Casa de Cristal | Established Campground

El Salvador

Details

Verified:
about 2 months ago
Altitude:
1838.6 masl
Website:
None
Phone:
None
Contributor:
simon.benjamin

Amenities

Electricity:
No
Wifi:
No
Kitchen:
No
Restaurant:
Yes
Showers:
Cold
Water:
Non-Potable
Toilets:
Running Water
Big Rig Friendly:
Yes
Tent Friendly:
Yes
Pet Friendly:
Yes
Sanitation Dump Station:
No

Something not right?

Description

update: on weekends and holidays, overcrowded! Every family plays their own music out of big speakers.

Nice, quiet camping in grassy field with views of volcanoes and covered areas for cooking in case of bad weather. Picnic tables and fire pits. Can be windy. 2.50$ per person plus 2.50$ for the vehicle. Tigo service works here.

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This is our second stay at this camp ground. The amenities are rustic but the nature, the peace and quite and the views are spectacular. The weather is perfect here, warm days and cool evenings, great for campfires. This is a perfect place to stay if you plan to do the Santa Ana Volcano hike, guided groups leave from the main entrance. The hike is not easy, but we'll worth it. Our suggestion is leave between 7-8 am, you will miss all the crowds at the top that will be arriving on bus tours later in the morning. YouTube Chris and Tovah's Amazing Adventures https://youtube.com/@ChrisTovahsAmazingAdventures?si=RPavzqZsW6dYRFiP

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the owner told us in his very direct way that it's now 5$ for our small van (still 2.50$ pp). At least we got 8 tickets🤣
next night we went to "trail head" spot and payed 3$ for an equally nice spot

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Don’t hesitate to stay here. The bathroom isn’t great (only the men’s was unlocked) but it does exist! There is also a fairly expensive cafe/restaurant that’s surprisingly nice. The environment is just so lovely. We asked the man running the site for firewood, which he had delivered to our van a few hours later for $5.

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Huge facility with plenty of space for any size vehicle! Crowded with local camping guests on the weekend, but quiet during the week. There is a cafe, toilet and showers, although when we visited there was no water for the showers (they told us a water tanker would come the next day). Ideal starting point for the Santa Ana Volcano Hike. We paid $2.5 per person and per vehicle for 24 hours.

IG: compasschronicle

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We enjoyed a couple of relaxed and quiet days here. Great spot to wind down a bit and for taking a short break from travelling. Guides to hike the volcano can be found at the entrance, or just keep an eye out for groups leaving in the morning and join them. Most of the days it has been pretty windy. Luckily the morning we did the hike it was not as windy - if you have time it's worth keeping that in mind when picking your day for the hike.

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Nice spot, shaded by big trees, leveled spots. Toilets and showers quite far away from camping place. You have to pay extra 0,25c/toilet,1$/shower. There is a lady who gives you a tp. I think it is closed during the night. It's doable but nothing fancy for extra cost. Cost of camping is 2,5$/1ppn and 2,5$ per car. No WiFi, no electricity. Seems to me too expensive for what you get. But there is no other choice and the location is perfect.

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The last kilometer here is bumpy. The meadow at Casa Cristal is large, uneven and it is usually windy. There is a toilet, a few picnic tables and shade trees. The facility is pretty, well maintained and has great density. The Santa Ana Volcano hiking trail is about 5 minutes away. The owner is not interested in you and is not particularly friendly when it comes to paying. US$2.50 pp and US$2.50 per car.

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very good Claro reception, otherwise quite cold welcome, lots of people at the weekend and music and songs from young alcoholics at night from Saturday to Sunday 🤪

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Large open field with some benches and trees and flat spots. Busy on a Saturday night, but not noisy. People come to camp and enjoy nature. There is a very nice restaurant on site 7am to 7pm with excellent food and service; recommended . Trash cans and reportedly flush toilet and cold shower for payment though we didn’t check. A very relaxing location with pleasant temperatures and no mosquitoes!

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Nos pareció caro por solo estacionar 2,50 usd por persona y 2,50 por vehiculo por día. y no te dan ningun servicio los.baños y demas se cobran aparte y la gente fue muy mala mal educada al momento de hablarnos.

