Cerro Verde National Park | Informal Campsite

El Salvador

Details

Verified:
3 months ago
Altitude:
2005.0 masl
Website:
None
Contributor:
fromatob.org

Amenities

Electricity:
No
Wifi:
No
Kitchen:
No
Restaurant:
Yes
Showers:
No
Water:
No
Toilets:
Running Water
Big Rig Friendly:
Yes
Tent Friendly:
Yes
Pet Friendly:
No

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Description

$3 per person to enter the park and $1 for car. Can camp in the large gravle parking lot or if you ask the police stationed there you can park furthur down in the park. The lot gets busy but is dead quite once the park closes around 5PM, police stationed overnight (they live there).

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Prices January 2024:
3 USD per person Entrance fee for foreigners
1 USD for parking lot per unit
3 USD per person to stay overnight
Due to the trees at the parking lot no great viwe directly from the parking lot, but only a few meters walk you have a beautiful viewpoint.

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Stayed her for couple nights. The parking lot was real busy but was able to find and park my rig. Restaurant on sites are good with great view and ambiance, expensive from El Salvador perspective. Nice quiet night. Also, added water tap location in parking lot to ioverlander. Mirador has beautiful views.

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It is not allowed to enter with a dog. We parked instead at the casa cristal. Guess it is the shorter way to hike up from there. We also needed to book a guide, couldn’t go by ourself.

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We did the trail to the Santa Ana volcano from Cerro Verde. We paid $3pp to enter the park + $1 to park the van. They didn't charge us anything else to spend the night. To go to Santa Ana Volcano we paid more $3pp for the guide + $6pp to the other park entrance. There are clean restrooms available, the weather is wonderful (15°C at night). The only downside is that Claro's 3G signal is weak.

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muy buen lugar, plano, tranquilo y con muchas posibilidades de comida típica salvadoreña.
toilete disponibles.
3 dolares por vehículo y 2 dolares por persona.

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Excellent place to spend the night. Absolutely quiet after 5 pm, clean toilets open during the day, several stalls with good and cheap food from around 7 am to 4 pm - you might also eat at the restaurant of the hotel, very good, but quite expensive, until 7.30 pm

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Super friendly. Because there was a trail run on weekend they let us park behind the administration building. Good walk to the volcano Santa Ana. Nice cool nights!!

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We spent two nights here. The parking lot is flat with a magnificent view of the volcanoes and the valleys. During the day it is crowded but in the evening and at night it is very quiet. Admission to the park for a day is $3 per person and $1 for the vehicle. So if you are two and you stay one night it will be 14$ in total. From here we went to the Santa Ana volcano for 22$ in total for two people. I advise you to avoid coming on weekends for the world. At the beginning of the week it was calm

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Camped here for a night and hiked the Volcano the next morning. Beautiful spot with an amazing view all the way to the pacific. Clean toilets are open from 8AM-8PM. Guided tours start at 9AM...

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Definitely worth coming for the sunset, it was magical. Where you park the car is a big parking lot surrounded by little shops open during the day selling food and souvenir (closed in the evening). There is a restaurant with incredible view for the sunset but we did not try the food. It is a bit pricy we thought, 14USD for 1 night, no shower and the toilets are closed at night and reopen at 8am. We did the volcano hike starting from here, first group leave a little after 9am. The hike cost 6USD pp for entrance fee and guide costs between 3-5USD depending on the group size. We were just the two of us with our guide Victor who was amazing. The guides form a cooperative and work in group where they pool the money you give them. We paid 5USD each for the guide service cooperative + 10USD tip for Victor (who speaks very good English).

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Stayed for one night and we had to pay two days (14 dollar for two persons). This was for the entrance and parking. The night was absolutely amazing and the view amazing. Sunset and sunrise are magical and totally worth the price. At night it's completely silent and the police stays in the back of the parking. Super safe and our favorite camp spot in El Salvador.

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This spot was one of the highlights of our CA trip. We stayed here on two occasions. Once we were below the clouds and once we were above the clouds. If you arrive in the afternoon you pay $3/person and $1 for the vehicle. If you are leaving the next morning, tell them that! Don’t let them charge you for two whole days if you aren’t staying for the whole next day. Clean bathrooms, no showers. You can take a guided hike to the peak of Santa Ana which we recommend. The hike is not suitable for those with reduced mobility. If you want a less strenuous hike, camp at Casa Cristal so you don’t have to hike back up the mountain to your camping spot at the lookout. I learned the hard way. It was still worth it though. Especially for the price.

