Pacaya: the lava hike you can actually walk up to
Here's the paradox tourists stumble into: Pacaya has erupted 36 times in our records and spends most years quietly glowing, yet it's a half-day trip from Antigua where people roast marshmallows over the vents. The reason is written in its eruption record — every size-rated blast it has ever produced sits between VEI 1 and VEI 3. It erupts constantly, but it never erupts big.
By VolcanoDB Research Team. Data: Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program (Pacaya, id 1138) and Guatemala's INSIVUMEH. Live status verified Nov 4, 2026.
An eruption record that never stops — but never gets big
Pacaya is a complex basaltic volcanowhose active vent, the MacKenney cone, rises to 2,569 metres on the southern rim of the older Amatitlán caldera, 30 km south of Guatemala City. Our Smithsonian GVP record holds 36 eruptions, and their sizes tell the whole story: 5 rate VEI 1, 16 rate VEI 2 and 11 rate VEI 3(four are unrated). The maximum on record is VEI 3. There is not a single VEI 4 or larger eruption in Pacaya's history.
That is unusual, and it is the key to everything else on this page. Pacaya erupts a thin, gas-poor basaltic lava that lets gas escape in small, steady bursts rather than building to one catastrophic explosion. The result is near-continuous Strombolian and effusive activity — lava fountains, spatter and slow flows — of the kind our record logs as a long modern episode that ran from 2015 to 2021. You can place its live status among the world's other restless volcanoes on our active volcanoes tracker and erupting-now dashboard.
How Pacaya's 32 size-rated eruptions break down by Volcanic Explosivity Index. Select a bar to see what that size means.
Explosive — ash plumes reaching 1–5 km, localized impact.
Of Pacaya's 32 size-rated eruptions on record, the most common was VEI 2 (16 of 32, 50%). Its record is centred on moderate explosive eruptions (VEI 2–3), with larger events far rarer. No eruption on record exceeded VEI 3.
Based on the Smithsonian GVP eruption record. This describes Pacaya's past eruptions only — it does not predict future activity. What is the VEI? · Most explosive volcanoes
Pacaya vs Fuego vs Acatenango: three volcanoes, three risk profiles
Guatemala's three famous volcanoes stand within sight of one another, and tourists often lump them together. Their eruption records say they could not be more different — and that difference decides what you're allowed to do on each one. Here is the contrast straight from our database:
| Volcano | Eruptions on record | VEI fingerprint | Max VEI | Last eruption | What visitors do |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pacaya | 36 | 5× VEI-1, 16× VEI-2, 11× VEI-3 | VEI 3 | 2021 (then degassing) | Walk up to the active lava |
| Fuego | 79 | 47× VEI-2, 10× VEI-3, 7× VEI-4 | VEI 4 | 2025 (erupting since 2002) | Watch from a safe distance |
| Acatenango | 8 | 1× VEI-1, 1× VEI-2, 1× VEI-3 | VEI 3 | 1972 (dormant) | Camp on top to watch Fuego erupt |
Read across the rows and the logic is obvious. Pacayatops out at VEI 3, so you can walk right up to its lava. Fuego has produced seven VEI 4 eruptions — including the deadly June 2018 paroxysm that buried the village of San Miguel Los Lotes — so it is watched, never climbed. And Acatenango, which hasn't erupted since 1972, is climbed for one reason: to pitch a tent on its summit and watch Fuego erupt across the saddle at night. One sentence, three volcanoes: you hike Pacaya, you camp on Acatenango to watch Fuego, and you keep your distance from Fuego itself. Explore the whole cluster on our volcanoes in Guatemala hub.
Source: Smithsonian GVP (Pacaya, 342110) and INSIVUMEH. Full data: /1138/Pacaya.
