Majestic Santa Ana Volcano

The climb took approximately two hours. The first part of the route is gentle and passes through a forest, where there is shade and the path is pleasant. However, the final stretch towards the volcano is much more demanding: it is full of stones, there is no shade and the sun beats down strongly, which makes it more tiring and requires greater caution. Some important recommendations: carry only the essentials to avoid carrying unnecessary weight, use sunscreen, a sun hat and don't forget to bring enough water. It is also essential to wear appropriate footwear. I wore uncomfortable shoes and ended up with blisters and about to sprain my ankle.

Excelente caminhada

Great destination! Enjoyed the open trail and peaceful outdoor atmosphere.

Amazing view! take some cash with you to be able to buy popsicles or a frozen choco banana from the guy that sells then on the top of the volcano.

Feels like a scam. We got the 248 bus from Santa Ana at 7:40am, it was mostly full of tourists and cost only $0.70, and it's supposed to take you to the entrance. But they dropped us at a private car park and told us to get out. We had to pay $0.50 just to walk through the car park, shouted at by an angry man who treated us like cattle as we paid. Then we were greeted by a guide who told us to pay $4 each. I believe locals pay much less than this. There were NO locals around, just the tourists from the bus. We got wristbands after paying then walked through a forested path to the ACTUAL entrance to the park and volcano, where there are toilets and official guides and lots of locals. We believe we were scammed to take the back entrance and be taken advantage of by several more people. I don't think you need a guide either, we saw lots of people, including locals without one. Luckily, entrance fee is only $3 still. The volcano is nice and an easy hike, but is ruined by people taking advantage of tourists and charging more for the same service (which is nothing, the guide speaks only Spanish and only tells you at the start the rules and how far you will walk, we had no other interaction with them apart from that). I think if you come here as a tourist, try to avoid going in through the unofficial car park. Continue along the road in the bus to the main entrance, there you can join a guide group with locals for less, or choose no guide if you wish. Good luck. If you want to do it this tourist cattle way, make sure you have exact change, as nobody seems to have any change here... The return bus came at 1:15pm.