It was a great trip, but there are a few areas that could be better planned. - The views of the Pacaya Volcano and the Antigua Valley were stunning. The hike itself is okay, but the way up is quite steep, and the guide moves quickly with only a few brief stops for rest. If you're not in good shape, I’d recommend taking a horse ride up, as it’s not an easy hike—the guide climbs quickly, and the path is challenging! That said, the tour guides and driver were professional and did their best to accommodate everyone. I deducted one star, not because the tour itself was bad, but because I believe the planning could be improved. First, instead of picking up guests from various locations, which took an hour in a town with little traffic, it would make more sense to have everyone meet at a single location since Antigua is a small town. Second, the tour should ideally depart around 12pm or 1pm, as descending in complete darkness is unsafe. Starting at 2pm is too late, especially in winter, as it’s already dark by the time you begin the descent.

Nice, but clouds may be in your way - We went on December 31st, 2024. One thing we noticed (and were told by other people) was that in Guatemala, it is much clearer in the morning than the evening. Low clouds seem to come back in the evening. I would DEFINITELY do this tour in the morning, not the evening. Also, this tour mentions roasting marshmallows. Well, the chances of that marshmallow actually melting is slim to none. The heat sources are just not that warm. You really need to be in decent shape because the incline is pretty long. Guides follow with horses exactly for that reason. If you just can't make it, you can rent a horse (I believe it was like $20 USD), and they really don't want to budge on that price. Don't get me wrong, it was nice and I did get to see a lava field, but when we got to the top in the afternoon, we couldn't see the volcano because of cloud cover, and it was right in front of our face. Also, if you take the afternoon tour, you WILL be walking down in the dark. That's why it is listed that you may want to bring a lantern or a light brighter than your cell phone light.

Ruta Ideal tour agency poorly run. Volcano tour crew was decent. Challenging hike. - I was at the designated hotel pickup point at 545am. At 6am, I messaged the tour operator to confirm I'm waiting. No response. B by 630am, still no response. I contacted viator at that point and the agent was mostly useless. A bus came to pick up 2 other people that were waiting with me. The driver said my name wasn't on his roster. The tour operator finally messaged me to say he FORGOT to add me to the roster. The bus had to come back around after another 15b minutes. I'd essentially been waiting an hour. The tour operator said he would contact the bus driver to have him pay $13 for my park entrance fee. Nobody paid for my entrance fee once I got into the park. The bus was packed. Every seat filled. It took about an hour for the drive. Very twisty and lots of switchbacks. If you have motion sickness, take Dramamine before the trip. Once we were dropped off, our group was turned over to the folks that work at the volcano park. The hike is very steep and takes alot of effort due to 7000 foot elevations. They do rent horses if you are unable to hike. At the top, it was all cloudy and foggy that day. There was nothing to really see. On the way down you go through lava fields. The marshmellows do not "roast", they get "steamed" in the fissures. On the way down, parts are steep. The rocks and scree make for very slippery path. Lots of folks lost their footing or fell. Bring hiking poles. I was at the designated hotel pickup point at 545am. At 6am, I messaged the tour operator to confirm I'm waiting. No response. B by 630am, still no response. I contacted viator at that point and the agent was mostly useless. A bus came to pick up 2 other people that were waiting with me. The driver said my name wasn't on his roster. The tour operator finally messaged me to say he FORGOT to add me to the roster. The bus had to come back around after another 15b minutes. I'd essentially been waiting an hour. The tour operator said he would contact the bus driver to have him pay $13 for my park entrance fee. Nobody paid for my entrance fee once I got into the park. The bus was packed. Every seat filled. It took about an hour for the drive. Very twisty and lots of switchbacks. If you have motion sickness, take Dramamine before the trip. Once we were dropped off, our group was turned over to the folks that work at the volcano park. The hike is very steep and takes alot of effort due to 7000 foot elevations. They do rent horses if you are unable to hike. At the top, it was all cloudy and foggy that day. There was nothing to really see. On the way down you go through lava fields. The marshmellows do not "roast", they get "steamed" in the fissures. On the way down, parts are steep. The rocks and scree make for very slippery path. Lots of folks lost their footing or fell. Bring hiking poles and water. I would have only given this a 1 star review due to Ruta Ideal tour operator very poor coordination of my trip. I would never book with them again. This rate review was 2 stars due to the volcano crew being separate.