Los Ausoles

Los Ausoles are geothermal fields on the flanks of the volcanic range near Ahuachapan, where steam and gas rise through the ground and boiling mud pots bubble and burst, colouring the surrounding earth yellow, grey and red with mineral deposits and killing the vegetation over patches of hillside. The name comes from a Nahuat word for a place where water boils. The heat resource was tapped from 1975 for the Ahuachapan geothermal plant, the first in Central America, which still supplies part of the national grid, and some of the fields lie within its grounds. Others can be seen from public ground and tracks, with steam visible from the road.

What you actually see

• Boiling mud pots - the bubbling vents in the geothermal field.
• Steam plumes - the vapour rising from the ground and the plant.
• Mineral colouring - the yellow and red deposits around the vents.
• The geothermal plant - the installation using the heat resource.

When to go

November to April for the roads and clearer air; steam shows best on cool mornings. The plant grounds require arrangement to enter and are not open to casual visitors.

Honest expectations

The most accessible fields are within the power plant and not open without arrangement. Public viewing is from a distance. The ground around vents is unstable and hot, and approaching is dangerous. Gases can be strong.

Nearby

Ahuachapan lies close; Santa Teresa springs are nearby.