Above Antigua on the hill of the cross, known in Spanish as Cerro de la Cruz, I can see illuminated to the south, Agua, the most massive volcano in Central America. Between us, the whole of La Antigua is spread quietly across the valley. While the volcano named Agua has been dormant for at least 10,000 years, it hides from Antigua to the Southeast, its smaller and very active cousin, Pacaya. As recently as 2021, in fact, fresh rivers of red-hot lava covered its slopes then cooled to a curiously inviting crust.
So inviting, in fact, that locals welcome visitors with paths across the jagged landscape, a small artisan’s hut and even a destination ‘restaurant’, Pacaya Pizza, where chef David Garcia crafts lava roasted Italian pies. While visiting the lava fields is an easy 1–2-hour hike, we chose to navigate the trail by horseback and weave a little romance into the adventure. One can rent a horse at the trail head for Q100, but we reserved a romance ride with Guatemalan Horse Tours.
Manual picked us up in Antigua for the 1-hour drive around Agua volcano. We donned cowboy hats, mounted sure-footed steeds and ascended the winding path. A naturalist guide pointed out edible plants, we held the gigantic larva of the rhinoceros beetle and he even found us samples of a rare gold coloured lava. As the air cooled, we made our way by foot through the lava field to our volcano-warmed blankets and pillows.
As we watched David craft pizza dough and toppings, Manual mashed fresh guacamole and opening a bottle of cabernet sauvignon. Later, as the setting sun silhouetted the volcanos towering to our west and high clouds glinted with red and orange, we roasted gourmet marshmallows in the heat of Pacaya and watched volcano Fuego shoot glowing lava and ash into the sky.
Written by Daniel Bush
