HIKE SAN SALVADOR VOLCANO CRATER, "EL BOQUERÓN"

San Salvador Volcano is the Westernmost limit of the city. Its crater, El Boquerón, raises 1,800 meters above sea level with depth of more than 400 meters. At the bottom of the crater is a small (45 meters high) cone of debris formed during the last eruption in 1917.

The trail we walk is mostly flat with few tricky sections where you must grab from rocks, roots or branches. Most of the time you’ll see the bottom of the crater and the steep drop, sometimes on a short distance. A really impressive view.

This is a Strato-volcano considered as active and it was formed more than 50 million years ago. During constant eruptions the edifice was collapsing by sections being the tallest El Picacho (1,900 meters above sea level) and forming side craters as El Playón and Los Chintos. It was from this new craters the lava flown during last eruption.

The massive magma chamber this volcano sits upon contains a number of fissures which protrude along the flanks and sides of the volcano. The Northwest fissure has been the most active recently, with such significant eruptive events, such as the Loma Caldera eruption which buried the ancient village of Joya de Cerén and the eruption of El Playón (1658–71) which buried the town of Nexapa.

The most recent eruption in 1917 caused a flank eruption on the volcano along the Northwest fissure. You can see that lava as a petrified flow of dark sharp stones. In some spots, on the skirts of the volcano, is still possible to find steam fumes coming from within.

This is an easy and pleasant hike in a short distance from the Capital City. At the end there's always a cold beer at hand in any of the restaurants outside the park.