Standing in at 8,371 feet (2,552 meters) the highly active Pacaya Volcano is perhaps the most climbed volcano in Guatemala.

Pacaya's current active phase began in 1965, and the volcano has been almost constantly in eruption since then. Eruptive activity ranges from minor gaseous emissions and quiet steam eruptions, to explosions powerful enough to hurl bombs up to 12 kilometers and necessitate the evacuation of numerous villages on the flanks of the volcano.