Travel Tips

Fishing excursions

There are many resorts that offer fishing services in El Salvador. There are Tuna fish, Blue Marlin, Mackerel, and many other species of deepwater game fishes. You can also do some bottom fishing where you have a chance to catch Snappers, Blue Crevally, Scribbled Filefish, and others.

La Libertad

La Libertad surf beaches is one of the best surfing beaches in the whole Central American region. It is also among the top ten in the world. A lot of surfers from around the world visit El Salvador for its surfing beaches all year round because of the challenge of El Salvador's surf.

Los Chorros

It is a series of large, refreshing natural pools fed, one pool to the next, by clear spring water from overhanging volcanic cliffs. This site is part of the Turicentros program and a favorite day trip for people from San Salvador as well as visitors. Visit during the week for complete relaxation.

Balboa Park

70 acres of lush flora, myriad birds, sloth and rabbits, the park is 12 kms from San Salvador´s downtown and is also a part of the Turicentros program. A skating rink, soccer field, miles of meandering trails, good examples of pre-Colombian style sculptures and many shaded picnic areas contribute to making this park a relaxing spot for wiling away a day.
Several outdoor cafes offer the local and visitors pupusas which are tortillas stuffed with meat, beans, and cheese, they are served with pickles.
(take bus #12 - Mil Cumbres on avenida 29 de Agosto and 12a Calle Poniente)

The Devil's Doorway

Two huge rocks on the edge of a deep precipice frame the view of the valley lying far below. The "doorway" is approximately 1km south of Balboa Park on the summit of Chulo Hill, 1,000 meters above sea level.

Los Planes Lookout Point

Located to the east of Balboa Park on the road that goes to the Indian village of Panchimalco. The lookout, on the edge of a deep gorge, offers one of the most beautiful panoramic views of San Salvador with Ilopango Lake in the distance. You will find many cafeterias serves typical foods and cold drinks. (take the same bus #12 for Balboa Park)

National Zoo

Considered the most modern zoo in Central America, it houses a large collection of local and foreign fauna. The zoo is designed so that the animals enjoy a habitat as close as possible their own natural one. Open every day except Mondays and Tuesdays from 9am-5pm. A small fee is charged.
(it is in the downtown are. Take bus #2 on Cathedral west side)

Panchimalco Indian Village

According to historians, its name in Nahuat language means "site of flags and shields". The village site is located in a picturesque geological depression and archaeological finds indicate that it was an important area during pre-Colombian times. There is an interesting colonial church here that dates from 1725 and has been classified a national historical monument. You can also find typical food and cold drinks. Ask for a special alcoholic drink which is called chicha.

David J. Gusman National Museum

Home of an interesting collection of pre-Columbian objects dating from the pre-classic period of 1500 BC until late post-classic period, around 1200-1525 AD. Open daily except Monday from 9am-12noon and 2pm-5pm. Free admission. (take bus #34 on 4a. Calle Poniente and 7a Avenida Sur, 1/2 block south of Hotel Ritz)

Montecristo

Montecristo is a rainforest. It is the most important and most protected rainforest in El Salvador. Montecristo has a diverse fauna and flora that will entrance anyone who visits, so that a visit in Montecristo is truly an ultimate ecotourism adventure that should be included in your itinerary.

El Salvador is a small country located in Central America with a land area of 21,000 Km2 and beautiful lakes and beaches. Los Cobanos (located in the Pacific Ocean) is one of the most beautiful diving places and it is located to 80 Km from San Salvador. You can visit one of the diving centers in San Salvador and make arrangements to dive in Los Cobanos. However, it is not recommended to dive in that place during the winter season (April to November) because the visibility is almost zero. During the summer if the conditions are right you can see Morays Eals, Angel Fishes, Eagle Mantas, Green Turtles, Lobsters, etc. If you are going to visit El Salvador and you want to practice scuba diving during the winter season is better to visit Coatepeque or Ilopango Lakes. Coatepeque lake is located in Santa Ana (60 km from San Salvador) surrounded by Cerro Verde and the Santa Ana and Izalco Volcanoes, into this crater with lots of water life you can see Catfish, Guapote, Zebra fish, etc. Ilopango Lake is located in San Salvador and it is the biggest lake in El Salvador, It has big islands and big cliffs going down. One of the most beautiful places to dive in Ilopango Lake is Los Cerros Quemados. We also have El Coatepeque Lake.

