diff --git a/virtcontainers/clh.go b/virtcontainers/clh.go
index b3c3d20e04..07bd97c2b3 100644
--- a/virtcontainers/clh.go
+++ b/virtcontainers/clh.go
@@ -6,10 +6,10 @@
 package virtcontainers
 
 import (
-	"bytes"
 	"context"
 	"encoding/json"
 	"fmt"
+	"io/ioutil"
 	"net"
 	"net/http"
 	"os"
@@ -61,7 +61,6 @@ const (
 	clhAPISocket          = "clh-api.sock"
 	clhLogFile            = "clh.log"
 	virtioFsSocket        = "virtiofsd.sock"
-	clhSerial             = "serial-tty.log"
 	supportedMajorVersion = 0
 	supportedMinorVersion = 5
 	defaultClhPath        = "/usr/local/bin/cloud-hypervisor"
@@ -120,7 +119,6 @@ type cloudHypervisor struct {
 	APIClient clhClient
 	version   CloudHypervisorVersion
 	vmconfig  chclient.VmConfig
-	cmdOutput bytes.Buffer
 	virtiofsd Virtiofsd
 	store     persistapi.PersistDriver
 }
@@ -290,13 +288,8 @@ func (clh *cloudHypervisor) createSandbox(ctx context.Context, id string, networ
 
 	// set the serial console to the cloud hypervisor
 	if clh.config.Debug {
-		serialPath, err := clh.serialPath(clh.id)
-		if err != nil {
-			return err
-		}
 		clh.vmconfig.Serial = chclient.ConsoleConfig{
-			Mode: cctFILE,
-			File: serialPath,
+			Mode: cctTTY,
 		}
 
 	} else {
@@ -372,17 +365,12 @@ func (clh *cloudHypervisor) startSandbox(timeout int) error {
 	var strErr string
 	strErr, pid, err := clh.LaunchClh()
 	if err != nil {
-		return fmt.Errorf("failed to launch cloud-hypervisor: %s, error messages from log: %s", err, strErr)
-	}
-	clh.state.PID = pid
-
-	if err := clh.waitVMM(clhTimeout); err != nil {
-		clh.Logger().WithField("error", err).WithField("output", clh.cmdOutput.String()).Warn("cloud-hypervisor init failed")
 		if shutdownErr := clh.virtiofsd.Stop(); shutdownErr != nil {
 			clh.Logger().WithField("error", shutdownErr).Warn("error shutting down Virtiofsd")
 		}
-		return err
+		return fmt.Errorf("failed to launch cloud-hypervisor: '%s', hypervisor output:\n%s", err, strErr)
 	}
+	clh.state.PID = pid
 
 	if err := clh.bootVM(ctx); err != nil {
 		return err
@@ -775,18 +763,10 @@ func (clh *cloudHypervisor) vsockSocketPath(id string) (string, error) {
 	return utils.BuildSocketPath(clh.store.RunVMStoragePath(), id, clhSocket)
 }
 
-func (clh *cloudHypervisor) serialPath(id string) (string, error) {
-	return utils.BuildSocketPath(clh.store.RunVMStoragePath(), id, clhSerial)
-}
-
 func (clh *cloudHypervisor) apiSocketPath(id string) (string, error) {
 	return utils.BuildSocketPath(clh.store.RunVMStoragePath(), id, clhAPISocket)
 }
 
-func (clh *cloudHypervisor) logFilePath(id string) (string, error) {
-	return utils.BuildSocketPath(clh.store.RunVMStoragePath(), id, clhLogFile)
-}
-
 func (clh *cloudHypervisor) waitVMM(timeout uint) error {
 	clhRunning, err := clh.isClhRunning(timeout)
 
@@ -877,8 +857,6 @@ func (clh *cloudHypervisor) getAvailableVersion() error {
 
 func (clh *cloudHypervisor) LaunchClh() (string, int, error) {
 
-	errStr := ""
-
 	clhPath, err := clh.clhPath()
 	if err != nil {
 		return "", -1, err
@@ -886,36 +864,54 @@ func (clh *cloudHypervisor) LaunchClh() (string, int, error) {
 
 	args := []string{cscAPIsocket, clh.state.apiSocket}
 	if clh.config.Debug {
-
-		logfile, err := clh.logFilePath(clh.id)
-		if err != nil {
-			return "", -1, err
-		}
-		args = append(args, cscLogFile)
-		args = append(args, logfile)
+		args = append(args, "-vvv")
 	}
 
 	clh.Logger().WithField("path", clhPath).Info()
 	clh.Logger().WithField("args", strings.Join(args, " ")).Info()
 
