It’s a beautiful day and we’re perched on a rock atop an active volcano. Peering into the most spectacular sulphur lake, surrounded by dramatic peaks, we’re happily eating ice cream generally patting our backs for getting up here at all. Spirits are high and everyone is in a fantastic mood. We’re surrounded by big groups and tours with private guides. And while they look like they’re having a good time, we can’t help but feel smug. Why? Because we paid less than $10 to be here.
The Santa Ana volcano (or Ilamatepec) is an active volcano in the west of El Salvador. It’s the country’s second tallest peak (the first being Cerro El Pital, on the Honduran border). Compared to some of the peaks in neighbouring Guatemala like Tajumulco and Acatenango, Volcán Santa Ana is a bit on the smaller side, standing at 2381m (7812ft). But it’s an incredibly popular day trip for tourists and locals alike; Cerro Verde National Park is one of the most poplar attractions in the country. Many travel to Santa Ana solely to climb it and then move on to the coast, and most will book private tours with transfers included.
But you’re a backpacker, aren’t you? Money spent on a private tour guide is money you can’t spend on beers in one of Santa Ana’s many, many bars afterwards. So here’s how I climbed the Santa Ana Volcano for less than $10, and how you can too!
Volcano by bus
The day starts early. Like, leaving our hostel at 6:30 early. Me and some friends from my hostel had spent most of the previous day at Parque Turistico Sapoapa, a nature park with cold water springs about 15 minutes from the centre of town. So we felt pretty well-rested ready for our climb.
I was a bit nervous about this hike. About a week or so earlier, I was admitted to hospital in Antigua for dehydration. I was particularly gutted as I’d been forced to sacked off my Acatenango climb after spending almost nine whole days on bed rest, and had been exhausted climbing the stairs at Convento Santa Clara. So needless to say I didn’t have particularly high hopes that I would make it up here in one piece. But, despite my genuine concerns, a friend had promised me that the hike was difficult, but definitely doable. So when my alarm went off at 5:30am sharp I leapt out of bed to get ready and meet my friends in the common room.
So, at the crack of dawn, we set off.
We decided to walk over taking a taxi. We were in search of Sala de Espera y Abordaje La Vencedora, the smaller of the two bus stations in Santa Ana. If you’re staying in Urban Nest or Casa Coco hostel, its about a 25 minute walk. From Ricks, it’s 15 minutes, and from Casa Verde, it’s around 10.
It’s not the easiest bus station to find. We were told it was a block over from Parque Colon and across the street from the Super Selectos supermarket. But we couldn’t see anything that looked remotely like a bus station. Having caught buses elsehwere in Central America, I was looking for a bustling market, lots of people, anything to indicate that This Is Where The Buses Are. But there we were, stood in front of a supermarket at 7am like a bunch of mugs.
Luckily, our guardian angel appeared, armed with a shotgun.
The security guard standing watch across the street spotted us looking very confused and shouted over to us: “¡Oye! ¿Ustedes van al volcán?“. Turns out between 7 and 7:30 every morning, he doubles as a sort of gringo-wrangler, flagging down all sorts of confused tourists and ushering them into the bus station. He waved us over and we scurried across the street. He advised us that the bus was due to board at 7:30am, so we should make outselves comortable.
This gave us a whole 30 minutes to kill. We were some of the first people there, so we decided to just hunker down and wait. There is a little tienda in the bus station selling hot coffee and snacks. I bought myself a cinnamon bun and a coffee, forgetting the warning that Hector gave us on his tour not to buy the coffee at the tiendas, as it’s just instant coffee. But given the hour I decided to lump it. I also bought some snacks for the summit, and got to practice my Spanish with the lovely shopkeeper who kept calling me corazón throughout the whole interaction. Overall, a win in my book.
Getting to the volcano
As the time went on, the bus station started to fill and we started to get to see who’d we’d be travelling with this morning. Of course, lots of tourists like us heading to the park early to catch the public guides. But there’s also a lot of locals. Some students, catching the first bus to the university. A group of young women in what looks like waitstaff uniform, likely going to work at one of the cafes and restaurant in and around the park. And two older gentlemen who look like they’re going for a morning at the market.
Our security-friend/babysitter stands up and announces that the bus to Cerro Verde is now boarding, and we start shuffling over. We pay the security guard 90¢ each and shuffle on the bus, which is full now of the other backpackers that we’ll be hiking with this morning. It’s a classic Salvadoran camionieta, a repurposed US school bus, so this isn’t the comfiest ride. But the views are worth the numb bumcheeks.
The drive is spectacular.
You’ll pass the Autonomous University of Santa Ana, as well as the town of El Congo, with its bustling market (people will hop on the bus here and try and sell you literally anything, from snacks to extension cables), and up past Lago de Coatepeque (home to the famous Captain Morgan hostel, and definitely worth the daytrip if you have the time) and the views of the lake are immense. The journey should take around 90 minutes but can take up to two hours, so prepare accordingly.
Eventually, you’ll arrive at Cerro Verde National Park. The driver will likely indicate that you have arrived by shouting “¡Volcán!”. This was our cue to gather all our stuff and get off the bus. There are a few street food stands near the starting point, but they won’t be open yet. No early morning pupusas for you today.
