San Salvador Centro |
Pupusa, a flat bread made out of corn/rice flour stuffed with beans or meat, and cheese |
cash or card to pay but at the time they were only accepting cash. Then you need to present this card to the immigration officer, who will then stamp you in with some basic questions like where you're staying etc. The whole process takes about 30 minutes, depending on how many flights have landed. Once that is done you are free to leave the airport, after the baggage claim area. I was picked up by one of my accommodation owner's guys, who was waiting outside with my name.
Santa Ana Centro |
Lago de Coatepeque |
I reached Santa Ana around noon, as I took a detour to Lake Coatepeque, though it was a little hazy for prefect views. In the evening, I explored the Santa Ana centro which was a few minutes walk from my hotel.
Day 3 (Volcano Santa Ana) After having a sumptious breakfast at my Santa Ana hotel, I left for the main attraction of my visit the Santa Ana Volcano hike. I started my car ride at around 7:30 am, and it a little more than an hour on the curvy hilly road around lake
Vista along the hike |
Once the group leaves, there a small announcement of what to carry, what to do and not to do and so on, before beginning the hike up. The hike starts off fairly easy with only slight inclines and declines through a forest. Then, you will get a small section of the road followed by another forest section. This is where you pay the $6 to enter the volcano part of the hike. This is also where it starts to get more difficult. It is about 3km of walking uphill and, in some parts, over rocks.
After 1.5-2 hours later, depending on your speed and fitness level, you will arrive at the top of Santa Ana Volcano. This is where you see the turquoise lake in the crater, apparently
, the weather can greatly affect what you can see during this hike. We were fortunate to see the lake and I was also able to fly my drone up at the crater.
Tazumal |
Day 4 (Tazumal Park and Nuevo Cuscatlán)This was my last day in Santa Ana and I wanted to visit the Tazumal mayan ruins before I left the city. The ruins are about an 30 minutes away by car, and I was able to get to the park which opens at 9am. There are 2 ar
chaeological sites in Chalchuapa. El Tazumal and La Casa Blanca. Tazumal is a pre-Columbian Maya archeological site inhabited since the Preclassic period and that is as far back as 2000 BC. The fee is 5 USD for foreigners, and you can explore at your own pace. There is a map that tells you the main structures within the site.
Planes de Renderos Lookout |
My lunch on my way |
I was told not to fly the drone here by the guard, but I'd already flown and captured some footage by then, so I just brought it back after he warned me, but he was generally chill about it.
Afternoon, I reached by Airbnb in Nuevo Custcatán and after a short nap, took a car ride to a lookout point (pic above) about 30 minutes away, where you can get a view the greater San Salvador metro area.
Fish soup with a view |
La Libertad Coast |
This brought to an end an amazing 5 days of travelling in the small Central American country of El Salvador. Though smallest of the all in the region, you can surely pack a lot of things to do, in a vert short time.
What businesses did I use?
Hotel in Santa Ana: Remfort
Stay near Airport: https://casadedescansopoderdedios.com/?lang=en
Airline: Avianca