I’m standing on the slopes of a volcano in Guatemala when my guide hands me a stick with a marshmallow speared onto the tip. He leads me to an open vent in the earth where steam escapes in billows, and I slowly rotate one end until the treat blisters and caramelizes. I then pop the gooey goodness, perfectly warm and melted, into my mouth. This is the first marshmallow I’ve ever roasted from the radiating heat of an active volcano. And it’s not the only delight waiting for me on Volcán Pacaya.
I came here for a 3.2-mile sunrise hike with Lava Trails, which arranged an early morning transfer with the Roadrunner shuttle to Antigua, Guatemala, from Lake Atitlan. The trail began with a steep, rocky climb beneath the morning sun, leading to the kind of hike that burns through my calves almost immediately.
As I ascend and my body and lungs adjust to the altitude, I start to notice the trail opening up as the landscape shifts. The earth blackens a little more. Vegetation thins to reveal glimmers of rolling green hills beyond. Eventually, sweeping views of several volcanoes unfold before me, including one of the world’s most active: Volcán de Fuego.
After about two hours on foot, the path gives way to a vast, spectacular field of petrified lava, frozen mid-flow in jagged, metallic waves. A little heat begins to rise through the soles of my boots via the rock-solid ground.
Then, standing in the middle of it all, is a man making pizza.
Mario David García Mansilla, known locally as Pizza Pacaya, slides trays of dough into metal ovens built directly onto the lava rock. Minutes later, bubbling cheese and crisp crust emerge from the lava-heated kiln while exhausted hikers gather around in disbelief, snapping photos before grabbing slices still hot from the mountain. Smoky and slightly blistered around the edges, the unique slice tastes earthy and unexpected—a flavor that seems inseparable from the volcanic ground that cooked it.
More travelers are coming to Pacaya volcano because of the pizza.
Photo by Jose de Jesus Churion Del/Shutterstock
In recent years, Pacaya’s volcano pizza has evolved from a little-known curiosity into one of Guatemala’s most unusual tourism experiences, drawing hikers from around the world to eat pizza cooked by the earth’s heat. But for locals, Pacaya represents something far more familiar. Guatemala is home to more than 30 volcanoes, many of them still active, and communities here have long learned to coexist with landscapes shaped by eruption, ash, and seismic activity. Even after the devastating 2018 eruption of Volcán de Fuego, which killed hundreds of people and displaced entire communities, many Guatemalans returned, and others continue living and working in close proximity to volcanoes.
For many locals, these lava beasts are viewed less as dangers to fear and more as landscapes to adapt to, places historically tied to livelihood, tourism, agriculture, and identity. On Pacaya, that relationship has transformed into a tourism economy built directly into the volcano itself, where guides, vendors, and hikers gather daily on still-warm lava fields—with safety precautions, of course.
The trail and summit are closely monitored by Guatemala’s volcanology organization INSIVUMEH, which closes the trail if any erratic activity is recorded. As with all active volcanoes, hiking Pacaya always bears a risk of unexpected gas emissions or lava flows. It’s mandatory to hike with a local guide, and hikers are banned from wandering off the marked trail or approaching fresh lava fields without explicit permission.
Local guide Yimi, who has worked on Pacaya for five years, says many visitors now make the hike specifically for the volcano pizza, though he sees the experience as much bigger than the food itself. Leading between one and five tours each week, he uses the trek to introduce travelers to the volcano’s flora, fauna, and ever-changing terrain.
“It fills me with pride to show people this beautiful corner of Guatemala,” he says. “People come for the pizza, but they leave amazed by the landscapes, the sunrise and sunset views, and the experience of walking on an active volcano.”
Some people choose to add a four-hour hike to Fuego to watch eruptions up close. But Yimi describes Pacaya as a volcano that is more accessible and less intimidating; there, travelers with little hiking experience can still witness Guatemala’s volcanic landscapes up close. Most hikes last about three to three-and-a-half hours, round-trip, and are often timed for sunrise or sunset, when the black lava fields glow gold beneath the changing light.
On clear days, hikers have the staggering pleasure of seeing Acatenango and Fuego rising in the distance beyond the lava fields. The real thrill, though, comes from where you’re snacking: approximately 3,280 feet above sea level, on a petrified lava field of an active volcano, pizza in hand.