The ascent
Technically, you can’t climb the volcano independently. I’m not sure on the official reason why, but you legally cannot climb the volcano without a guide. Some people choose to hire private guides with transport. But there is a public guided tour that departs from just beside the bus stop once a day. In theory, it leaves at 11am, but they tend to leave once the first bus of the morning arrives, so you won’t be hanging around for long. Be warned, this tour leaves once a day, which is why you need to be there so early.
The guides will meet you off the bus
They are employed by the park, are sort of like rangers, and tend to charge around $1 per tour. They’ll give you a wristband and explain how the hike works and give you one last chance to use the bathroom, before you start the hike. Just to note, it’s pretty unlikely that the guides will speak much, if any English. But unless you’re really keen to know about the wildlife and fauna, it doesn’t matter too much. If you need to know something for your safety, they’ll make sure you’ve understood.
We walked along the paved roads for about 10 minutes, sneaking a peek of the volcano we were about to climb, before they led us on to the path in the forest to begin the actual incline. I am personally of the opinion that the first 15 minutes of any hike is the hardest, and this definitely rang true here. It’s steep, it’s warm, and the guides set quite a fast pace. Which is fair enough. This is not the most interesting part of the hike. They take up this incline for about 15 minutes before you reach the actual entrance to the park. Here, you have to pay $3.50 to actually get on the trail. There is a snack and souvenir stand here, as well as another bathroom, but the guides are trying to rush you through the gates here to get the hike started.
The hike up takes about two hours.
Of course, this depends on the speed of the group. You pass through three stages, forest, grassland and finally, a rocky scramble to the top. About two-thirds of the hike is unshaded, so bring lots of water and a hat as it can get very hot and very sunny. It’s a challenging hike, but the guides stop for a water break every half an hour or so, mostly so they can explain the nature around you. They are quite good on the way up at making sure the group walks at the pace of the slowest person, so while the hike is strenuous, at no point did I feel we were going too fast.
Eventually, you reach a blind peak right before the summit. Incredibly, there is a guy here selling ice creams and water out of a cart that he has presumably pushed up here on the same path you have just sweated profusely on for the last two hours, which is a bit humbling. Shake off your ego and buy one before you push on for the last few minutes up to the summit. Here the guides explained a bit more about the volcano, when it last erupted, and warned us not to get too close to the edge before telling us we had an hour up here to enjoy the views and take some photos.
The volcano is one of El Salvador’s most popular tourist spots, so it can get pretty busy.
And it’s not just foreign tourists. Domestic Salvadoran tourists make this hike as well, so you may find yourself a bit pressed for space. Eat your well earned lunch and take some photos and try not to fall over a rock and into the sulphur lake crater like I almost did trying to take a photo of my friends. There are rangers as well as tourist police up here who will offer to take your photo if you ask them nicely. The lake sits at around 55 degrees celcius, so you really don’t want to get too close!
It’s hard to describe how cool it feels to be at the top of the volcano. The sulphur lake is so brightly coloured, I don’t think photos do it justice. You can get fairly close to the lake but watch your step, as the ground is very loose here. But don’t spend your whole time looking at the ground. Look up and see the panoramic views of the national park. On a clear day, you can see all the way to Lago de Coatepeque, as well as a dramatic view of Cerro Verde, the other volcano in the park. It’s enough to make the whole climb worth it. Along with your ice cream, of course.
The descent
In theory, after about an hour the guides will round you up and start the hike back down. However, in our case it took us a bit longer than we expected to get up, so we were rushed back down the volcano in about 45 minutes as one of the guides realised if we didn’t hustle, we would miss the bus back and be left hitch-hiking back to Santa Ana which is not ideal. The buses are not all that frequent: if you took the public tour, you’ll likely be aiming for the 2:30pm bus. If you miss it, it’s a long wait for the next one.
As it is, our guide absolutely panicked when she realised the time, and sent our friend off to round us up before we were route-marched back down the volcano. We managed to get down in record speed. So fast in fact that we ended up waiting for the bus on the side of the road. The bus, like all buses in Central America, run on a very efficient timetable that seems mostly vibes-based from what I can tell. In theory, the bus comes at 2:30pm but in practice, it comes when it comes. The bright side is that by the time you make it back down the volcano, the street food vendors have opened for lunch. Stewed pork, grilled chicken and pupusas con ajo. The smell is enough to make your mouth water, especially after your strenuous morning. Yum!
The bus back to Santa Ana takes a bit longer,
The city has fully woken up by now and traffic is a bit heavier. It’s also likely to be a bit busier as you pass through the surrounding towns and suburbs around Santa Ana in the mid-afternoon rush. It’s not the comfiest ride and it’s significantly warmer and sweatier than on the ride out but on the bright side, it’ll stop you from falling asleep!
On your return to Santa Ana, treat yourself to a coffee at one of Santa Ana’s many coffee shops, like Beats Coffee in the main square. Or hit up the thrift shops that Santa Ana is famous for for a shopping spree. If you’re looking for something a bit more relaxing, the natural pools at Parque Turistico Sapoapa are a 15 minute walk away from the Plaza. Or, you can be just like me and just nap the afternoon away, ready for a night of bar-crawling around El Salvador’s second city. You deserve it!
