Pacaya Volcano Horseback Riding: Lava-Cooked Dinner at Sunset

Pizza cooked in active lava, eaten at the foot of a volcano you just rode up.

This horseback riding activity from Antigua takes you to a private area of Pacaya Volcano where a lava chef cooks your dinner in volcanic coals while you watch from Mayan fabric picnic tables. You ride with a private English-speaking cowboy guide and a second guide who explains the volcano. No riding experience is needed. The meal includes homemade salsa and chips on arrival, pizza paired with wine, and a gourmet chocolate tasting with marshmallows you roast yourself over the lava. The experience lasts around six hours and includes door-to-door pickup from Antigua. Your booking directly funds the care and rescue of the working horses.

The experience

Pacaya Volcano sits in Guatemala's Central Highlands near Antigua, and this tour takes you there on horseback instead of on foot with the crowds. You're picked up at your hotel in Antigua and driven to the volcano's private area, not the main park entrance where hundreds of other tourists arrive each day. A private cowboy guide and an English-speaking guide who knows the volcano's geology are with you the whole time. The horses are rescue animals, and the operation that runs them is built around their welfare. Choosing this tour means your payment goes directly to their food, medical care and future.

The ride itself doesn't require any experience. You climb the volcano on horseback at a pace the guides set, and when you reach the base of the active crater, the real experience begins. A lava chef has set up at the foot of the mountain with a picnic laid out on Mayan fabrics across lava tables. You start with homemade salsa and tortilla chips while the chef prepares your pizza in the volcanic coals: the heat from the lava cooks it. Wine is available to order, and you eat the pizza at the base of the active volcano, looking out at three other volcanoes on the horizon. After dinner, you taste gourmet Guatemalan chocolates and roast marshmallows over the lava yourself, turning them into s'mores. The sunset happens while you're there.

The whole experience takes around six hours from pickup to return. Children from age four are welcome, and the tour accommodates infants in specialized seats or on an adult's lap. The horses and the guides make this a private tour. You're not sharing the mountain or the chef's attention with other groups.

What’s included

• Door-to-door hotel pickup and return from Antigua.
• private horseback ride with a cowboy guide and English-speaking volcano guide.
• homemade salsa and tortilla chips.
• pizza cooked in lava coals by a private chef.
• gourmet Guatemalan chocolate tasting.
• marshmallows roasted over volcanic heat for s'mores.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery dayDepartures at 08:30 and 14:00

Book up to12h before

AgesAdult (21 to 64 years) · Senior (65 and older) · Youth (12 to 17 years) · Child (4 to 11 years) · Under 4: can't be booked

GroupPrivate

Live guideEnglish and Spanish

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup included.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.It may be canceled due to bad weather or if the minimum number of travelers isn't reached. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Prices and times updated 6 days ago

Good to know

Low physical effortInfant seats availablePets welcomeNot recommended during pregnancyNot recommended with back problemsInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Finca In The Clouds

Is this one for you?The ride climbs at a steady pace suited to all fitness levels, and no riding experience is needed. Book this if you want the volcano and the lava-cooked meal without the main-entrance crowds or the logistics of arranging your own transport from Antigua.

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Top questions

What languages is the tour guided in?

Live guide in English and Spanish.

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Youth (12 to 17 years); Child (4 to 11 years). Children under 4 can't be included in the booking.

What happens if it rains?

It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund. Free cancellation up to 24 h before the start.

Do I need to know how to ride a horse to book this tour?

No riding experience is needed. A private cowboy guide leads you up Pacaya Volcano at a pace suited to all fitness levels, and the horses are accustomed to working the mountain every day.

What exactly does the lava chef cook, and is wine included?

The lava chef cooks pizza in the volcanic coals and serves it with wine available for purchase by request. You also roast marshmallows yourself over the lava for s'mores, and taste gourmet Guatemalan chocolates with the meal.

How long does the whole experience take from my hotel in Antigua?

The tour lasts around six hours total, including door-to-door pickup and return to your hotel in Antigua.

What's included in the price?

The horseback ride, private cowboy guide, English-speaking guide, pizza cooked in lava, homemade salsa and chips, chocolate tasting, marshmallows roasted over lava, and hotel pickup and return are all included. Wine is available for purchase.

What makes this tour different from other Pacaya Volcano horseback rides?

This tour uses a private area of the volcano instead of the main park entrance, so you avoid the crowds. You also have a private lava chef cooking your dinner at the base of the active volcano, and the horses are rescue animals whose care is directly funded by your booking.