Skip to content
The bare dark cone of the Izalco volcano above the forest

Volcanoes and lakes

Izalco Volcano, El Salvador

Izalco is one of the youngest volcanoes of El Salvador. It began to grow in 1770 on the southern flank of the Santa Ana volcano and erupted so often that sailors called it the Lighthouse of the Pacific. Its last eruption was in 1966. The bare cone rises to 1,950 m.

Updated November 2026 · Figures checked 9 November 2026

Photo: JMRAFFi, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Summit
1,950 m1
Summit
Year the cone began to grow
17701
Year the cone began to grow
Last eruption
19661
Last eruption

Izalco Volcano, El Salvador

At a glance

At a glance
Izalco volcano
Department Sonsonate, next to Santa Ana
Summit 1,950 m
Cone About 650 m high, with a crater about 250 m wide
Active From 1770 to 1966
Protected area Los Volcanes National Park
Climb Guided, from Cerro Verde; 3 to 4 hours

Source: Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program: Izalco; El Salvador.com: five volcanoes to explore in El Salvador, 1 March 20261,5

Map

The Izalco volcano and its neighbours 1 Izalco volcano 2 Santa Ana volcano 3 Lake Coatepeque 4 Lake Ilopango 5 Lake Suchitlán 6 El Imposible National Park 7 Los Volcanes National Park (Cerro Verde) 8 El Boquerón National Park
Volcano or national park Lake Places are approximate, from Wikidata and OpenStreetMap. Boundaries: geoBoundaries SLV ADM1 (OpenStreetMap contributors, CC BY-SA 2.0)1,2
  1. 1 Izalco volcano 1,950 m; last eruption 1966
  2. 2 Santa Ana volcano 2,381 m; last eruption 2005
  3. 3 Lake Coatepeque Caldera lake, 25.3 km²
  4. 4 Lake Ilopango Caldera lake, 72 km²
  5. 5 Lake Suchitlán Reservoir of the Cerrón Grande dam
  6. 6 El Imposible National Park About 4,977 ha of forest
  7. 7 Los Volcanes National Park (Cerro Verde) Cerro Verde, Santa Ana and Izalco
  8. 8 El Boquerón National Park The crater of the San Salvador volcano

The volcano

  • A volcano born in 1770: Izalco grew on the southern flank of Santa Ana. Its frequent eruptions until 1966 lit the night for ships, hence the name Lighthouse of the Pacific.
  • Bare slopes: the cone is made of black volcanic rock, ash and scoria; the vegetation on its slopes is still recovering from past eruptions.

Source: Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program: Izalco; El Diario de Hoy: the six main protected areas of El Salvador, 20251,3

Visiting

  • From Cerro Verde: the Cerro Verde park lists a daily guided walk to the Izalco volcano at 10:30 a.m., with limited places.
  • A steep climb: the route has steep sections on loose volcanic sand and takes 3 to 4 hours.

Source: El Salvador Travel (Ministry of Tourism): Cerro Verde recreational park; El Salvador.com: five volcanoes to explore in El Salvador, 1 March 20264,5

Hours, fees and access rules change, and areas can close for maintenance, weather or volcanic activity. Check with the park or the Ministry before you travel.

For investors

Volcanoes bring geothermal power, fertile coffee land and visitors, and they also bring risk. For a hotel, a farm or a home near a volcano, ask your engineer and insurer about volcanic, landslide and seismic hazards before you buy.

Sources

  1. Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program: Izalco
  2. Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program: Santa Ana
  3. El Diario de Hoy: the six main protected areas of El Salvador, 2025 (in Spanish)
  4. El Salvador Travel (Ministry of Tourism): Cerro Verde recreational park
  5. El Salvador.com: five volcanoes to explore in El Salvador, 1 March 2026 (in Spanish)

Figures checked 9 November 2026. Prepared by InvestSalvador.com for general information. Figures come from the sources listed.

Next step

Meet the Companies in Your Department

Lawyers, accountants, office landlords and recruiters, listed in the InvestSalvador.com directory by department and city.

Browse the Directory Add Your Company