Hike to the Turquoise Ilamatepec Lagoon

Ilamatepec, better known as the Santa Ana Volcano, is El Salvador's highest volcano and home to one of its most extraordinary natural sights: a crater lagoon of vivid turquoise water, colored by the volcano's mineral and sulfuric activity. The trail begins in Cerro Verde National Park, where lush vegetation and birdsong set the tone before the real ascent starts. From there, the path climbs steadily up Ilamatepec's slopes, the terrain shifting from forest to open volcanic ground as you gain altitude. As you climb, the views expand in every direction: the black lava fields of the neighboring Izalco Volcano, the deep blue of Lake Coatepeque below, and on clear days the plains stretching toward the Pacific Ocean. The true highlight waits at the top reaching the crater rim, you're with the turquoise waters of the lagoon itself, framed by the volcano's rocky walls, releasing faint traces of sulfur that are a reminder this is still an active volcano.