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We slept here the night before climbing the Volcano. It’s a peaceful place. The only bad thing (if you need work online like us), is that there is no Wi-Fi and no signal phone with Claro.
We paid 7,5 USD to stay (2,5 p/p + 2,5 for the motorhome).
In this place starts the trekking to the Volcano, so if you don’t park here, you have to pay 1,25 USD p/p for walking a short part in this property.
So, we recommend park here if you’re gonna climb.

Dormimos una noche acá, antes de subir al volcán. Es súper fresco y se siente mucha paz. Pagamos 7.5 USD en total (2,5USD p/p + 2,5USD para el motorhome).
Lo único malo, si trabajas con internet como nosotros, es que no hay Wifi y no hay señal de Claro.
Desde acá inicia la subida, y si no paras acá, tenes q pagar 1,25USD por atravesar una parte de esta propiedad. Así que nuestra recomendación es que duermas acá si es que vas a subir a la montaña.

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price was the same $2.50/person and $2.5/car. During the weekday 4 bus load of kids came to enjoy the park. The park is big enough that their presence did not disturb our privacy.
The views were obstructed by cloud cover during most of our stay.

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Absolutely stunning campground! We stayed here for 4 days and loved every minute of it. We came in on a Sunday afternoon and the park was filled with people and at first we were not sure where to stay but around 5 everyone left the park and we were the only ones actually camping which ended up being awesome! We found a great leveled spot in the back on a very large grass field under a nice tree with a bench. After everyone left after the weekend we were pretty much the only ones there the whole week during the weekdays but the weekends are pretty busy. The campground itself was very nice with cabins and cabanas for rent. The grounds had a nice little bistro and plenty of picnic tables and a couple of trails. Our dog absolutely loved all the trails and huge fields to run around in. They also have a couple of lookouts with awesome views of the nearby volcanos! The bathrooms were okay and they did charge 25 cents for the bathrooms and $1 for a cold shower. You can also hike to Santa Ana volcano right from this campground which was great. We had a lot of fun and we would definitely recommend!

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7.50 for two people and a van. Big open field to park on, some decently level spots scattered around on the hill. Our dog loved how much space he had to run around and go crazy.

$1 cold shower with lots of pressure.

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As others noted, a great spot to start the hike up the volcano. It’s a huge property and could get crowded over the weekends, which was the case when we were there. But, no issues at all because of the size of the property. We had a great time with even greater views.

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Convenient location near the hike. plus its cooler than the coast.
Cold shower is $1 but you need to ask as the door is locked.

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Prices:
$ 2,50 PP
$ 2,50 car
$ 1 cold shower

Nice place, big area.
Close to Volcán Santa Ana Trekking

* Pudimos vender artesanías

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7.50$ for two adults and a van (2.50 each)

huge grassy area, toilets are super basic and only male toilet was open

you can hike the volcano from here, but you need a guide.

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Very big open field with cabines scattered around, café restaurant on site, toilets could be cleaner, did not test the shower. No Claro signal, no Wifi even at café.

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Price is still $2.50 per person plus per vehicle. Large meadow with plenty of space for all vehicles. Santa Ana is easy to reach from here, but the police patrol up there. The hike is not permitted without a guide.

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The entire square / park is really nice. We stood here for 2 days for the Vulcan climb. Price is $7.5 per car + 2 people. Shower is probably possible for $1 and toilet for $0.25. We didn't use anything.

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Very nice and quiet place even on saturday.
Fresh in the night so it was quiet nice.
You don't need guide. Trail is easy to follow.
And the best is to begin at 7:30 (Time when trail opens without guide). You'll be alone at the summit.
2.5$/person and 2,5$/vehicle. half Price for kids

IG&YT: prenezlapause

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very good and nice place to spend some days. at the weekend can be a bit more crowding, but nothing to worry about.
enough place for any kind of vehicles.

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Nice camp ground, 7.5usd for 2 w/ a car per night. Probably crowded and noisy during the weekend with local tourism.
At the park entry we paid 6usd pp, were not asked to take a guide, we did the hike alone.

