Access to San Vicente volcano can be achieved by different routes, but in all cases a 4WD vehicle is necessary and hiring a local person as a guide is suggested because the paths up to the summit are difficult to identify.
From San Salvador drive east along the Pan American highway to the city of San Vicente (60 km). Take the unpaved road to the small town of Tepetitan, then drive south along a coffee plantation road to "Finca El Carmen". Permission to enter this private property is required. Drive along this road until it ends at an elevation of approximately 1600 m. From there a path among the dense cloud forest takes you to the area between the two cones.
An alternate way to get to the summit is to drive west past the town of Tepetitan to the town of Guadalupe and then south to "Cantón La Laguneta". From here a coffee plantation road goes up to an elevation of 1600 m, then a path continues to the summit of the western cone. Both paths take you through a dense cloud forest, and the summit offers limited views of Ilopango and the Lempa river valley. This is also an area of small family owned sugar cane plantations were sugar is processed using traditional methods.
To see a topographic map of the San Vicente area click here.