"Visiting El Salvador" a El Salvador Travel Page by gonzalezadonay

El Salvador's name still evokes images of the brutal civil war fought throughout the 1980s in its tangle of mountains and farmlands. The war, however, is over and the most turbulent aspect of El Salvador today is thankfully just its volcanic landscape.

El Salvador offers a whole new experience - watching a country strive to redefine itself. International organizations are helping to rebuild El Salvador, and participating in these developments and talking to the locals about their experiences and hopes are perhaps the most productive ways to visit.

Warning
Petty theft is a problem in El Salvador. Maintain a sensible level of personal security awareness, travel in daylight hours, avoid solo travel, ostantatious displays of wealth and travelling in poor neighbourhoods and downtown San Salvador.

Full country name: Republic of El Salvador
Area: 21,040 sq km
Population: 6.5 million
People: 94% mestizo, 1% indigenous
Language: English, Spanish
Religion: Roman Catholic (75%), Protestant (20%)
Government: republic
Head of State: Supreme Chief of State Elías Antonio Saca

GDP: US$29.4 billion
GDP per capita: US$4,800
Inflation: 3.8%
Major Industries: Textiles, coffee, sugar, beverages, petroleum, chemicals, fertilizer, textiles, furniture, light metals, cotton
Major Trading Partners: USA, Guatemala, Mexico, Costa Rica, Germany

Facts for the Traveler
Visas: US and Canadian citizens do not require a visa but must buy a tourist card upon arrival. The card is valid for 90 days. Citizens of Australia and New Zealand need a visa; citizens of most western European countries do not require a visa or tourist card.
Health risks: rabies, malaria, hepatitis, cholera, typhoid
Time Zone: GMT/UTC -6
Dialling Code: 503
Electricity: 115V ,60Hz
Weights & measures: Metric

When to Go

The dry season (November-April) is the easiest time to visit: roads are in better condition, you won't get drenched every evening and more cultural festivals take place. The biggest holiday periods are from Christmas through mid-January; during Semana Santa, a week-long festival before Easter; and during the first week of August when San Salvador holds its annual festival. Many services shut down during these periods and hotel prices can rise up to 50%. In the rainy season (May-October), prices are lower, beaches less crowded and the evenings slightly cooler after the rainstorms.

Events

The festival day of El Salvador del Mundo, patron saint of El Salvador, is on 6 August. Celebrations in San Salvador begin several days in advance and include a fair and big parade. Other celebrations are held during Semana Santa (the week preceding Easter) and on 12 December, the day of the Virgen de Guadalupe. Each town also has an annual festival to honor its patron saint.

Currency: US Dollar

Meals

Budget: US$3-5
Mid-range: US$5-10
High: US$10-20
Deluxe: US$20+

Lodging

Budget: US$5-10
Mid-range: US$10-20
High: US$20-35
Deluxe: US$35+
You'll pay more for accommodation and food in El Salvador than in neighboring countries, but at least bus transportation is cheap. Budget travelers willing to be resourceful should be able to live on US$15-US$25 a day; travelers wanting more comfortable accommodation and a few sit-down meals should expect to spend US$20 to US$25 a day; and anyone in search of the finer things in El Salvador should budget at least US$30 a day.
In January 2001, the US dollar became the legal currency. It's best to bring US dollars, as it's the only currency that you can be sure of exchanging. Few banks change travelers' checks readily and easily, and the policy seems to differ not only between banks but between branches as well.
A value-added tax (IVA) of 10% is applied to all goods and services in El Salvador; make sure you know whether it's already included in the listed price.

San Salvador
El Salvador's capital lies in a valley at the foot of the San Salvador volcano. Since the valley is a pollution trap that captures the city's horrendous traffic effluvium, it's not the most picturesque place. Shanty towns abound and the streets are lined with people selling just about anything.

La Libertad
This is a 'been there done that' surfer destination with some of the best waves rolled out by the Pacific Ocean. If you don't surf, there's not much else to do in this small seaside town full of dried, diced and just plain dead fish - all emitting a pungent, salty smell.

The closest beach to the capital, La Libertad swells with city folk on weekends. If the crowds get to be too much, head to one of the many beaches along La Costa del Bálsamo, 75km (46mi) of surfable coast stretching west from La Libertad to Acajutla.

Montecristo Cloud Forest
The borders of El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala converge in an area that receives 200cm (80in) of annual precipitation, experiences 100% humidity and rises to an elevation of 2400m (7900ft) - ideal conditions for the Montecristo cloud forest.

Oak and laurel trees grow to 30m (98ft), and their leaves form a canopy impenetrable to sunlight. Ferns, orchids, mushrooms and mosses coat the forest floor, and the local wildlife includes rare and protected spider monkeys, two-fingered anteaters, pumas, agoutis, toucans and striped owls.

Ruinas de Tazumal
The Mayan ruins of Tazumal, considered the most important and best preserved in El Salvador, are in the town of Chalchuapa. In the Quiché language the name Tazumal means 'pyramid where the victims were burned'. The excavated ruins on display here are only one part of a zone covering 10 sq km (4 sq mi), much of it buried under the town.

Archaeologists estimate that the first settlements in the area were around 5000 BC. The excavated structures date from a period spanning over 1000 years. The artefacts found at Tazumal provide evidence of ancient and active trade between Tazumal and places as far away as Panama and Mexico.

Cerro Verde
Cerro Verde national park has two incredible views: the still steaming Volcán Izalco, aka 'the lighthouse of the Pacific'; and the blue volcanic crater lake Lago de Coatepeque on the eastern slope of the Volcán de Santa Ana, the highest volcano in El Salvador.

Volcán Izalco 200 years ago was nothing but a hole in the earth from which columns of black sulfuric smoke would rise. Then a cone began to form and within a short time it grew to is present size of 1910m (6265ft). Izalco continued to erupt into this century, sending out smoke, boulders and flames.

Ilobasco
The name Ilobasco is Nahua for 'place of many corn fields', though today it's a town known for ceramics rather than cereals. It's especially famous for its sorpresas (surprises), tiny, detailed scenes and figures enclosed in egg-shaped shells about the size of a walnut.

Isla Montecristo
Where the Río Lempa meets the Pacific Ocean, mangroves flourish, egrets pose and fish frequently break the river's surface. Despite El Salvador's poor environmental record, the area known as Isla Montecristo is still undeveloped and pristine.

Getting to this spot takes some planning, but you'll be rewarded by the natural scenery and wildlife, and welcomed by the small community who live here. Local families provide food and lodging in their homes and will take you on boat tours of the river and mangroves.

Northern El Salvador
The districts of Chalatenango and Morazán were the principal areas of warfare between the government army and the FMLN guerrillas. The people who fled the area during the war have now returned, and a visit here provides a fascinating opportunity to witness the process of regeneration.

La Palma, a victim of FMLN during the war, is known for its wooden handicrafts, flowering plants, storming rivers and beautiful mountain scenery. Perquín, then FMLN headquarters, now houses the poignant Museo de la Revolucíon Salvadoreña, containing stories, photos, posters, and weapons of the war.