-	cmd := exec.Command(clhPath, args...)
-	cmd.Stdout = &clh.cmdOutput
-	cmd.Stderr = &clh.cmdOutput
+	cmdHypervisor := exec.Command(clhPath, args...)
 
 	if clh.config.Debug {
-		cmd.Env = os.Environ()
-		cmd.Env = append(cmd.Env, "RUST_BACKTRACE=full")
+		cmdHypervisor.Env = os.Environ()
+		cmdHypervisor.Env = append(cmdHypervisor.Env, "RUST_BACKTRACE=full")
+	}
+
+	hypervisoOutput, err := cmdHypervisor.StdoutPipe()
+	if err != nil {
+		return "", -1, err
 	}
+	cmdHypervisor.Stderr = cmdHypervisor.Stdout
 
-	if err := utils.StartCmd(cmd); err != nil {
-		fmt.Println("Error starting cloudHypervisor", err)
-		if cmd.Process != nil {
-			cmd.Process.Kill()
+	err = utils.StartCmd(cmdHypervisor)
+	if err != nil {
+		return "Failed to start hypervisor", 0, errors.Errorf("Failed to start hypervisor: %s", err)
+	}
+
+	if err := clh.waitVMM(clhTimeout); err != nil {
+		clh.Logger().WithField("error", err).Warn("cloud-hypervisor init failed")
+		var output string
+
+		b, errRead := ioutil.ReadAll(hypervisoOutput)
+		if errRead != nil {
+			output = "failed to read hypervisor output to get error information"
+		} else {
+			output = string(b)
+		}
+
+		return output, -1, err
+	}
+
+	if clh.config.Debug {
+		cmdLogger := utils.NewProgramLogger("kata-hypervisor")
+		clh.Logger().Debugf("Starting process logger(%s) for hypervisor", cmdLogger)
+		if err := cmdLogger.StartLogger(hypervisoOutput); err != nil {
+			// Not critical to run a container, but output wont be logged
+			clh.Logger().Warnf("Failed start process logger(%s) %s", cmdLogger, err)
 		}
-		return errStr, 0, err
 	}
 
-	return errStr, cmd.Process.Pid, nil
+	return "", cmdHypervisor.Process.Pid, nil
 }
 
 //###########################################################################
@@ -928,11 +924,11 @@ const (
 	cctOFF  string = "Off"
 	cctFILE string = "File"
 	cctNULL string = "Null"
+	cctTTY  string = "Tty"
 )
 
 const (
 	cscAPIsocket string = "--api-socket"
-	cscLogFile   string = "--log-file"
 )
 
 //****************************************
diff --git a/virtcontainers/utils/utils.go b/virtcontainers/utils/utils.go
index 85c554896a..b4e105f345 100644
--- a/virtcontainers/utils/utils.go
+++ b/virtcontainers/utils/utils.go
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ import (
 	"crypto/rand"
 	"errors"
 	"fmt"
+	"io"
 	"os"
 	"os/exec"
 	"path/filepath"
@@ -275,3 +276,23 @@ const (
 	MiB          = KiB << 10
 	GiB          = MiB << 10
 )
+
+// Binary to use to log program output
+const LoggerBinryName = "systemd-cat"
+
+type ProgramLogger struct {
+	cmd *exec.Cmd
+}
+
+func NewProgramLogger(loggerLabel string) ProgramLogger {
+	return ProgramLogger{cmd: exec.Command(LoggerBinryName, "-t", loggerLabel)}
+}
+
+func (p *ProgramLogger) StartLogger(output io.ReadCloser) error {
+	p.cmd.Stdin = output
+	return StartCmd(p.cmd)
+}
+
+func (p ProgramLogger) String() string {
+	return p.cmd.Path
+}