Volcan Pacaya

We decided not to climb 3976 m Acatenango because the weather didn't seem very promising, so we left Antigua with Joe and Antoine and headed for the smaller Volcan Pacaya in the hopes of seeing some volcanic action. The afternoon ride there involved some steep climbs and descents that made for slow progress, but provided a few good opportunities to chat with locals and compare bikes and loads as we pedalled. We arrived at the base of the mountain near dusk and were encouraged to camp at local guide Antonio's place for the night. As we ate dinner Antonio convinced us to use his services as a guide for one more early morning volcano adventure the next day.

We started up the road at 3 am the next morning, roasted some marshmallows at a vent in the cooling lava at 4 am, and got to a high point on an old lava flow at 5 am. High winds and thick fog made for a quick turn around, but Antonio brought us through a lava tunnel, which was pretty cool, on the way back down. We got a nice view of the big volcanoes around Antigua as the sun came up, and were back down in time for breakfast at a normal hour. Joe even managed a quick ride around the yard on a bony pony before we got back on our bikes and started out on part two of our day.Read more