Hiking Active Volcano for $7.4 | 🇸🇻 Santa Ana 🌋
El Salvador's friendly volcano hiking route: Volcán de Santa Ana & Izalco. Climb the 2300-meter Santa Ana volcano and enjoy views of the Izalco volcano (Figure 2) and Lake Coatepeque (Figure 6 top). From the town of Santa Ana, take a $0.7 bus for 2 hours to the foot of the mountain, then join a group for $3, plus an entrance fee of $3. It takes 1.5 hours to hike up and 1 hour to hike down. The return bus has 1 pm and 4 pm routes, 248. Tips: ❶ Most tourists will go to Sala de Espera y Abordaje "LA VENCEDORA" (search on Google Maps) to catch the 7:45 am bus (Figure 12 is the bus). But you can also choose your boarding station based on where you stay in Santa Ana (ask local residents; I got on the bus around 8:00 am at the next stop). The mountain road is bumpy, so be prepared. ❷ At (Figure 13 & 14), gather and a guide will lead a group up together for a fee of $3. According to park regulations, you must be guided, and they repeatedly remind not to deviate from the route and team. So it's best not to hike alone, even though the route is fixed. ❸ The entrance fee was previously $6, now reduced to $3 (Figure 15 & 16). The guard at the entrance will tear the ticket when checking, but you can ask in advance to keep it, and he will only make a small tear. ❹ At the summit, the guide leaves 30 minutes for everyone to visit and take photos. I mentioned I wanted to fly a drone, which would take a bit more time, and the guide kindly let me join another group to go down (so the stay time on the mountain is negotiable). Drones are allowed; there are patrol officers at the summit who won't check, but be mindful of flight altitude, strong winds, and fog warnings, and be cautious. ❺ Pay special attention to the return bus, only at 1 pm and 4 pm. I was late coming down and missed the 1 pm bus, but I found a rideshare on the road (lucky), and the driver took me to the 209 bus stop, from where I could take the bus back to Santa Ana for $0.7. But don't be later than 4 pm; there might be no return bus. (A taxi ride would cost around $30; you can ask the restaurant at the starting point to call a car for you.) #HikingRouteRecommendation #HikeMeasuringTheWorld #ElSalvador #SantaAnaVolcano #CentralAmericaTravel #GlobalTraveler #Photography #Volcano #OffTheBeatenPathTravel #LakeCoatepeque
