Set in the coffee-rich lands, between San Salvador and Guatemala, Santa Ana is a popular destination for travellers. From hiking to the top of Santa Ana, an active volcano, to exploring historic Mayan ruins, there are a few great spots to visit on a day trip from Santa Ana, El Salvador.
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Santa Ana Volcano Hike
Since we were travelling in a country crammed full of volcanoes, we knew climbing to the top of one was inevitable. Hiking to the crater on top of Santa Ana Volcano is one of the most popular hikes in the country, so we decided that this would be the one. Its indigenous name is Ilamatepec. In English it means ‘Hill of the Old Woman’.
The hike begins at 1,900 m (6,200 ft) of elevation where the volcano is still covered in a dense jungle. That elevation meant the temperatures were comfortable as we began our ascent up the slope. It is required to hire a guide for the hike. The reason, we were told, is that the guide must keep a look out for one of the three types of venomous snakes that live in the jungle. Hearing this, I was more than happy to hide myself in the middle of the pack, safely away from any sightings.
Once we climbed higher, the trees gave way to forest of agave and low shrubs. The tall flowering stalks that grow from the centre of agave plants made us think we’d hiked onto another planet.
After being mesmerized by the agave flowers, we were further struck by their contrast against the barren land that dominated the slopes a little higher.
On the way up we had a glimpse of Izalco Volcano. It’s often referred to as ‘Lighthouse of the Pacific’ because of its almost continuous eruptions between 1770 and 1958. We could barely see the volcano through the thick clouds. It along with Santa Ana and Cerro Verde are said to be the inspiration for the volcanoes in The Little Prince.
The clouds that had been low on the mountains all morning hadn’t lifted much as we neared the top. Instead of nice views of the surrounding green landscape, all we saw was the inside of a cloud. We were starting to worry that we would have climbed all this way and not see the picturesque crater lake at all.
Once we smelled the sulfur, we knew we must be getting close. After a few more steps, we reached the crater rim (2,381 m/7,812 ft). The clouds were thick so we could barely even see the outline of the colourful lake. We stood there in expectation as the clouds came and went, exposing the acidic lake little by little. And finally, just before we were supposed to descend, the clouds rose and uncovered the pretty blue-green crater lake far below.
The colour of the lake can range from yellow-green to emerald green to turquoise due to levels of chloride-sulfate and in the water and weather.
The edge of the crater is very steep. Ropes prevent anyone from getting too close. Not only is it steep, the crater wall looks to be very unstable, composed of crumbling rock and debris. If you fell over the edge, the rock is so loose, it would be almost impossible to get back up to the rim.
There are almost 200 volcanoes in El Salvador, 20 of which are considered active. Santa Ana is an active volcano, having last erupted in 2005, which seemed a little too recent for how close we were allowed to get to it.
Here’s an 11 second pan of Santa Ana Volcano’s crater from rim to rim.
From the summit you also have views of Coatepeque Lake. This large, crater lake is very popular with El Salvador’s wealthy families whose luxury vacation homes take over most of the lakeshore. Some people stopped to visit the lake on our way back to Santa Ana. The only way to access the lake though is by having lunch or a drink on one of the few restaurants on its edge.
After 30 min at the top it was time for a quick descent down in time to catch the bus back to Santa Ana.
The hike to Santa Ana’s summit made us excited to hike to one in Guatemala. You can read about our adventure in our post Acatenango and Fuego Volcanoes Hike.
Hike details
Elevation gain – 450m; Distance – 3 km (one way)
Hiking time – 1 hour 20 minutes up, 1 hour down. Plus 30 minutes at the top.
Fees – For the group hike, the guides charge $3 USD each. In addition to the guide, the park fees are $3 USD each. Armed police escort the first group up and last group down. You may also see some partway up the hike as they patrol the trail. There may be free tours that leave hourly from the park entrance, but we haven’t had that confirmed. This was not an option in the spring of 2024.
Best time to hike Santa Ana Volcano – The best hiking weather is in dry season between December to April. Rainy season runs from May to November and would not be ideal to hike. We did the hike in April and it was already very cloudy.
Park rules – Even though it’s a small three-hour hike, there are several park rules that are strictly enforced. We didn’t see any wildlife, but apparently there are foxes, tigrillo (wild cat), coyotes, numerous birds. The rules are to protect these animals. Park officials check your bags to make sure you adhere to the rules:
- No alcohol
- No smoking
- No weapons
- No pets
- No loud music such as horns or even shouting
- You must have a registered guide
- You must carry all garbage out
How to get to Santa Ana Volcano
If you have a car you can easily drive yourself to Cerro Verde National Park. Once there you can hire a private guide. Without a car, it is very easy to reach by public transportation. A bus leaves from the station ‘Sala de Espera y Abordaje’ on 11 Valle Sud at 7:30 am. It is scheduled for 7:30 but, seems to leave at 7:40. (70¢ USD). This is the common transportation by most of the backpackers in the city so it may fill up quickly.
The bus drops you off on the highway beside Cerro Verde National Park. A hiking guide for the group hike will usually meet the bus. Some on-line posts give a specific time that this group hike begins but, when we were there the hike started as soon as we got off the bus.
To return to Santa Ana, the bus will arrive at the same place on the highway around 1:00pm (ours arrived at 1:30) and 4pm. It is very easy to do the hike and still catch the 1:00 bus.
El Tazumal Archeological Site
Only 18 km from Santa Ana, in the small town of Chalchuapa, is the archeological site of El Tazumal. Visiting this Mayan site can easily be done on a day trip from the city.
