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 hike up Santa Ana is really worth your time, and probably our favorite thing we did in our 4 days in El Salvador. It's a good hike that take s a bit of stamina, but nothing outrageous. Your strenuous hike is rewarded with a spectacular view of the green caldera lake, complete with sound effects of steam. hissing from vents around it. There are options in between taking the very cheap, but very slow and early local bus and paying $80 pp for a standard group tour. Uber was available from Santa Ana, and it showed about $20 one-way. We opted for a driver arranged through our hostel, which was $20 pp. He got us there in less than half the time of the bus, and then stopped at a spot on Lake Coatepeque for lunch. Having a driver was nice in that we didn't have to worry so much about getting back for the 1:00 bus. It isn't a big deal, really, but we were a little more comfortable lingering at the summit longer since we didn't have to worry about the deadline.

We arrived at 11am and were turned away. We had a group of 8 people and they said that we couldn’t go. They also said that their website is not up to date and can’t notify people of the schedule and rate increase. So go early and have a bit of Spanish under your belt to help discuss any hiking concerns.