How To Visit Cerro Cara Iguana
Cara Iguana is actually more of a beauty spot with panoramic views than a rugged, remote peak.
Literally called ‘The Iguana’s Face’, it’s a popular place for local families, friends, and couples to hang out on the benches or picnic on the grassy plateau, particularly at sunset.
It’s also really quite close the peaceful town of El Valle de Antón, and easy to access by car or on foot by following the same road out and up from town.
Alternatively, those who prefer to strap on a pair of boots can incorporate their visit to Cara Iguana with a longer, more challenging hike that goes along the crater rim.
We’re going to quickly summarise both options:
The Shorter, Easier Way
If you just wish to visit the Cara Iguana protected area and viewpoint (here on Google Maps), rather than have a full morning or afternoon on a relatively challenging hike, this is the best option for you.
From El Valle de Anton, simply go up the gradually ascending gravel road on foot or with private transport. When you arrive at the small yellow cabin with several route + information signs (maps), you’ll find a set of wooden stairs that will take you up to join the short, straightforward trail to the plateau and Cerro Cara Iguana (Cara Iguana Hill).
It’s about 2km each-way, and you should factor in about 45-minutes for the walk up from town at a reasonable pace.
The Hike & Clockwise Decision
Starting from El Valle, there two ways to do the 7.5 – 8km loop hike:
Clockwise | Go up the steep and unremarkable gravel road to Cara Iguana, and then continue on, along, and down through nature
Anti-Clockwise | Go up a steep trail through the wilderness, and then continue on, along, and up the crater rim to Cara Iguana before descending the gravel road
During our research, we saw several hikers on the AllTrails comments suggesting that it was much better to go anti-clockwise in order to have the hardest but prettiest parts of the hike at the start and middle, and end on the boring gravel descent. This meant that, rather than starting quite close to the Cara Iguana plateau and viewpoint, we’d save it for a crescendo near the end after two or three hours of walking.
Based on our own experience, we can confrim that the anti-clockwise logic is sound: the road descending from Cerro Cara Iguana is steep, dull, and used largely by 4x4s or quads to access the plateau and viewpoint, and going down it at the end of a quite tiring hike was definitely preferable to…
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