The Santa Ana volcano hike is certainly one of El Salvador’s most superb experiences, with an excellent coloured crater lake that may change blue or inexperienced relying on the day. It’s actually gorgeous, particularly for those who’ve by no means been on an lively volcano earlier than.
Additionally recognized by the identify Volcán Ilamatepec, that is the best volcano in El Salvador, however the hike to the highest will not be too laborious in any respect. You don’t must be tremendous match, making it an incredible volcano hike for freshmen.
Better of all, the volcano is positioned in a nationwide park that’s accessible and simple to achieve from both Santa Ana city or San Salvador. All of these items mix to make it certainly one of Central America’s finest bucket checklist actions.
This journey weblog will clarify tips on how to get to the Santa Ana volcano in El Salvador, tips on how to do the hike with or with no information, and the whole lot else you have to know earlier than you go!
Santa Ana Fast Details*
- Distance: 7 kilometers (4.3 miles) return
- Elevation Acquire: 465 meters (1,525 ft)
- High Elevation: 2,381 meters (7,812 ft)
- Length: 2 – 4 hours return
- Problem: Straightforward / Average
Santa Ana Volcano Hike
How To Get To Santa Ana Volcano In El Salvador
The Santa Ana volcano is positioned in western El Salvador, within the Cerro Verde Nationwide Park. You may get there by bus or tour, relying on the place you’re staying in El Salvador.
In case you’re staying in Santa Ana city and plan to go by bus, you’ll need to take the bus #248 from La Vencedora bus station (map right here), which leaves at 7:30 AM and takes about 2 hours to get to the volcano.
The bus price is $1 USD per particular person and you must arrive early to purchase tickets. For the journey again to city, you may take the bus at 1:30 PM, or the final one is at 4:30 PM.
The opposite choice is to guide a driver or tour from Santa Ana city. I stayed at Hostal Las Puertas and the employees there was capable of prepare a driver to take me to the volcano the next day. I shared the van with one different traveler, and my price was a really affordable $21 USD.
This didn’t embrace the doorway charges for the hike, however it coated the entire transportation for the day, together with a go to to Lake Coatepeque after our hike.
• How To Get There From San Salvador
In case you’re staying within the metropolis of San Salvador, there’s no bus choice on to the volcano. You’ll must take a bus to Santa Ana city, keep in a single day, after which do the hike the subsequent day, or else guide a day tour to the volcano that features transport from San Salvador.
This feature is a little more expensive, however it’s the simplest and most handy approach to do it for those who’re simply eager to go straight to the volcano from San Salvador.
The spectacular crater lake of Santa Ana
Finest Santa Ana El Salvador Excursions
In case you simply arrived in El Salvador and wish to get to the volcano as shortly as doable, GetYourGuide has a full day Santa Ana volcano tour with pickup from any resort or residence in San Salvador.
This tour features a bilingual English and Spanish mountain climbing information, and the entire entrance charges for the nationwide park. If you wish to skip the time and trouble concerned in getting the bus to Santa Ana, then this tour might be your finest guess.
We’ve used GetYourGuide for many excursions and actions all over the world, they usually’re nice. Extremely really useful!
Ebook Now: Santa Ana Volcano Tour From San Salvador
Santa Ana Volcano Hike: What To Count on
If you arrive on the Santa Ana volcano, everybody shall be herded into a gaggle and assigned a neighborhood information. The information is an official requirement for this hike, though it’s arguably not wanted (extra on that later).
There’s one information assigned to each 10 folks or so, and he’ll accompany your group to the highest of the volcano and again.
It begins with a fast briefing in Spanish the place they clarify the charges and remind everybody to not litter, carry noisy audio system, or carry weapons. In case you don’t perceive Spanish, you gained’t miss an excessive amount of from the briefing.
Rocky however tame incline close to the highest of Ilamatepec
There are mainly two elements to the Santa Ana volcano hike. For the primary half, you’ll be mountain climbing by means of a shaded forest to the nationwide park boundary, the place you’ll pay to your tickets to enter the park.
For the second a part of the hike, the trail is extra uphill and the forest will regularly flip right into a rocky panorama with no bushes or vegetation.
Alongside the way in which, there are a number of good viewpoints to get pleasure from, together with a lookout tower you may climb, though I believe it’s higher to save lots of your vitality and maybe do the tower on the way in which again down.