Hiking Pacaya: what the trip is actually like
Pacaya is the easy one. From Antigua it's about an hour to the trailhead at San Francisco de Sales; from there a guided walk of roughly 1.5 to 2 hours climbs through farmland and old lava fields to the active MacKenney cone. Most hostels and tour desks in Antigua sell the trip as a half-day outing (a sunrise or sunset departure), bundling transport, the national-park fee and a local guide. Horses are usually on offer for the steep sections, and in periods of surface lava the signature move is roasting marshmallows over a hot vent.
What you actually see depends on the volcano's mood. In an effusive phase you may reach glowing lava; in a quiet phase you get steaming fumaroles, hardened flows and the view across to Fuego and Acatenango puffing in the distance. The park authority closes the upper trail when activity picks up, so the honest answer to "will I see lava?" is: sometimes, and never guaranteed.
Compare guided hikes, crater walks, and day trips near Pacaya from local operators in Guatemala.
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Is Pacaya safe right now?
As of early November 2026, Pacaya sits at INSIVUMEH's Yellow alert level, with degassing and fumarolic activity at the MacKenney crater and no major eruption underway. The Smithsonian GVP lists its last sustained eruptive episode as June 2015 to August 2021; since then the volcano has mostly simmered. On October 6, 2026, INSIVUMEH reported an ash-and-gas column climbing several kilometres and visible from Guatemala City — notable, but not an evacuation-level event.
"Safe" here is relative and physical, not absolute. Pacaya is hikeable because it is low-VEI and closely watched, not because it is harmless — its fluid lava can still overrun trails, and the 2021 lava-flow episode forced the park to close to visitors. Treat the daily INSIVUMEH bulletin and your guide's call as the final word. For the wider picture of which of the world's volcanoes are restless today, see our most dangerous volcanoes ranking, where Pacaya's gentler cousins and killers sit side by side.
Pacaya, quick answers
Can you hike Pacaya?
Yes — it's the most accessible active volcano in Guatemala. Guided hikes leave daily from Antigua and Guatemala City; the trail to the active cone is a round trip of roughly 3–4 hours including transport, and reaching the upper slopes takes about 1.5–2 hours of walking. In periods of flowing lava, visitors roast marshmallows over vents. The route and how high you're allowed to go change with the volcano's activity, and the park closes during stronger phases.
Is Pacaya erupting right now?
As of early November 2026, Pacaya is at INSIVUMEH's Yellow alert level with degassing and fumarolic activity at the MacKenney crater — no major eruption underway. Its last sustained eruptive episode ran from June 2015 to August 2021 (Smithsonian GVP). On October 6, 2026, INSIVUMEH reported an ash-and-gas column rising several kilometres, visible from Guatemala City, with no evacuations. Check INSIVUMEH's daily bulletin before you climb.
How tall is Pacaya?
Pacaya's active MacKenney cone reaches 2,569 metres (8,428 feet). It's a complex basaltic volcano on the southern rim of the much larger, older Amatitlán caldera, about 30 km south of Guatemala City.
Is Pacaya safe to visit?
Safer than most active volcanoes, and that's down to its physics, not luck. Pacaya erupts fluid basalt in small, frequent bursts — every size-rated eruption in our record is VEI 1 to 3, never the VEI-4+ paroxysms that make its neighbour Fuego deadly. It's also closely monitored by INSIVUMEH, which closes the park when activity escalates (as it did during the 2021 lava-flow episode). Go with a licensed guide and follow the day's alert level.
How do you get to Pacaya from Antigua?
Pacaya sits about 1–1.5 hours by road from Antigua. Nearly every hostel and tour desk in Antigua sells a half-day Pacaya trip (morning or sunset) that includes transport, the park entry fee and a guide. The trailhead is at San Francisco de Sales; from there it's an uphill walk to the lava fields on the MacKenney cone.
Continue exploring
Hiked Pacaya recently? Tell us whether you reached flowing lava and what altitude the guides were working to that day — the park's access limit moves with the volcano, and we keep this page current from reader reports and INSIVUMEH bulletins.