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Parked here for the volcano, 5$ for 2 to stay for the day.
You can go to the Santa Anna volcano from here
He asked if we needed a guide we said no if it’s allowed and said no problem

Bob en cavale IG & YT

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A very nice big place with a view of the volcano. From here you can go directly on the hike to the volcano. We had a super guide, she explained a lot to us. The guide costs $35 and is shared by the group. It was very quiet and clean. We arrived in the afternoon, half a day costs $7.50 per night and a full day costs $10.50 per night.

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Great campground, amazing views and sunset.
Few others showed up later and all was good, many locals showed up at sunset for tenting or cabins. Lots of space.
Hiked volcano in morning but no dogs allowed up there and DO NOT DO THE RIM TRAIL, got a talking to from police.
It’s on Alltrails, updating that today

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super nice campground direct in front of the santa ana volcano. big level and green spot. trees for shade. toilets and showers available for 25cents/1dollar. you can start hike right from the campground. 7,50$ for the night.

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Perfect site to hike on the volcano Saint Ana, close to the trailhead. Very wide grassy field with space for lots of campers. Toilets and restaurant on site, however we did not try.
We were the only guests, but on weekends it is supposed to be very crowded. Very quiet at night. Price is $ 7,50 for two persons + campervan.

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Still 7.50 .. From here you can go on the vulcano without the guide

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Nice place to sleep before hiking to the volcano. Lots of space to park. Toilet (not very nice..) and shower but it was locked when we were there.
10usd a night
6usd park entrance fees to go to the volcano
25-35usd for a private guide or 6usd per person for a group of 20 people with a guide (mandatory to have a guide)
No phone cell with Claro but with Tigo there is.
IG: on.vagabonde

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Didn’t sleep here, just parked to hike to Santa Ana. But I think it is the best place to sleep near the hike.

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Great views! This camp ground has room for tenters, RVs, vans, roof top tents and also has several cabins for rent. We paid $7.50usd for 2 people to camp with our roof top tent. We loved that there is tones of space, so even if it was more busy you can really spread out. The weather is warm during the day but cools off nicely in the evening, bring a jacket and a warmer blanket. We had a nice camp fire in the evening. It was easy to get here, this was our first stop after crossing the border from Guatemala that morning (we are traveling from Canada to Nicaragua and you can see a full review of this site and follow our travel adventures on our YouTube channel Chris and Tovah's Amazing Adventures). The only down fall are the bathrooms, they were very dirty when we were there, the out houses were worse (we decided to just find a bush) and we didn't even think about showering.

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Pasamos 3 noches $15USD (parqueo y 2 personas)
Llegamos en sábado, lo peor que puedes hacer, estaba lleno de gente Cristiana, había un culto evangélico con bocina y microfono a todo volumen, todo el día, y el domingo se pone peor, viene mucha gente al lugar, por un lado esta genial porque viene familia a dormir en las cabañas o a acampar en sus tiendas de campaña, hacen fogata y se vive un ambiente muy familiar pero eso no molesta, la iglesia que viene a hacer su culto si molesta un poco el ruido con el micrófono y la música. Nos quedamos acá hasta el Lunes para hacer la excursión.
El día Lunes después de la excursión muy pocos vienen a pasar el día o a acampar.
Hay un restaurante café, muy rico el panini de bbq
Nosotros no teníamos guía, así que a las 9m salimos del camping y caminamos hasta la entrada del volcán donde esta la caseta de cobro y ahí había un equipo y un guía que iban de salida y nos unimos con ellos, eramos 10 personas pagamos $18 US 2 personas y la entrada al volcán.

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This place has a sweet view from the mirador. There’s a flat spot between the two trees at the far back left. Stayed 2 weekday nights, nice and quiet at night. The second day a church group or cult came and started scream singing right next to us starting at 9am.

