go all the way to the top, but we went far enough to roast marshmallows from the heat of the lava (far enough for me!) The guide was very nice... he made sure our group was together and everyone was okay... I admit, I'm not in the best shape. I thought I could hike it the volcano. Well, thank goodness for the horses that are waiting to help you finish the climb. I used the horse (100Q)... and you can also rent a stick for 5Q. It was worth it for me. I rented a horse for the walk up and used a stick to walk down. Although, if you work out or in pretty decent shape, you may not need it. When we left, we were ready for lunch and the hot springs... both were great! Lunch was good... and the spa was delightful. We really enjoyed it... plus the refreshing smoothie while sitting in the pool - so nice! I'm glad we decided on this tour!

Response from Host, Nov 2019

Dear Kim Thank you for having booked with us and for takes the time to share your experience lived with us during our excursion Pacaya volcano. Hope to see you again!!

I have never seen lava that close before!

Robert_T, Jul 2019

This was an amazing tour! The hike up to where the jagged rock is is all uphill and takes about 90 minutes, but there are plenty of spots to take breaks, etc. Once you get up there, you will be in awe. You walk on old lava flows, and then we saw a very active lava flow up on the volcano that was flowing very fast! And then we were able to get even closer and walk on the razor sharp jagged rocks up to where the molten orange glowing rocks are being pushed out of the other rocks from the lava coming down. It got super hot here (150 degrees I bet) or more) and I only stood here about a minute before I backed off, but it was a super neat experience! I could almost feel the back of my neck burning because it was that hot. We even got to roast marshmallows in the rocks! The hike back down was much faster. We drove about an hour or so to the lunch spot which was delicious. This was also at the Hot Springs place. The hot springs felt amazing after a morning of hiking and climbing! They have several pools of various temperatures that you rotate to (hot to cold, cold to hot, etc). If you want to see lava, this tour is for you!!

Response from Host, Oct 2019

Dear Thank you for having booked with us and for takes the time to share your experience lived with us, hope to see you again enjoying our excursions!!!

Wonderful tour! I had booked this...

Dawn T, Feb 2018

Wonderful tour! I had booked this before I arrived in Guatemala, and was pleasantly surprised at how smoothly it all worked out. I was traveling by myself, and as it turned out, because other travelers cancelled their trip, I was the only one on the tour. It was so much fun!!!! The driver arrived on time, and was super friendly. I had a million questions, and he answered them all. On the climb itself, I never felt rushed. Even though we had an incredibly strong headwind, I, at 52, walked up Pacaya with no issues whatsoever.The terrain is loose sand-like dirt and loose lava rocks, and you're going uphill, so it's not like a stroll around the block, but it's definitely do-able. The views are amazing and the history is interesting, and my guides could not have been nicer. They even let me take a photo on the horse Estrella after we were done : Make sure you stop at the Lava Store, too. You can get a little more history and buy some trinkets if you desire. PLUS there's Ischia I think that's her name - she's a sweetie and worth the climb just to pet her! The visit to the hot springs spa was relaxing. I got to shower off the volcano dust before relaxing in the various pools.The staff here was very attentive and friendly, and you really can't beat sipping a mango smoothie in a warm pool with the sun shining and amazing blue skies as your backdrop. I really enjoyed the architecture too. I highly recommend this trip. It was a nice nature break from the busy city.

This was a great tour all around...

Kara H, Jan 2018

This was a great tour all around. It was extremely well organized and definitely worth the value. Our van picked us up on time and we proceeded to the volcano. The roads are a bit windy going up - a note for those who get carsick. It was no fault of the driver's, just the nature of the path to the trailhead. Once you arrive, rent a walking stick from a person at the base. It will cost 5Q and is definitely worth it, especially during the steep incline at the beginning. There are folks who will try to rent you a horse they call them taxis, ha to ride up the volcano - just an FYI. We chose to walk with our guide, who was both friendly and knowledgable. The beginning of the trail is tough, but it becomes a lot easier. It's definitely an uphill climb, but those in moderate physical shape can tackle it with no problem. If you want to make it all the way to the top, wear proper hiking boots and layers for the temp changes and sweat. Bring water and snacks. I was not so prepared with the right footwear was just wearing typical trainers and while I wanted to hit the summit, there's no way I could get enough traction on the volcanic rock you start to encounter about 2/3 of the way up. Wonderful views nonetheless! The lunch was excellent and ready to be served as soon as we arrived at the hot springs location. Our group was expecting hot springs in the side of a mountain and local fare, which was not the case at all. We arrived at a venue that resembled a resort and were given white-glove service throughout our time there. A nice surprise after the physical activity! The food was excellent and the springs were more like high-end swimming pools with water in a variety of temps based on geothermal activity. The hosts walk you through the experience and keep your time as you complete the choreographed transitions through the pools, ensuring that you have the optimal experience. At one point, they even bring you a fresh fruit smoothie. After the soaking cycle is complete, you head back to your hotel. A really great experience - very highly recommended!