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Very beautiful View! We paid 3pp to enter, and 1 for parking, we asked the police if we could sleep here, no problem, it’s very safe!

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beautiful views. we parked next to the mirador and watched the sunset and had a nice view next morning.
we payed 14 to enter. 2 for the car and 3 per person per day. next day santa ana hike is 7 per person extra because this park is another then the volcan park.
bathrooms where very clean and guard very friendly.
can highly recommend this place to sleep. just beautiful.

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Google maps made us take the road right before El Tibet restaurant, (to the right) that road is a bit hard for smaller cars, probably really hard if it rains. We turned around and headed back on the main asphalted road, takes about the same time (3min). We got there around 6pm, police told us to go up the hill and find the administrators home (passing the cabins). It’s $3 per person, and $1 for parking overnight. He wanted to charge us double, but we told him we were leaving the next day after the hike. Free bathroom at night, but they were very dirty, in the morning other bathrooms were open for $.15 cents, those were cleaner. No running water in either. Very quiet at night, nice view from the mirador. There’s a bistro right next to the parking lot, there are also pupusa stands for $.50 per pupusa. If you do the Santa Ana volcano hike it’s an extra $1 per person for the guide and entrance fee is $6 for foreigners, $3 for Central Americans. Meet by the parking lot at 10:40. You can take a lunch up for the hike and eat it at the top with a view!

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A very peaceful night. Great views early in the morning from the Mirador platform. Head guard was nice but seemed to expect us to leave early in the morning when they opened around 07:00hrs. Not sure whether he would have tried to charge us for an extra day if we had stayed much later.

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The parking isn't guarded during the night but it was really quiet and we feel safe.
Le parking n'est pas gardé la nuit mais nous ne nous sommes pas sentis en insécurité. Très calme!

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Tout est déjà dit !
Nous avons fait la rando pour le volcan Santa Ana , c'etait super !

Soyez en forme car même si la rando est facile le guide ne s'arrête pas beaucoup en chemin.. c'est un brin rapide.. mais ça vaut le coup !

3$pp +1$ pour le véhicule (entrée parc)
1$pp pour le guide + 6$pp pour l'ascension du volcan.

Julien & Julie

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Looks like entry is 7 $ per person (what we pay) , and you sleep there free.
If you want to do some hike you have 2 possibility. A short 45 minutes hike with nice view of volcano sant Ana and lake Catepeque. you have to do it with a guide that have the key to open a gate on the trail. The second is a longer hike down from parking lot to a saddle then up to the edge of the volcano from where you can see the little lake in the center. Then down again and back up on the road to the parking lot. Leaving 11.30 back around 3.30 You will have also,to pay extra 7$ when you hike up to the volcano for a “protected area fee”. Finally you should give something to the guide 1$ suggested.

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arrived at 4:30 as last cars were leaving the parking lot. friendly police chatted with Ys and played with our dog. by 5:30 no one was there and we had the most amazing sunset.

by 9:00 am buses and cars start arriving.

an official came and collected $10 for car 2 adults and 2 kids. we did the hike with everyone ($1+$6) else and returned by 3:30. we stayed a 2nd night and didn't pay again.

driving to hot springs after the hike might be a good idea. (it's about 90 minutes away)

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Spent two nights on the this safe parking. Tourist police is there. We payed (2 persons + rv) $ 7,-. Guy wanted 7 dollars more for the night, we didn't pay. Said he would collect this the next day. He didn't....
The Santa Ana hike is very well organised and beautiful!

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Arrived there on a saturday afternoon, it was pretty crowded. But after 5-6 pm, the parking lot is empty and only remains the police. We felt very safe.
We did the Santa Ana hike the next morning, it was amazing.
Everyday hikes start at 11am (meeting time is at 10.45am), don't miss it.
Regarding the price, we paid :
3$ per person + 1$ for the car for each day (after asking, it seems that their politics regarding overlanding changed)
6$ per person for the entrance to the area of the hike + 1$ per person for the guide

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Entrance 3$ ppers+1 per car
Overnight free don't accept to pay if so ask.

Itzalco : 1$ ppers for guide 12 years mini but we have seen 10 years child a Sunday. Dogs allowed but our didn't like the 1400 stairs and decided to walk back alone to our rig.

Santa Ana crater lake view point: 1$ ppers per guide+ 6$ environment ministry tax for foreigners 4$ for student and free until 12 years and more than 60 years. Dogs not allowed after the environment ministry house.