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One night here for $7.50 total (2 adults, child free). Coldest weather we’ve had since the U.S., which was exciting. Bucket flush toilets, worked fine. Shower looked very rustic and we didn’t use it. We didn’t have to pay any extra for the bathroom use. I also used the bathroom for dishes and laundry, which worked fine because of the big sink. The restaurant is really charming with glass walls that give a lovely view. Had a panini I really enjoyed. There are some swings and slides for the kids. Talk to Irving at +503 7475 1921 about hiking Santa Ana. He can do a private group trip for $50 or tell you about the $12 public group trip that can pick you up at the Casa Cristal gate.

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Definitely the better campsite in the area. We had camped at Camp Bello just before. The guy had given us two rates on two different days- not too sure why? We paid $10 in total first night and $7.50 the next. Lots of playground equipment for kids and space to run around. The tree sculptures are a nice touch. All guided hikes start from here and we went up the volcano with Irving- we just noticed Hourlesslife posted his number. He speaks great English, was very informative not only about the volcano but the flora and fauna. It did cost $50 for two people and a three year old- but all worth it! We didn’t eat at the restaurant nor use the toilet facilities at this campground.

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We loved staying here.
Eventhough it was overcrowded because of easter time and unfortunately was full of trash.
But the people joy, the nature that surrounds the place, trails where you can walk and listen birds, an outlook for the volcano izcatelnango (not sure if i'm writing correctly), a restaurant with an outstanding view (you can buy something to share and make it cheapier). Everything made our stay really nice.
2,5 usd per person and 2,5 usd to sleep with the car.
I agree maybe the sunset and sunrise is better in the cerro verde parking lot that is above...but here we felt closer to nature.

Bathrooms are not cleaned but they are ok. 25 cents.
Ni wifi but lot of people had data mobile.

nice place, a huge camping

During the week could be super peaceful

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We stayed here for 2 nights so we could relax and hike the Santa Ana volcan. Great base to do it. Very big grassy area very quiet during the week. We paid 12,50$ for 24h so 25$ for 2 days for RV and family of 5. Children under 12 don’t pay.
Great spot. Cool nights but very good.
We did the hike with a great guide, don’t hesitate to whatsapp him for reservations from Friday to Sunday. Jairo tu pac : 75529113 Guia de Turismo casa de cristal. 2$ pp and 6$ for the national park pp for adult. Very knowledgeable and very very nice. We recommend ! We wanted to leave early though but had to wait until 9am. No big deal, it was a good timing.

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camping: 7,50 $
(person: 2,50 $ , van: 2,50 $)
toilet: 0,25 $ pp
shower: 1 $ pp

national park: 6 $ pp
Guide: 2 $ pp

The campground ist very big and has a huge gras area.
Nevertheless hard to find a nice level spot.

Overcrowded, loud music all around and BBQs/fire places. So a lot of smoke.

After one night, we escaped to a different place.

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Nice place to spend a night or two if planning to go up Santa Ana. We spent two night waiting for the wind to die down to go up with no luck. Environmental office only allows hikes up to the summit in lower wind.

A bit crowded during the day, mostly quiet at night. Bathroom was $0.25 first day until 3 then free for night. But locked next day. There is another pit toilet though at edge of property.

We were charged $5 for two people in a Chevy van. Lucked out and were only asked to pay the first day. Our friends were asked $7. Their vehicle is larger than ours but not so much so to warrant an extra fee we felt. might be able to negotiate.

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big beautiful grassy field with cabanas littered throughout. we were free to find a spot, will require some leveling. 2.50/pp and 2.50 for truck. bathrooms were free but not very clean, also fill your water tanks early as the water here is a bit murky, definitely wouldn't cook with it

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very quiet, great view of the stars.
foggy sometimes for a mystical ambiance :)
they asked $2.50 per person plus $2.50 for the car, we asked nicely for a discount and ended up paying $1.25 less in total.
baño was free for us, but the cold shower costs $1.
at 11am the local guides were to be met here and we went to hike to the impressice crater lake of volcan santa ana. very recommended.

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The BEST place if you have a dog, tons of open grassy area for them to run run run. There is plenty room to camp, most with picnic tables. Banos (sign says $0.25, they didn't charge us) and (cold) shower ($1.00, they did charge us). It's very quiet and secure. It does get cold! Charged us $1.25pp to enter and $2.50pp to camp...a guide meets here for the 1100 hike to Santa Ana, very easy.

