Experience Conchagua Volcano in El Salvador
One of the greatest natural attractions of El Salvador is its volcanoes and Conchagua volcano is not the exception.
Conchagua volcano is one of the most visited volcanoes by salvadorans and tourists, and that’s because the volcano is right at the east limit of El Salvador, where you can have an amazing view of the Gulf of Fonseca and its islands from the top. You can enjoy the nature and chill weather at all seasons. You can also see part of Honduras and Nicaragua from the top of the volcano and if you feel adventurous you can take a boat trip to the islands and get to one of these countries as well. A curious fact of this volcano is that it doesn’t have a crater at the top. It used to release the lava from its bottom, directly into the sea. So now, there is wood deck on the top where you can just enjoy the view, have a picnic, install your camping tent if you are staying the night, etc. How to get there
There’s a viewpoint at the top of the volcano known as “Mirador Espíritu de la Montaña”, it is located in “La Union” department of El Salvador. There are two options to get here, either you take a tour from San Salvador to Conchagua or you drive to Conchagua city and take a tour from there. Here I explain what you need to do in any case.
If you are driving part of the way, you need to get to the city of Conchagua, it is a 4 hours drive from San Salvador city (the capital of El Salvador). Whether you drive or take a tour bus from San Salvador, it is better to get to the road very early in the morning. You can take “Panamericana” road. If you don’t feel like driving, there are many tour companies that would take you there and bring you back to San Salvador after your trip. Once at Conchagua city, you can look for the “Golfo de Fonseca Tourism” office, this is one of the tour companies that can take you all the way from San Salvador to La Unión but of course the cost is a bit higher than taking the tour from their office. You can find them in Google Maps as “Dolphins Tour”. San Salvador to Conchagua
Tour from Conchagua to “Mirador de la Montaña”
“Golfo de Fonseca Tourism” company takes you to the top of the volcano, the price is $22.0 per person and $15.0 per kid (3-9 years old) to take you from the office to the top of the Conchagua volcano. This price includes the drive to “Mirador Espíritu de la Montaña” viewpoint, which is at the top of the volcano, the entrance fee and a guide. If you are lucky to have a friendly guide, they tell you the history of the place and even take photos of you and your friends at no extra charge. The time of departure from the office is 8:30 AM and you should be back around 2:45 PM to the starting point. Enough time to enjoy the view and have a nice lunch up there. They do tours every day but of course it is always better to make reservations and make sure they are operating the day you decide to go. There’s a phone number you can call, at their Facebook profile.
The entrance to “Mirador Espíritu de la Montaña” is about $7.50 per person (remember this is included in the price the tour company mentioned above, charges). Getting to “Mirador de la Montaña” on your own
If you want to go to “Mirador Espíritu de la Montaña” on your own take in consideration that you will need a 4×4 car, as the terrain has dirt and rocks and you would be going uphill, so you need an appropriate car. You could also find someone to drive you to the main entrance of the volcano and hike to the top. It is a 2 hours hike depending on your pace. However, it is not an easy hike, mostly if you are carrying your equipment to camp at the top, but if you are an expert hiker this is a very good adventure for you, many people do it.
View of Gulf of Fonseca
Things to do
Sunrise at “Mirador de la Montaña”
What to bring
- Camping tent and sleeping bag if you are camping.
- Sweater, it is usually very windy mostly if you are going between October to January, so it gets a bit chilly
- Night lamp if you are staying the lamp, there’s not much illumination at the top
- Camera, you can take stunning photos from the top of the volcano, so it is worth it to bring a DSLR.
- Sunscreen and sunglasses
- Bathing suit and water if you are going to the beach at La Union or doing the boat trip across the gulf
- Hiking shoes, If you are hiking the volcano you will need good shoes as the road is full of rocks and snickers are not the best choice.
- Food, although there’s a small shop at the top of the volcano, you will not find a proper meal, so make sure you take enough food with you.
Conchagua Town
After all your activities you can also hit “Parque de la Familia” park which is very close to the “Golfo de Fonseca Tourism” office. You can see La Union bay from here and part of the Gulf. This is at the very limit of El Salvador. There’s a cafeteria where you can eat something as well or you can just take a walk around the park and enjoy.