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Slept here for a night and did Santa Ana hike next day. Its 3 dollars to enter that parking lot per person and 2 for a car. They asked another 6 for parking overnight but as this fee was not advertised on the board next to the ticket booth at the short conversation we did not have to pay that fee. Nice views from the lookout at the top. Hike starts here at 11.00am and everyone is expected to pay 1 dollar fee for the guide. There will be an guide and one police. Like stated here before. Not really worth driving up here as the hiking uphill really starts right on the curve where is this Tibet hotel (?) Hiking trail is marked on maps.me app. Its easy just to follow that. There is a second ticket booth just after you have started hiking up. If you have an ISIC card from uni or something with picture to prove that you are a student, then the fee is 4 not 6 dollars. For locals with a local document it was 3 dollars. All in all its 2 hours up and 2 down. Well worth the hike!

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Nous y sommes arrivés à 17h. Personne. Le lendemain on s'est rendu compte que c était un jour férié. Trop de monde pour envisager une randonnée en groupe. Notre fille de 6 ans n à pas été acceptée,il fallait demander une escorte policière. De plus payer plus de 8$ par personne pour faire une randonnée en groupe très peu pour nous! On est donc descendu à 1oh sans rien payer. Rien que la vue vaut la peine d'y aller.

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Arrived about 9:00 am on a Saturday. Paid $8 entry fee for two people and our rig (considered heavy). Banos were open in one building; they appear to be working on more buildings. Decided to stay overnight; paid $2 more. However, we did the Santa Ana hike so paid $2 for guides, THEN had to pay another $6 fee to enter that park along the hike. Would suggest trying to park at El Tibet at Y junction on road and hiking in from there and avoid the Cerro Verde fees. you walk out onto road right before El Tibet anyway and then go past it to re-enter forest. We also think on weekends you could do without a guide as there were many people on trail. Hike is well worth the views of two lakes. No Clarify reception.

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Beautiful views of neighbouring Volcán de Izalco and super quiet after all tourists, workers and vendors pack their stuff and leave the park (after 5-6 on). Felt super safe as police is sleeping up here as well. $3 per person park entrance plus $2 for camping. A guide is mandatory to hike Volcán de Santa Maria. Meeting point is at this little hut right where the parking lot begins (10:45am). $1 per person for the guide plus $5 for "extranjeros" 45 minutes in the hike at another hut for hiking permit or however you will call it. There was a guard at this hut checking that everyone is paying. After another 75 minutes you will see one of the most beautiful crater lakes and colors. Stunning. special greetings to travelamateurs.com, good seeing you here at ioverlander again after Antigua;)

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Arrived at the park on a Thursday to avoid the weekend crowds. Unfortunately the police/guard informed us that he was only taking a group of students on a hike of a different volcano, not Santa Ana. He was very nice and explained that they are short staffed and if local students arrive during the week, they escort them on whatever hike they want. He also said that we should not do the hike alone due to recent problems and should try back during the weekend. There were about 20 people who had paid entrance to do the Santa Ana Volcano hike, but the students take precedence during the week. It also took a good deal of discussion to get our entrance fee returned since the gate people said it was the cops fault we couldn't do the hike. We asked and there is no schedule to how many guards will be available so best of luck! Hopefully they get it sorted out soon.

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good paved road with beautiful panorama to the top. we paid $14 for 2p for 2 nights including the entrance fees. camp on the huge parking and we're able to have electricity connection through the lady restrooms. toilets are $0.15 and closed after 5pm. cheap comedor ($1 for a vegetarian plate) and some fruits vendor. safe place with friendly rangers! we hiked the Santa ana, departure 11am and guides fees were $1pp, no extra fees during the hike. very nice hike but the guide was really rushing ( 1h30 to the top ...) great cardio exercise!! fantastic views on the top. you can camp a bit further but it is dirt and got very muddy, we had very long heavy rain the 2 nights we were there so the flat gravel parking is a good option! dog are allowed but apparently not for the hike, we insisted a bit with policeman with a big smile and he said ok if the dog stays on leash

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All the previous posts are still correct however there is not the security in place. We were robbed by a machete weilding man at a view point at 10am on the way down from the park. Also there is not the police presence that has been mentioned and there is no gate, only a car barrier. This is a known area for robberies so please take care if staying overnight as we did.