All alongside the hike, there are virtually fixed views of one other volcano not too distant. That’s the Volcan de Izalco, which is one other of El Salvador’s iconic volcanoes!
Smoking inexperienced lake of the Santa Ana crater. Weird and exquisite!
Santa Ana is a very talked-about hike, so that you’ll at all times be round folks. The highest is very crowded, however for those who maintain strolling alongside the crater then you may nonetheless discover a great place to take footage with out folks blocking the view.
The effervescent inexperienced sulfur lake is de facto gorgeous and it jogged my memory of Mount Ijen in Indonesia. We had excellent clear climate, and I needed I had introduced my drone!
Watch out on the fringe of the crater, as a result of it feels deceptively much less steep than it really is, and a fall into the crater could be a nasty approach to go. The police will blow their whistles at you in the event that they see you getting too near the cliff.
In the meantime, there are some pleasant native guys promoting popsicles on the high, which generally is a enjoyable reward after the hike. Deliver money in small US Greenback payments for those who plan to purchase some!
The trekking guides solely assist you to keep on the high for about 30 to 45 minutes earlier than heading down, so it felt a bit rushed. That’s certainly one of my solely complaints. I’d’ve appreciated to spend a minimum of an hour or two up there!
Bear in mind to watch out and watch your step close to the crater rim
• How Onerous Is The Santa Ana Volcano Hike?
The Santa Ana volcano hike will not be very laborious, even for those who aren’t a daily hiker or in nice form.
I’d say for those who can hike uphill on grime and rocks for about 1.5 hours, with loads of breaks blended in there, then this hike gained’t be any drawback for you in any respect. Most individuals can attain the highest of the volcano in 1 to 2 hours, relying on their tempo. Quick hikers can attain the highest in 1 hour or much less.
The highest of Ilamatepec will not be excessive sufficient to trigger altitude illness, so that you don’t want to fret about that. The a technique distance to the crater is about 3.5 kilometers (2.2 miles), with an elevation acquire of 465 meters (1,525 ft).
Total, it’s extraordinarily straightforward in comparison with one thing just like the Acatenango hike in Guatemala. This volcano will not be even in the identical class as that one.
Going again down from the Santa Ana volcano is even faster and simpler as a result of it’s all downhill, though you’ll wish to watch your step so that you don’t slip on free rocks.
The Santa Ana volcano hike will not be very laborious and most of the people gained’t have any drawback with it.
• What To Deliver
- Layers: A lightweight jacket is nice to carry as a result of it may be cool and windy on the high of the volcano, particularly if it’s cloudy. When the solar comes out, you may shed the jacket.
- Footwear: Any footwear will work for the Santa Ana volcano hike. You don’t want high of the road mountain climbing boots. I’d keep away from flip flops, since you’ll be strolling on slippery gravel a part of the time.
- Solar Safety: With the excessive elevation, you will get fairly a burn right here on a sunny day, so that you’ll desire a hat and sunscreen.
- Water: Deliver loads of water to drink. On sizzling days you’ll want extra. There’s no stream water to choose up on the hike, however there are drink stands run by locals close to the doorway the place you should purchase bottled water, Gatorade, and snacks for those who want them.
• Can You Hike With out A Information?
Formally, a information is required for the Santa Ana hike, they usually gained’t allow you to go up with out one.
Typically you may be capable of keep away from this requirement by exhibiting up early on the trailhead and beginning the hike with out the guides seeing you, however folks have reported restricted success with this.
The path is fairly straightforward to comply with, so a information is actually not wanted. Most of them barely converse English anyway, and also you’ll be following a gradual stream of hikers the entire time, so it’s virtually unimaginable to get misplaced.
I perceive why it annoys some folks to be compelled to rent a information, however the costs are actually not too unhealthy ($3/particular person) and you’ll consider it as a pleasant approach to give again to the nation and the folks of El Salvador.
• Information & Entrance Charges
- Parking Charge (Self Drive): $3 USD
- Entrance Charge (Foreigners): $6 / particular person
- Entrance Charge (Locals): $3 / particular person
- Information Charge (Shared): $3 / particular person
- Information Charge (Personal): ~$35 (negotiable)
All the charges at Santa Ana volcano are money solely (US {Dollars}). They don’t have any approach to settle for bank cards.