Lake Ilopango (now 15 kms long and 8 kms wide) was formed in the aftermath of this gigantic explosion. A more recent eruption in the early 1880s created the Cerros Quemados (Burnt Hills) Islands that literally rose up in the middle of the lake, a natural channel (Río Jiboa) was formed on the eastern side, and the resultant drainage left a volcanic island in the centre of the lake. In 1928 the water again rose, destroying houses along the shoreline. The lake has since become a popular tourist resort, with activity centred on the towns of Asino and Ilopango on the western shore. Today Ilopango, only 15 kms from San Salvador, is a popular spot for watersports and recreation. The hotel and restaurant "Vistalago" and the restaurant "Mirador 70" make for a pleasant stop—offering nice accommodations if you decide to spend the night and excellent menus, plus a spectacular panoramic view of the lake.

La Laguna Botanical Garden

Perhaps the only garden in the world to be located in the crater of an extinct volcano. The 7 acre garden centers around a small lagoon centered in the crater's bottom and is surrounded on the slopes by dense woods which act as windbrakes. For more than a century Salvadoreans have devoted themselves to making these gardens a place of beauty showcasing rare species of local and foreign plants.
Open Tuesday - Friday from 10am-5pm and weekends from 10am-6pm

On the Chinameca Mountain Range we find Tecapa Volcano. Nestled at its peak, a beautiful emerald green lagoon lagoon is formed in the crater, over a sulfur bed. This is known as “Alegría” Lagoon, and is one of the most beautiful places in the country. There are fumaroles and hotsprings, attributed healing powers due to its high sulfur.

In 1891 the name of the town of Tecapa, which means lake of stones, was replaced with its actual name of “Alegría”

San Salvador Volcano

Towering over the city that bears its name, the long dormant volcano offers spectacular views and opportunities to hike along well maintained trails into the crater itself. You can watch the volcano through this webcam link http://www.webcams.travel/webcam/1249045114-Weather-San-Salvador-Volcano-San-Salvador-Vulkan-El-Progreso. There are a lot of volcanoes in El Salvador and several of them are open for hiking. There is the Ilamatepec which is about 2365 meters, the Tehutepec which is 2050 meters, the Izalco which is 1910 meters, Quetzaltepec which is 1960 meters and a lot more. Guides are available to assist and tour tourist through the hike through the volcanoes of El Salvador.

This bay has the largest mangroves in the country,
abundant fish, and is home to hundreds of exotic birds; all of this, in an
environment of sun and beach, mixed with the delicious and soft scent
of coconut. This is Jiquilisco Bay, one of the most beautiful maritime
ecosystems in El Salvador.
It is located in the coastal area of Usulután department, a little over 100 km
from San Salvador City, in the municipality of Jiquilisco. This is a natural reserve
along 55 km of coastline. It has the largest mangrove forest and is one of the
richest in natural resources in the entire country. Studies have identified 54 species
of exotic birds and curious reptiles such as serpents like the “masacuata” and boas,
as well as iguanas, turtles and crocodiles

Fortunately, in El Salvador, there is a pre-Columbian Mayan farming village, Joya del Ceren (“Jewel of Ceren”) that can give visitors a wonderful sense of the scale and organization of quotidian life among the Maya. Joya del Ceren, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1993, has none of the vast scale of Calakmul or Tikal. Its adobe houses, communal baths and public structures were all built at a far smaller, more prosaic scale.
Because Joya del Ceren’s building materials were susceptible to erosion and quick decay, it took ash from a nearby volcano that erupted around 600 A.D. to bury the village and protect it from the elements. Archaeologists believe its inhabitants were able to flee the eruption in time, so the story of Joya del Ceren’s fate is generally a happy one at both ends of the time scale.

In their haste to escape, the villagers left behind utensils, textiles, food, ceramics, furniture and all of the other accouterments of daily life. The village lay hidden until 1976 when it was discovered by Payson Sheets, an anthropology professor at the University of Colorado in Boulder. Sheets almost immediately began excavating the site, a process that has continued ever since.

The subspecialty involved in the excavation here is called “household archaeology.” In many ways the excavation at Joya del Ceren resembles the process of excavation at Pompeii and Herculaneum, the two Roman cities buried under Vesuvius’ ashes to which the Mayan town has often been compared.

The Maya 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 artifacts found at Tazumal provide evidence of ancient and active trade between Tazumal and places as far away as Panama and Mexico.

Coatepeque is a volcanic lake situated about an hour from San Salvador. It is much older than Ilopango, though created by a similar catastrophic eruption some five to six thousand years ago. It is on the eastern slope of the Santa Ana volcano. It is a beautiful, clean, and sparkling blue crater-shaped lake, 6 kms wide and 120 meters deep and surrounded by steep green slopes rising up 250 to 500 meters. The scenic road between the Interamerican Highway and CA8, known as the "panoramic highway" for its marvelous views, curls along the steep ridge of the crater giving you glimpses of the broad fertile valleys on one side and the lake on the other.

Along the shore of the lake there are several private beachhouses as this is a popular Salvadorean weekend get-a-way. There are also beachfront hotels accommodating visitors.