This region was likely originally inhabited by the Olmecs around 900 BCE, but only a few artefacts have been found from this time. The Mayans moved in centuries later, but had only been living in El Tazumal for less than a hundred years when Ilopango Volcano erupted. The 5th century eruption covered the area in volcanic ash and the Mayans were forced to flee. This resulted in a gap of a couple hundred years when no one lived in El Tazumal. It was difficult to pin down exact dates for these early years because until recently, it was believed that Ilopango Volcano erupted more than 200 years earlier than what today’s research shows.
Eventually the Mayans returned to El Tazumal and established what was to be a very important town. Most of the buildings we see today are from when it was at its largest, between 600 and 900 AD. It is believed that they shared parts of the city with Pipils who migrated to the area from Mexico in the 8th century. By the 1200s, the city was abandoned by everyone.
At the centre of the site is the large temple known as Great Pyriamid. Like many archeological sites, the buildings in El Tazumal were modified many times over the hundreds of years they were in use. The Great Pyriamid grew in both width and height as each new layer was added. No less than seven modifications were made to reach the final structure we see today.
In a tomb beneath the stairs they found pottery from as far away as Teotihuacan, near present day Mexico City. They also found skeletons of an adult and of a dog. On the top of the large temple is a stone oratory where ceremonial rituals would have taken place.
Beside the large pyramid is the oldest structure at the site. A tomb was also found in Small Temple. It was filled with jewelry, ceramics and jade as well as a skeleton with a flattened forehead. This person was likely a priest, or important leader as cranial deformation was a sign of social distinction to the Mayans.
El Tazumal isn’t a large site, but is a nice day trip if you’re in Sana Ana.
There are a few other things to do in Chalchuapa. We stopped by Laguna Cuzcachap, but found it was more of a slew than we had expected. There is also another Mayan archeological called Casa Blanca. Reports we read and heard was that there is not much to see at the site, so we didn’t visit it.
Entrance Fee – $5 USD; Opening Hours – Tuesdays to Sundays, 9 am to 4 pm
Getting to El Tazumal
Although it is possible to visit El Tazumal from San Salvador, it is much easier from Santa Ana. Bus 202 or 218 travel to Chalchuapa where there is a bus stop is across from the archeological site. Uber from Santa Ana will cost around $6.50 USD each way.
Santa Ana
The city of Santa Ana is still a little rough around the edges. It receives a lot of backpackers, but has not really established itself as a tourist town yet. We used it as a jumping off point to visit Santa Ana Volcano and El Tazumal and in between were able to explore a few sites that the city has to offer.
Set in the city’s centre, Parque Libertad seemed to be the busiest spot in town, both day and night. It’s a lovely treed park with several benches under shade trees to relax. Food stalls are set up around the edges of the park offering pupusas, corn and other favourite snacks. We weren’t sure though, if the sign indicating guns are prohibited should make us feel more or less safe.
This park is also home to the most beautiful buildings in the city. On one side of the park is Santa Ana Cathedral. Its tall, white ornamented spires seem a bit out of place in this modest city. In the late 1800s the original Spanish colonial church was badly damaged by a lightning strike. The façade we see today was rebuilt between 1906 and 1959. Architects purposely used a neo-Gothic design that did not look anything like a typical colonial church.
From the side you can see the original brick church. Inside, it has three long naves with vaulted barrel ceilings and tall pillars, but is much less glamourous than its exterior.
Located at 665 metres of elevation and surrounded by lush volcanic slopes Santa Ana, is in the perfect position for coffee plantations. As a result, the city was once the home to several wealthy coffee barons. The elegant Santa Ana National Theatre was opened in 1912, to cater to these nouveau riche residents. The building takes up one full side of the park’s border.
Today the historic theatre is still being used by residents of Santa Ana. We intended to tour the theatre, but instead ended up buying tickets for a matinee production. Even though it was in Spanish, we found it quite interesting. The play was called ‘Migrantes’ and theatre seats were filled with high school students. Its message to the youth of El Salvador was to not attempt to migrate to the United States, but instead stay and help re-build El Salvador. Since the news today is filled with stories of the US’ southern border crisis, we were glad to see they are trying to get the message out that migration is not the solution.
Filling in the sides of the square are the pretty yellow Palacio Municipal (City Hall) and Cultural Centre.
Elsewhere in the city, there is a mixture of colourful homes with clean streets and run down buildings with a lot of litter.
How to get to Santa Ana
If you’re already in El Salvador, Santa Ana can be reached by chicken bus from many cities. There are two bus stations in the city: Terminal de buses Franciso Lara Pineda and Empresa de Buses Vencedora. Most buses for tourist destinations leave from Francisco Lara Pineda, but you should always check. This website is a great resource
There are also tourists shuttles travelling from Antigua, Guatemala to Santa Ana. Some tour offices in Antigua sell tickets.
Where to stay and eat in Santa Ana
Try to stay within a short walk of Parque Libertad. There are a few restaurants and coffee shops within a couple of blocks of the square. We enjoyed coffee and breakfast at VKoffee.
Safety in Santa Ana
The streets around Parque Libertad seem to be quite safe during the day. We didn’t feel unsafe at all, even walking to the bus station from downtown. In fact, recent changes in government crackdowns on gang violence has made the entire country a lot safer. Even with this decrease in crime, always use safe practices such as not carrying a lot of cash or expensive jewelry or walking alone at night when travelling in El Salvador.
To read more of our adventures in El Salvador, click here.
Coming Next – A Visit to Flores, Guatemala
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