Santa Ana Volcano is a hike not to be missed. It provides a decent workout in a beautiful and diverse setting. Most people with average physical ability will complete this hike to the rim and enjoy a spectacular visual treat of the fluorescent green crater lake. There is something otherworldly when hearing the thermal vents way down below along the shore of the lake.

On a Friday, we arrived in time for the group hike from the Santa Ana Trailhead that starts at 9:30. Our guide told us we did not need to pay because of our age. We later learned that only nationals who are seniors should get in for free. You should expect as a foreigner to pay six dollars entrance fee. Everyone must pay three dollars for the guides. No one charged us a fee to park in the shaded lot at the Santa Ana trailhead.

The guides provided a detailed orientation in Spanish, and then walked us up to the gate entrance from the parking lot. At the entrance, there are clean bathrooms, and a kiosk where you can purchase drinks and snacks. If you are lucky, you might find a walkingstick waiting for you to use. Some hikers will find a stick helpful when navigating up and down the steeper portions of the trail.

Because this was a guided hike with a large group, we experienced a very happy social walk up the hill. If you prefer more serenity and privacy, arrange for a private guide to take you up to the rim (advertised cost was $25).

All the guides were friendly and outgoing, much like almost all El Salvadorians we have met. It was a novel experience for us to be way up a volcano and consuming a frozen chocolate covered banana! Only two dollars for a banana on a stick—refreshing and delicious. I look forward to my next trek up Santa Ana.

Perhaps, like me, you will be enticed to also hike Vulcan Izalco, which leads from a different trailhead atop Cerro Verde.

The articles that say nothing starts until 11 am and you have a police escort is NOT TRUE. We arrived around 9 am. - the first actually. We waited a few minutes and another ‘family’ arrived. We each paid $US16 to the guide to get going right away.
It’s approximately 9 kms from the first parking lot and 500 meter elevation gain.
Our guide spoke only Spanish and was pretty useless TBH but mandatory. There are lots of ridiculously sized steps on the route and the last few kms are very rocky and somewhat steep. The views from the top and en route are beautiful. I was very slow having had a knee replacement 7 months earlier but we did the round trip with stopping at the top in 4 hours. If you’re over 60 you don’t need to pay the park fee but you need to show proof!

My wife and I did the hike on the 29/09/2022 from Santa Ana.

We found all kinds of information, or should I say misinformation, online and in our guide book (lonely planet) about this hike so I thought I would clarify a few things.

In terms of getting there there are three options.
(1) You can get a public bus from Santa Ana to Cerro Verde (Park Entrance of Parque National Los Volcanes). This costs 70c USD x 2. You get bus 248 from the La Vencedora Terminal in Santa Ana. It leaves at 0730am but takes 2 hours to get you to the park entrance so you will get there at 0930. Be aware that La Vencedora Terminal is located adjacent to the parque colon and 11 Calle Pte. The three blocks of 11 Calle Pte that surround Parque Colon is actually the red light district of Santa Ana and is a bit dodgy so perhaps try to go around this particular street when walking there.
(2) You can drive - there is a parking lot available for a minimal fee
(3) Arrange private transportation - we used Go Travel El Salvador at a cost of 21USD per person. The cost may be different depending on group size but included a stop at Lago De Coatepeque on the way back, as well as various stops at the miradors on the way up so this was essentially a full day tour.

To do the hike you are told you need to have a local guide to take you up. Problem is there is only a few of them and they will only complete the hike if it’s worth their while. The cost of a local guide is 3 USD pp when shared within a group but I think they will only go up if they can get a group of 10 or so people together. So if you cannot get a adequate sized group together they either wont go up or you could potentially offer them more money to take a smaller group (I note the tripadvisor review that said a private tour is 35USD). In contrast to previous reviews and online information, multiple groups can go up in a day but it depends on the guides. I think most people arrive at the park at 0900 so if you arrive after this there is a chance there wont be a guide available or there wont be enough people to take you up. The days of a single 11am hike are historical. Another piece of misinformation online was that there is a police escort up the mountain. This is not correct. There was 2 police officers at the summit however, one armed with a M4 and another with a side arm for security. The guides seem to communicate using hand held radios. I wasn’t concerned about security going up the mountain, particularly once we became entangled with a group of around 100 schoolchildren also completing the hike.

You are charged 3USD for local guide and 6USD at a ticket booth about 20 minutes walk up from the cerro verde. I note a park entry of 3USD is also written in the literature as a ‘park fee’ for parque nacional los volcanes. I didnt pay this, but it may have been included in the tour.

We started the hike at 0930 and finished at 1300 so a duration of 3.5 hours. We spent about half an hour at the top.

The hike was challenging in parts but very doable for a person of average fitness. It’s 6.9km with a elevation gain of 467m (Altitude 1823m to 2276m).

It was quite cold and windy at the summit so would be a good idea to bring a wind jacket or another layer of clothing that you can take off.

It was also quite exposed at the summit so sunscreen and water would be sensible.

Overall we had a really enjoyable hike. We stopped at Lago De Coatepeque on the way back and given its off the same road you travel to get to here from Santa Ana makes a sensible stop for lunch and a swim post hike.