If you see this signal, you’re close to the highest of the volcano. Congratulations!
• Is Santa Ana Volcano Secure?
Regardless that the nation of El Salvador has some questions of safety, the Santa Ana volcano is usually fairly protected.
They examine everybody’s luggage for weapons at the beginning of the hike, and there are armed guards (police) on the high and backside of the volcano to maintain away robbers. This may occasionally not provide the best vibe, however it’s nonetheless needed in the mean time due to El Salvador’s crime scenario, they usually wish to maintain hikers protected right here.
With that stated, many individuals hike the volcano day-after-day and I haven’t heard of any current robberies or different incidents right here. I’ll replace this information if that adjustments. I used my digicam to take footage on the high of the volcano, however I stored it inside my bag in any other case.
If you’d like some further peace of thoughts, you might additionally carry a hidden journey belt (like this one on Amazon) and put a few of your valuables in it. That’s what I did with my telephone, money, and bank cards since I wasn’t utilizing them in the course of the hike.
The Santa Ana volcano hike is fairly protected in most methods
In fact, the opposite query about security is the volcano itself, since it’s an lively volcano.
Santa Ana erupted in October 2005, for instance, capturing out big rocks the scale of automobiles, and forcing 1000’s of locals to flee the realm. Earlier than that, the final eruption was in 1904, so it’s considerably uncommon for it to occur.
The volcano is monitored by the El Salvadoran authorities for any uncommon exercise, and the crater shall be closed to hikers if it’s not protected. You’ll be able to examine current updates on the volcanic exercise right here.
We nonetheless can’t completely predict when the subsequent eruption will occur at Santa Ana, however that’s simply one of many dangers you must settle for if you climb an lively volcano. Total, I believe this one is pretty protected so long as you comply with the standing updates.
Different Suggestions For Santa Ana Hike
- Loos: The final bogs are close to the nationwide park boundary, shortly after you pay and get your little paper tickets. You’ll wish to deal with what you are promoting right here, as a result of there’s no toilet and virtually no privateness later within the hike.
- Snacks & Drinks: You should buy snacks and drinks on the nationwide park boundary as effectively. There are many decisions, however the whole lot prices a bit greater than what you’d pay in Santa Ana city.
- Cell Service: I had a bit of little bit of telephone reception on the high of the volcano, so that you might be able to ship and obtain texts right here if wanted.
- Wildlife: In case you’re fortunate, a number of the animals you may even see in Cerro Verde embrace coatimundis, deer, eagles, foxes, or tigrillos (little tiger cats).
Views of Cerro Verde Nationwide Park and the Izalco volcano within the distance
A busy day on the crater
Finest Time To Hike Santa Ana Volcano
The perfect time to hike Santa Ana volcano is in the course of the dry season in El Salvador, which runs from November to April. Throughout this time, you might have one of the best likelihood of sunny climate, so you may see the lake and summit uncovered by clouds and rain.
The moist season in El Salvador runs from Might to October, however it’s particularly more likely to rain in June, July, August, and September. You’ll be able to nonetheless hike Santa Ana throughout these months, however it’s not perfect since you could not be capable of see something if it’s too cloudy. And if there’s a storm or heavy rain, then mountain climbing could also be canceled for the day.
Take note, because you’re coping with a mountain, the climate isn’t utterly predictable at any time of yr, and you might have unhealthy climate within the dry season or good climate within the wet season.
Is The Santa Ana Hike Price It?
Sure, the Santa Ana hike is so price it. In case you’ve by no means climbed an lively volcano earlier than, it is a good spot to begin as a result of it’s comparatively straightforward and the view of the sulfur lake is superb.
Santa Ana is definitely one of the best day hike in El Salvador, and as a bonus, you get to see the highest of the best volcano in El Salvador too! It’s greater than definitely worth the effort!
The Santa Ana volcano hike is such an incredible expertise. Don’t miss it!
Extra Central America Journey Suggestions
Thanks for wanting! I hope you loved this information for the Santa Ana volcano hike (Ilamatepec) in El Salvador.
Don’t neglect to take a look at my different journey weblog posts for Central America and South America earlier than you go!
Blissful travels!