El Salvador is on many lists one of the most dangerous countries. Some sources even said back then, that it is the most dangerous. How dangerous was it really and how was the hike?
When searching Santa Ana in El Salvador, you will come across the volcano. The volcano is 40 km away from the city. It is an active volcano, which is located in the national park Cerro Verde.
What do I need to know before hiking the Volcano?
Every day, you need to be at the entrance of the park at least 11 in the morning. Everyone who is showing up, will go together with an armed police officer up the mountain.
We drove there from the hostel in a car, with two other German travelers. Also possible would be coming by bus from Santa Ana, for not much.
The price was not much, less than $5 for tourists. For people, who looked like locals, they didn’t need to pay as much.
Important to know, the volcano is active, but that doesn’t mean that it is dangerous. The hike was around two hours for going up and the same for going down.
Flying a drone up there is not a problem, I had mine with me. When you are hungry or thirsty, take it with you, because along the way you will not be able to get anything.
The hike is a little bit exhausting, so when you have never done a hike and are not fit at all, just think twice before doing it. They don’t want to leave anyone behind, I don’t even know what would happen, if someone couldn’t finish it.
How is the hike?
A police officer is in their opinion needed, because of the safety issue, which was possible there. The hike went through a jungle looking area at the beginning. It felt like being on a real adventure.
It was pure nature, with a feeling of no ending in sight. It was no problem, because it was beautiful. The temperature was quite warm and humid, like it is all year. While visiting at the end of September, during the rainy season, it was probably a bit more humid, then otherwise.
The further we went up, the better the view got. Also slowly getting the smell of sulfur in the nose. Sulfur smells like old eggs, not the best smell. While getting higher, the clouds were at our altitude, as you can see on this picture.
It was not the easiest hike, which I have done, but from the beauty of the place, it was great.
Also the police officer was a fun person to have around, he even was okay with taking pictures together, he did that with many.
How is it on top of the volcano?
The volcano with its green color and a bit of smoke coming out of the crater, just nice to see. When looking closer, you can see the yellow parts, so the sulfur. It is on the edges of the liquid and on the lower parts of the rock as well.
Obviously you can smell the volcano a lot, but that didn’t matter that much. When looking to the other side, you are having a great view over the national park.
The views are great and doing it with great people, even better. We stayed a little while up there, until everyone took their pictures, I even flew with the drone.
Is it worth doing the hike?
It was maybe not the easiest thing ever, but when standing on top of that volcano, looking in it and also around you. You feel like, yes that was worth it! For the little amount of money, you get around four hours of exploring and seeing places, which many will never see, because of not going to El Salvador.
Being in nature is also generally good for you and doing a hike as well. For me as a person from North Germany, mountains are something special, and volcanos even more, because we just don’t have that.
Summary
When you are in this region of Santa Ana, you should do the hike on the volcano. It will be a great experience. It is not only about the volcano, the whole region with its nature is great to see.
The price is fair for entering, even though I personally find the concept that every tourist needs to pay double, a bit unfair, but that is my personal opinion. Still even with that, the price is not high. Also for the locals, the price is decent, when thinking about having a guide with you as well. The people were really friendly when we visited.
In general not only the hike should be a thing to consider doing, also visiting the country of El Salvador should be. It has much to offer and is not everywhere dangerous.
I would love to hear your experiences about this place, or questions. Share it with me in the comments.
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