In an area known for its variety of hiking options, the climb to the top of La India Dormida formation seems to be the most popular choice. It’s easy to see why: it’s a short and relatively easy hike, but rewards you with awesome views of the entire Valle de Antón.
The drawback of the hike’s popularity is that it can get quite crowded, so I suggest you follow our example and choose an alternative ascent. That way, it’s possible to enjoy the majority of the hike in solitude. Read on for everything you need to know about the India Dormida Hike.
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Guided Hiking Tours of La India Dormida
If you prefer to have a knowledgeable local guide with you while exploring La India Dormida, there are several options of guided hiking tours available.
What’s the Story Behind the India Dormida?
If you speak some Spanish, you might wonder about the hike’s name, which translates to the ‘Sleeping Indian Girl’. This goes back to a local legend, after which Flor del Aire, the daughter of a famous indigenous chief, fell in love with a Spanish conquistador.
Yaraví, a young warrior from her tribe who in turn was in love with the princess, threw himself to his death after his advances were rejected. His suicide affected the young woman so deeply that she passed away from grief and guilt and formed into the series of hills, which La India Dormida consists of.
With a little bit of imagination, you can actually see the shape of a supine woman while looking at the section of the crater wall in question. Nothing like a tragic aetiological myth to get you in the mood for a hike, right?
Where to Stay in El Valle de Antón
We stayed at a wonderful AirBnB called Armadillo Shelter, which was located in a converted camper van and surrounded by a beautiful little garden. It’s one of the best AirBnBs I’ve ever stayed in, and I can highly recommend it.
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Top 3 Places to Stay in Valle de Antón
Budget Option: Bodhi Hostel & Lounge
Midrange: Armadillo Shelter (AirBnB) or The Golden Frog Inn (pictured)
Luxury Choice: Casa Madre Tierra
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Otherwise, if you’re on a tight budget, try Bodhi Hostel & Lounge, which has both dormitories and private rooms available. A well-rated midrange hotel option would be The Golden Frog Inn, while Casa Madre Tierra would be a more luxurious choice. Have a look at the map below for more options.
How to Get to the Trailhead
The main trailhead to the hike is at the end of Calle La Pintada, at the northeastern edge of town. However, I highly recommend choosing a less popular way up the mountain, to avoid the crowds and make it a round-hike. We started our ascent farther south, near the town’s baseball pitch.
We took a taxi there (tell them to drop you at ‘cuadro la reforma’), but if you’re not in a rush, you can also walk to the trailhead. Once at the baseball diamond, simply follow the road west and turn right at the end, where a trail starts climbing up the mountain slope.
How Long Does the Hike Take?
The entire hike took us about 2 hours, with a few stops on top of the ridge, as well as at the petroglyphs and waterfalls on the way down.
How Much Does the Hike Cost?
The entrance fee to the hike is said to be 3$, but we didn’t see anyone collecting the fee, neither at the trailhead nor at the end of the hike.
A Description of the India Dormida Hike
This short description of the hike follows the alternative route we took to avoid the crowds and make it a round-trip. Starting from the baseball pitch at the western end of town, you’ll have to follow the road west until the end and then turn right (north) to start climbing the crater wall.
After passing a few houses, the trail enters a small patch of forest and steadily climbs up the slope in serpentines. Once you’ve left the trees behind you, the first impressive views of the valley open up. Once you’ve reached the highest point of the trail, you’ll have to turn right to follow the crater rim north.
The views opening up of the entire volcanic caldera with the spread-out houses and tree-lined roads of the village are absolutely stunning, but be sure to also watch your step, as the trail is narrow and the drop steep. When we were up there, it was also super windy, so make sure not to step too close to the edge.
Continuing north, you’ll have to climb up and down several steep slopes, before reaching the actual India Dormida ‘summit’, which is marked by a heavily-contested bench. Take a minute to enjoy the views before continuing north along the trail, which soon starts leading downwards.
After climbing down some rocks, you’ll pass through a grove of impressively large strangler figs, before continuing downwards. Keep your eyes peeled for the Piedra del Sapo, a large rock slap marked with prehistoric petroglyphs to the left of the trail.
The rock has been marked with a series of carvings depicting various geometric forms as well as local plants and animals (have a look for the frog!). Dating petroglyphs is notoriously difficult, so it’s hard to tell how long ago they were created, but we found them impressive in any case.
Continuing down the trail, you’ll pass various small waterfalls worth a short detour, before finally reaching a much bigger (and more popular) rock with petroglyphs of more geometric forms. This is locally known as the ‘Piedra Pintada’ (translating to painted rocks, although the colours have clearly been added recently to make the carvings more visible).
After that, the final part of the trail will lead past some private homes, where you can buy a well-deserved duro (a popsicle made by freezing fruit juice in a plastic bag) from the locals. We tried a tamarind-flavoured one and weren’t disappointed. Finally, the trail will join Calle La Pintada, which you can follow east to get back to the town centre.
Map of the India Dormida Hike
Check out the map below if you’d like to follow the route we took on our hike of La India Dormida.
Where to Go Next
The Little-Visited Altos de Campana National Park