Since 1965 Pacaya has been restless and volcanically active, providing a National Park where thousands of people can observe mild to moderate eruptive activity, including lava flows, lava fountaining, spatter, volcanic ash explosions, debris flows and avalanches.  Access to the volcano is possible by walking a few kilometers with minimal elevation change. Monitoring of the volcano is occurring through INSIVUMEH, and background information about the volcano is available through international publications.

An overall goal of studies at Pacaya is to mitigate hazards. At present there is concern about hazards of: 1. Volcanic ashfall  2. Bombs and Ballistics  3. Lava flows  4. Collapse of the active cone  5. Volcanic gas.

Communication of scientific results among all scientists working at Pacaya can lead to broader understanding and better hazard mitigation.