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Acampamos 2 dias aca en la Kombi, tienes que prepararte para el frío, la entrada cuesta $2.50 por persona y $2.50 por el Carro, los baños se pagan aparte a$0.25 centavos ( en la noche no pagamos ya que estaban abiertos) el lugar es muy tranquilo y seguro. Nos parqueamos a la par de unos arboles para que el viento no nos molestara mucho.

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We arrived at night and paid 6usd (2 + camper), the gates were open just go inside and look for the man that admins the place at the cabañas.

Por favor.. sentí que me volaba, durante la noche por momentos parecía que el viento iba a volarnos el techo del camper. Estacionamos tratando de taparnos del viento pero igualmente nos dió con toda y dormimos mal.

Los baños se cobran aparte 25c!!!

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Ok place, wasn't blown away (other than by the wind 🙄). $6 for the night. Arrived on a Sunday and super busy but quite chilled now on Monday. Showers are an extra dollar. Nice and cool but trash everywhere wouldn't come just for the site for sure.

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Nos pagamos $7,50 dólares para 2 pessoas e a Kombi. Eles aceitam cachorro, o lugar é bem bonito, os banheiros são bem sujos e a ducha te cobram $1,00 dólar por pessoa. Os $7,50 é só para estacionar e dormir. Não achamos lugar para estacionar grátis e essa é a opção mais em conta. Tem muito muito vento e faz muito frio a noite.

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Pasamos la noche allí, al otro día temprano subimos al Volcán Santa Ana. nos cobraron USD 7,50 por la van y dos personas, nos pareció un poco caro pero ya estábamos allí y realmente queda muy cerca del comienzo del sendero para subir al volcán. Es un lugar bonito y con una gran vista de los alrededores.
pagamos además 6 dólares de ingreso al parque nacional, aconsejan subir siempre con un policía.

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We camped right in front of cafetin casa de cristal building, next to wooden fire pit area and were able to hook up to electrical for the night. It was $6 for our car and two people. No charge for restrooms or electrical. It’s very windy here, however.

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un lugar magnifico, pasamos 3 noches acampando, sabado y domingo va mucha gente pero en la semana no habia nadie. Sale 2 dolares por persona y 2 dolares por vehiculo por dia. Ideal para hacer la excursión al volcan Santa Ana.

a magnificent place, we spent 3 nights camping, Saturday and Sunday many people go but in the week there was nobody. Sale 2 dollars per person and 2 dollars per vehicle per day. Ideal for the excursion to the Santa Ana volcano.

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This place was disappointing! We came on a Wednesday around midday and it was full with about 100 students between 14 and 16 years old. Imagine the noise! Also trash everywhere and we don’t understand why nobody teaches the kids to use the trash bin. Luckily they left at 4pm, we had two quiet hours until a truck of people showed up and they brought speakers! Showers were locked you have to pay 1 $ extra, also toilet use costs 25 cents. At least the toilet lady left at 5 pm but ladies toilet was closed too, only men’s toilet was open for the night. Not again.....

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Best spot to hike the Santa Ana Volcano. You can join the groups leaving from Cerro Verde at the trail entrance either at 10am or 11am (it’s only an hour hike and the views from the top are amazing -it costs $6pp). Parking at Casa de Cristal still $2pp and $2 for the car (bathrooms not included). Very cold at night. No place to do food shopping. The route to this place is in great condition, except for the last 1km (anyway nothing too bad!). Recommended!

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Great place. Nice views. Cold at night. But the main thing is that is a perfect shortcut to the Santa ana hike. You save money by no paying cerro Verde fee and also energy since you will start from caseta park entrance just 10 minutes from camping. You just pay 6+ guideTip. Group hike will arrive around 11.30 every day with police support

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We stayed here as we arrived around 6PM and the Cerro Verde national park entry gate was closed with no one around. (officially closes at 5PM)
Nice calm place with great views. Paid 6$ for car with 2 people. Decent toilets, shower for 1$ extra.