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Park Entry 3$ p.P. Vehicle 2$. Trip to Volcano 2$ p.P. for the guide. Watch out: half way up the vulcano they collect another steep 6$ p.P. for another park in the park... Quet at night.

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3$ pp (> 6 ans) pour l'entrée du parc. 1$ pour le camping-car. Arrivés tard, nous avons payé le lendemain. Possibilité de se brancher a un poteauélectrique près des toilettes. L'ascension du santa ana est super. la vue du lagon dans le cratère incroyable. 2$ par personne. 4h (marche rapide) guide obligatoire depuis le parc. Normalement réservé aux >12 ans mais nous avons eu l'autorisation de la police touristique pour nos deux plus jeunes (6 et 8 ans) qui n'ont pas eu a payer. C'est vraiment un truc a faire au El Salvador !

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We stay for one night and paid US 2 pp for entrance and US 2 pp for camping, also US 2 pp for the guide to visit the crater. Amazing view of the lagoon in the volcano Sant Ana. You must do if you are there, dont miss! Very calm safe and quiet at night. There are bathrooms. No shower. No electricity.

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We arrived at 16h and there was already nobody, but around 21h sow up some extremly drunk people after asking they identified at park employees. We dont believe and dont let they come closer... until they start the lights. Next day we agree to pay 8usd for two nights because the fisrt one we arrived late. Recipt always tomorrow... :-(
the views amazing as everybody says, it is worth the walk to Santa Ana Volcano despite at 11am is extremly crowded on weekends. Four hours can be tight if you are not fit and guides use to push for going down before the security... I would consider to walk by myself at sunrise...

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Great Place. One of the most breathtaking sunsets we have ever Seen. You are above the clouds, view onto a volcano, pink and Blue Sky. Many miradores on the Way up. We arrived After 5p.m. So we weren't charged anything. Dry Camping only! Friendly staff! Highly recommended just for the spectacular views!!!!

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parking lot of park. we paid 12usd for car and two people. dog was no problem at all. also she was allowed to hike to santa ana. parking can be busy during daytime but quiet after 4. restroom dirty. no shower. restroom closes at 4. no electricity only if u park close to baños. at the ladies there is a plug but u need extension of more than 20m. hikes to vulcano start at 11 at the entrance (small house) its an easy/medium hike of four hours with two policemen and guide. price depends. we did not have to pay - but gave 5usd to the guide

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Parked in the gravel parking lot for the night. Very calm and quiet. Nobody except the police officers that live here. The guides and other people that work here arrive by the bus at 7h30 in the morning and leave by another bus around 16h. There's another bus coming around 9 am. It could be a way to come here without a car... 12 usd per night for the family (we're 6) and we were not ask to pay a fee for the to the park, but we had to pay for the hike (2usd per person + donations). We hiked the volcano Santa Ana. Very fun and a magnificient view from the top. We also had the chance to see two beautiful sunsets from the park's viewpoint overlooking the valley. Bathrooms between 8 am and 4pm only (15 cents) and no water available. No showers.

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Gravel parking lot, $ 3.00/pp/day to the park, if you stay overnight you will pay another $ 3.00/pp. No facilities after 5 PM, the toilets are locked at night.

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Same price. Camping was free. Nobody ask as to Pay. The Outlook by Night was emasing. Big Playground. 4h hike to Santa Ana was hard with 3 Kids (4,6,8) but worth. Hike was free for the Kids.

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Parking lot of national park. Very busy during the day but nice and quiet to sleep. We paid $3/person for park entry, $1 to park and $5 to camp. The hikes start at 11am prompt.

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3 to enter, 2 to camp, per person + another 2 which we couldn't figure out why. $12 for two people. Busy until 5, but dead afterwards, sunset is incredible to watch.

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We stayed on saturday on the parkinglot. Very quiet at night, with cold temparature. The tour to the vulcan Santa Ana (2365m) started at 11am (a 4 hour hike). 1 USD/p for the guide, 1 USD/p to cross a private property. The tour is also accompanied by two policemen of the tourist police. On the top of the vulcan it was a very strong wind and it was too cloudy to see the whole vulcan.

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$3 to enter the park and $2 to camp per person. Can camp in the large gravel parking lot or if you ask the police stationed there you can park further down in the park. The lot gets busy but is dead quiet once the park closes around 5PM, police stationed overnight (they live there).

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Camping in parking lot of Cerro Verde National Park. $10 per night. Power availabe from toilet block with long lead. Flush toilets. Police presence all day but everyone goes home at 5pm. Very quiet overnight.

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