This tour was great, and our tour guide Esmé was amazing! She was full of fun facts and very knowledgeable about Antigua, Guatemalan history, and the volcanoes. We took about an hour and a half long shuttle to the base of the volcano, then it was another hour and a half long hike up to the “top” (you’re not going to look down a crater anywhere and see actual lava). You can also ride a horse up for 150 quetzals (and back down for another 150 quetzals), which one person in our party did for part of the way up. He did end up getting ahead of us for much of the hike since the horses are led by the horse’s owner, but the hike itself isn’t too terrible—it’s a pretty steady incline on a dirt path with some nice views. But the highlight is really when you hit the dried lava, which you can walk along, make s’mores in one of the steam-producing craters, and even buy pizza from a guy who set up shop next to a larger crater (not an official part of the tour). The pizza’s 50 USD, but is one of the highlights of our trip (also safe to eat in our experience for any non-locals). The tour also provides a nice lunch with chicken, beans, guacamole, etc. too. We made it back to Antigua around 3 pm, so had plenty of time in the afternoon to hang around the city.