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really nice spot to camp : beautiful scenery, refreshing air...
but we were woken up at midnight by music and shouting from the party nearby... it lasted until 4 am : singing out loud, shouting, arguying... we didn't get much sleep.
it was a friday night.

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all is correct and up to date. awesome location, beautiful views, can get windy af. hike to volcano is incredible and its great for big groups or small. if you stay a long while make sure to bring ur own food cuz their resto seems a bit lacking.

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Very nice spot to camp. Big grassy field with several palapas to cook/hang out under in case of bad weather. Awesome views of 3 volcanoes. Still 6 bucks for 2 people with 1 car. We had a quiet day - only people here plus no wind!

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Awesome place! Big grassy field between volcanos. We could stay where we want. The people working there are really nice and helpful! There were some groups there during the day, but most of them left in the late afternoon. Restrooms old but clean. Cold shower available vor 1$ but we did not use. If you will do the hike to Santa Anna volcano it is better to go to Cerro Verde National Park in the morning. Only there they decide to do the hike or not for the day. They told us they need minimum 5 people. We did insist and they did the hike also only for our two.

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Great little spot to wake up and see beautiful views of the volcanos and ocean. When arriving, there is a green gate with a welcome sign on an old big tire. The sign for casa cristal is very small and on the right. GPS coordinates are wrong. They bring you to a different posada. $2/ person and $2/ vehicle. They guard tried to overcharge but it should be $6 for one car and 2 people. We recommend! It has been great!

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we paid 12 USD for 2 nights. Nice grassfield to camp. The gate is closed at night and the security guy is very friendly. for climbing the st Anna volcano they recommend not to do it by your own. Because there's a lot of robberies with violence on the vulcano. The militair and police escort leaves in the weekends at 11 am. Because we wanted to hike early in the morning they arranged 2 very friendly policemen to escort us. Afterwards we wanted to give the policemen a tip because they 're so friendly to us and our kids but they refused it. We really recommend this place if you want to hike up the volcano! Best is to go in the weekend. Then they 've enough policemen to escort people on the volcano.

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We were here to hike santa anna volcano and the drive here was pretty stunning.
When we arrived the place was pretty deserted but it was a friday so during the working week.
the camping is on a grassy field.
So pretty here and the views are amazing.
The toilets were basic and we had to fill containers with water to flush them - they then locked the toilets on the saturday and charged to use them at 25c a time. We never saw the showers so cant comment on them.
The climate up this high is extremely pleasant and refreshing - we welcomed it after the coast.
We paid $3 per person per night and our 24 foot long rig with low ground clearance and no 4x4 made it okay, it was dry season though. On the saturday we awoke to a blistering gale and wondered if doing the hike was going to happen ... as we were trying to decide around 300 young campers turned up in tents and set up all around us (using the rig as a wind-break).
So I guess the warning here is watch out for weekends.
Great place and really peaceful at night.

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Pretty spot. The road is a little rough and narrow, but 4x4 wasn't needed and most other vehicles were small cars or SUVs. Price is still $2 per person and $2 for vehicle. Come for wasn't open when we were here. Women's bathroom was locked, men's bathroom was sufficient.

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a great location to camp if you want to hike up to the st. Ana volcano, there is an armed guide who will escort you up for a 'tip'. was a very friendly guide who works for the coop that owns the Casa de Cristal finca. the road is a bit rough but I don't believe you need a high clearance auto to make it as we saw many low clearance autos here, it might be different if it had just rained. cost is $2 per person and $2 for the vehicle for 24hrs. They have cold showers ($1), flush toilets as well as pit toilets (it's a hike to the flush toilets if you don't park near the cabanas) we had a really quiet and comfortable 2 night stay here and recommend it highly instead of parking lot camping at Cera verde.

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Nice open field with gras, a lot of cabanas and view of 3 vulcan, the gate is close in the night and the have 2 security man at the property.the road is pumpy and high clearance is necessary. Payd 3usd pp and 3 for the car.the have showers for 1usd (didn't use)

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nice, quiet, camping on grass, cheap: 2$ p P plus 2$ for the vehicle. very windy!

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