Volcan Cerro Verde

Overview

The Cerro Verde is actually an extinct volcano which last erupted approximately 2500 years ago. On the top of its crater there is one of the few cloud forests in the country, located at 2030 meters above sea level. The other two impressive volcanoes - Santa Ana and Izalco - can easily be observed from the look-out spots located within the park.



There are many activities you can enjoy while in the preserved Natural Park but the most common one is hiking. The Cerro Verde used to be home to a 4 star hotel called "Hotel de Montaña - Cerro Verde". However, quite unfortunately, due to the strong earthquakes that occurred in 2001, it is not currently open to visitors and only serves as a reminder of the areas beauty and danger. It's a great place from which to photograph the Izalco volcano. At its conception, the hotel was built with one thing in mind - creating close scenery to the Izalco's majestic eruption, which lasted a total of 200 years until 1960 when it suddenly stopped.

The Izalco's flaring eruption could easily be seen from the Pacific Ocean and because of this the Volcano got the nickname, "Lighthouse of the Pacific".

Getting There

When going through the path known as "una ventana a la naturaleza" or, a window to nature, you will actually be walking inside the Cerro Verde's crater. After a 30 minute walk, you will find yourself immersed in the oldest forest area inside the park and will be able to spot some 300 year old trees climbing to amazing heights. There are many species of animals living inside the park; among them are many types of hummingbirds and the black birds known as "chara" which feed other birds such as toucans, during their mating season.
Another very interesting path is the one called The Orchids, where you can see the beauty of these exotic plants that grow wild in the region.

Camping

Is possible to camp in many areas, maybe the best place to camp is between Santa Ana and Cerro Verde volcano. The camping area is a huge camp with all the facilities, cheap to entrance $2.

External Links

WWW.GUANACOS.COM
My own site

Images

View Volcan Cerro Verde Image Gallery - 8 Images