Left in van w/ 13 others-US(NC&TX), Spain, Poland, & Germany-at 2pm...1 1/2 hour drive ea way. Climb is steep to begin, lots of kids hawking walking sticks("es necessrio") which they then collect when you come down, ha! Great business...software companies have nothing on them! Also, bags of marshmellows in case you want to scorch your front side, and of course, the same deal needs sticks for roasting the little puppies! Since you begin steep and the guide (obligatory) tells you to stay together, the horse "taxi" guys are right there like vultures riding in amongst the long line of hikers. Dust is what you breath until we get high enuf to take a trail away from horses. It's an 800 meter(2400') gain in elevation taking 1 1/2 hours, the final half over hardened lava. Truely a magnificent view and my first look at molten lava up close. See pics.
Pacaya Volcano Info