Ilamatepc volcano

Introduction:
Do you know the Ilamatepec volcano?
In case you don't know it, here are some facts you should know for your
next vacations:
The Ilamatepec volcano is the largest volcano in El Salvador, it has
2,381 meter above sea level, and it is located in Santa Ana. Many
tourists dare to walk 12 kilometers round trip to see the beautiful
turquoise lagoon located in the crater, when you manage to climb you
can
enjoy the view towards the Coatepeque lake and part of the west, also,
did you know that 95% of the visitors are foreigners and the other 5%
are Salvadorians?
On the other hand, you need a tourist guide to make the tour so you can
have a better experience, you could learn about the place, you comply
with the established measures and don´t contaminate the environment or
damage the flora of this.
El Ilamatepec, el volcán más grande del país que adorna los paisajes de
Santa Ana | Noticias de El Salvador - elsalvador.com

Historical and cultural significance:

Talking of a bit of history the volcano has geological history of about 2
million years ago during those years, there have been small eruption but
the most tragic was 18 years ago being a great misfortune for the
Salvadorians who inhabited the area.
They describe the place before the rash like a wonderful place to live,
some houses were made of wood and plastic but were spacious and had
everything to feed themselves, until the inhabitants began to feel the
smell of sulfur on October 1, 2005, where the sky began to darken by the
ashes, they heard loud sound of the explosion that moments later fell a
shower of stones that destroyed all the vegetation and crops of the place,
also left many Salvadorians who lived nearly homeless, the clouds of
ashes where carried by the wind to the south. After the tragedy, the
authorities prohibited tourist visits for more than a year,
repo.fundasal.org.sv/223/1/a 10 años_Ilamatepec.pdf
Leaving aside this terrible event, I will tell you about the importance of
this volcano for El Salvador. The Santa Ana volcano was formely
known by the name of Izalco until the end of the 18 th century when the
real Izalco volcano emerged and now, we know the Santa Ana volcano
as Ilamatepec which means father hill or major hill which is located in
the Apaneca-Lamatepec mountain range played an important role for the
economy of El Salvador in 60s and 70s which was called the golgen age
with is large extensions of coffee crops mostly, his was thanks to the
diversity of the area that has an excellent climate.
El volcan de Santa Ana y la fuerza de la costumbre.pdf (ues.edu.sv)

Natural attractions/ activities and entertainment: One natural

attraction here is El Cerro Verde and close the Ilamatepec Volcano are
the Coatepeque Lake and Casa de Cristal.
El Cerro Verde is an extint volcano with a height of 2030 meters, it is
estimated that the last eruption was 25 years ago, now the crater is
erosioned and covered by a misty forest. It is a really beautiful park with
a nice temperature, it has shaded trails with different plant and tree
species. This place has spectacular lookouts in which you can admire the
majestic of volcanos Ilamatepec and Izalco, and also has beautiful
orchids. The flora of the area is identified as mallow forest or cold zone
vegetation, you will always see a lot of flora due the soil muisture, this is
due to the frequent fog and rain.
Many animals find refuge on this reserve, about 127 bird species, one of
them is considered one of the best singing birds, this is the
Guardabarrancos. And you can see amphibians, reptiles and a variety of
insects too. One we can observe the most is a giant butterfly of a rare
species.
Here the principal atraction is the hiking and the three volcanoes Izalco,
Ilamatepec and Cerro Verde are easily accessible. The place has 1532
bleachers so you can walk on a natural passage for a while. Is also an
excellent place for a picnic or just sleep on a hammock.
Then we have the Coatepeque Lake, in this place we can fish, dive and
explore the area by boat. There are lookouts where you can admire the
lake in a very nice view, the lake has the conditions to practice
ecotourism and observation of migratory and resident birds.
You can walk around the lake, it is one of the favorite destinations for
tourists from different countries and not to be missed because of its
bautiful view. The entrance is free and you can observe a change of
color in the water at a certain time of the year and this occurs between
June and August.
It is a phenomenom caused by the material input of the volcano and
natural causes, which is the incorporation of minerals from the magmatic
calderas near the Coatepeque caldera. The merchants assure the increase
of tourists on this time of the year since they come to see the
phenomenom.
And finally we have Casa de Cristal which is a natural park with a very
pleasant climate at all times of the year, here you can go camping or
hiking to the volcano of Santa Ana. The place has lookouts that let you
contemplate both volcanoes. The glass house was built decades ago and
currently has the capacity to accommodate 30 people, with several
rooms and bathrooms. However, tourists prefer to camp in the
surrounding area to live an outdoor experience, the place has cabins and
tents for rent, and you can walk around the park and live a misty
experience.
https://americaenlinea.com/

Cuisine and dinning: Now I will tell you about a place that is very
accessible and with delicious coffee.
Bistro café los volcanes: A restaurant that opened its doors in 2019,
offering a wide variety of coffees and desserts, in a small place at 2,030
meters above sea level, it also has nice views towards the 3 volcanoes
(ilamatepec, cerro verde and Izalco). It is an option to enjoy one of its
specialties, which is coffee. But they also offer other food types such as:
Chai tea, beef and chicken dishes. Food prices are around 10 dollar per
meal.
https://losvolcanesbistrocafe.com.sv/
Tipicos Galef: It is a small restaurant that offers, typical food, pupusas
from 11 am in advance, lunches: Roast Meat, chicken soup and roast
chicken and many more foods.

Their prices are 5 dollars a plate of food and Pupusas 60 cents each.

Accommodations options:
Jardin de los volcanes: It is a ranch that you can rent with your family or
friends, it has 1.5 blocks of land, you can reserve your stay for 12 or 24
hours, they have 3 cabins for 4 people each, camping area, mini football
field, campfire area and view towards ilamatepec volcano, izalco and
cerro verde
Prices can vary based on the total of people a as guess and hours you
stay
It is suggested to bring camping tent and warm clothes due to cold
weather
https://eljardindelosvolcanes.com/

Bosque del Tibet: It is located at Ilamatepec volcano slopes, it is a

natural reserve where you can reserve cabins for 2 people or more, its
rooms are spacious, have their own bathroom, TV, and own beds, their
prices are around 45 Dollars or more based on the type of cabin you
book. They offer multiple restaurant service options for each meal. You
can find more information on the web site and complete your online
booking as well.
https://www.booking.com/hotel/sv/bosques-del-tibet.es.html

Your budget to have a good experience with your stay and your
mealtimes is:

$30 dollars of food per person, per day.

And $50 dollars per night for loadging reservations.
Making a total of $80 dollars per person per night.

Transportation and accessibility:

Santa Ana Volcano is located in the national park “Cerro Verde” for that
reason is very easy to reach from Santa Ana and San Salvador. You can
go by car or by bus.
If you are in Santa Ana and you want to go by bus, you may take the bus
248 from La Vencedora Bus Station. It costs $1.
And if you want to go by car, you may use google maps or Waze. Try to
arrive before 10:30AM to enjoy the hike in the best way.

https://everythingelsalvador.com/hiking-santa-ana-volcano-el-salvador/

Conclusion:
Ilamatepec volcano is a very beautiful place to go, Is the highest volcano
in El Salvador and it has a very large history to learn, if you want to
have a really good time, do exercise and relax. Ilamatepec volcano is the
place that you need to know.
You don’t need to be a hiker to go, is a very easy hike and in the way
you will enjoy of the flora and fauna of the place, in the top of the
volcano you will find a stunning view and a blue crater lake, is one of
the most incredible places of the country. For those reasons in you next
vacations you must go to Ilamatepec volcano.
That’s all.