El Salvador
In
The United Kingdom and Ireland

El Salvador invites everyone to enjoy its cities, its nature, its beaches and landscapes; to discover the flavors of its traditional meals and to know its culture and traditions. A country with modern hotel infrastructure, technology outpost, warm climate and an excellent geographic location in the Heart of Central America. One of the few places of the world where still are tropical forests droughts in natural reserves. Whilst in El Salvador there are a lot of ways to learn about the colonial crafts, traditions, gastronomy, history, towns and archaeology of the country. It offers the tourist an ideal landscape to enjoy vacations in the outdoors, with more than 300 kilometres of beach, colourful lakes, rivers and shining swimming pools that are source of satisfaction for all that one that it yearns for to be able to realise aquatic activities. El Salvador, is certainly a place worth visiting.

Manos Artesanas - Miguel Servellón

The Route Of the attractive Flowers offers its visitors its colourful towns. To follow the journey to the "Route of the flowers" you have to travel through the highway that leads of Santa Tecla to Sonsonate. Throughout it one can admire an extensive and varied vegetation in the zone. The trajectory is very pleasant, you will be able to observe the Mountain range of the Bálsamo, to the right the extensive sugar channels blooming at time of winter covering the skirts of the volcano of Izalco. The Route of the Flowers includes 5 cities: Nahuizalco, Salcoatitán, Juayua, Apaneca and Ataco all these cities have vast cultural and historical tradition, areas of attractive natural beauty, excellent climate and gorgeous landscapes.

El Pital - Rodolfo Villeda

Interesting route that approximately expands through 100 kilometres from the capital city to the highest point of El Salvador (hill El Pital 2730 Ms. S.N.M.) in which you will be able to visit an archaeological site, artisan towns, with much history as well as excellent places to practice the Eco-tourism and Agro-tourism. Leaving San Salvador, by the main highway of the north, going towards the north of the Salvadorean territory, you come across the famous city of Aguilares, were one of the more important archaeological sites of the country: Cihuatan is found (it has not yet reach total excavation). During the route you will be able to visit such tourist attractions in as Cihuatan, Colima, Las Palmas, Miramundo, Citala, and the Church of El Pllar.

Ruins of the Scool of Arts, Santa Ana - Miguel Servellón

This route involves a journey through archaeological sites where it is possible to be found physical information and structures of the forms of life of our ancestors; the Mayan World. Through this route you will be able to know explore the archaeological sites of: Joyas de Cerén declared (declared Patrimony of the Humanity by UNESCO).

View from "Café Miranda - Rodolfo Villeda

This Route is ideal for those people who love coffee and who enjoy the contact with nature whilst on a pleasant atmosphere and surrounded by an exquisite aroma of coffee. This Tourist Route involves a route by diverse places that are use and help on the growth, produce, and development of coffee cultivate in this part of El Salvador. You would visit coffee growers, learn about the sales of crafts, learn about the hydra-cultures, besides enjoying the typical gastronomy of this zone and very important historical places for our country. As the name suggests, throughout this journey you will be able to enjoy exquisite coffee in all forms of preparation.

Flowers - Miguel Servellón

Interesting route that ascends from the Eastern coastal plain of El Salvador to the summit of the Tecapa Mountain range, in which you will have the opportunity to explore a forest which serves as habitat for the spider monkey, which can be seen early in the morning and the dusk. Also, you will enjoy wonderful views of landscapes towards the coast reaching all the way to the charming town of Alegría, which has long been a cradle of illustrious men. This, is a site where beautiful flowers and excellent coffee are cultivated, and it is also, were one of the most beautiful lagoons of the country, the Lagoon of Alegría ("The Emerald of America") is.

Traditional Customs - Rodolfo Villeda

This route has been named like this to honor the period of tranquillity that has been enjoyed in the zone, after 12 years military civil war. This area has a great history, and it was once the main scene of great battles between the guerrilla and the Salvadorean army. The route of La Paz is located in the department of Morazán and includes a varied number of towns, in which indigenous traditions and costumes can be observed. The department of Morazán is located in the Eastern zone of El Salvador; around 167 kilometers from the Capital city of San Salvador.

Axul Diconte, City of Ataco. - Rodolfo Villeda

This route allows to discover El Salvador through the shaped manifestations of material culture in the rich one, varied and wonderful crafts. The journey covers the area of Suchitoto (in Nahuatl language it means "Place of the bird flower"), in the department of Cuscatlán. A town considered colonial, with a great architectonic beauty and cultural wealth. It was declared the "Capital of culture of El Salvador".

Izalco, Sonsonate - Miguel Servellón

The churches and convents constructed by religious orders can be found all over the country. Wonderful examples of the architectonic styles baroque and classic (churriqueresque) are predominant in the style of construction and can be found in the church of Candlemas in San Salvador. Others include the church of Sonsonate; the great church of Huizúcar in the department of the La Libertad; the church of Metapán; and the church of our Lady of del Pilar, in San Vicente with its facade covered with unforgettable decorations. These buildings are a delight for the lovers of art as much by their architecture as by the art works that decorate their walls. The city of Santa Ana is proud of its wealth in colonial architecture perfectly exposed in its majestic Cathedral that with its European style impresses the tourists. The "Basilica La Ceiba de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe" in San Salvador, is a colorful and sumptuous basillica, surrounded by high trees of pine. The oldest church in teh country is the " Church of Panchimalco" located in the town of the same name. This town is also the host of such festivals as "The Fair of Las Palmas " and " The Dance of the Historiantes".

Izalco Volcano and "Cerro Verde" - Miguel Servellón

The majority of the land of the country is mountainous. There are more than 25 volcanos extinguished throughout the country. Many have great craters that show petrified lava flows. There volcanos of San Miguel, Santa Ana, Izalco are often refereed to as "dormidos" (in English, sleeping) as they have have the potential to be active but given they have not display their activity in some years they are consider to be sleeping. The last time the volcano of San Salvador erupted was in 1917, and currently shows no evidence of upcoming activity. The highest volcano of teh country is teh volcano of Santa Ana or " Lamatepec" reaching 7.804 feet above the sea level. The volcano of Izalco reaches 6.000 feet of height and is located in the department of Sonsonate. Until 1957, it's sparkles and smoke were visible from the Pacific, serving as guide to the "Lights of the Pacifico" ships referred to precisely by this reason.

Lempa River, San Vicente - Miguel Servellón

The fluvial system of the country is divided in to ten different river basins according to the climate, geography and the vegetation. They are including the Lempa rivers, the Goascorán, Rio Grande of San Miguel, Torola, Paz and Jiboa. The Lempa River originates in the mountains of Guatemala and has the greatest volume of water ending at the Pacific Ocean in the American Continent, after crossing our territory by 325 kilometres. Two hydroelectric plants are located in the Lempa River supplying the country with needs of electrical energy.

Lake of Ilopango. - Miguel Servellón

Other magnificent natural beauties in the national territory are the lakes. The most important lakes in the country are: The Ilopango (9 miles of San Salvador), the lake of Coatepeque in the department of Santa Ana, and the Guija lakel, shared with Guatemala.

Salinitas - Miguel Servellón

Bordering almost entirely to the South with the Pacific Ocean the country owns 45 wild beaches and 300 km of coast. From the crystal beach at the "Barra de Santiago" in Ahuachapán till the skies looking over the beaches of "Tamarindo" in La Union, El Salvador has a little bit of something for everyone. The tropical climate and the beauty of their landscape make of Salvadorean Pacific Coast one of the favourite places to be visited by it's residents and tourists. The landscape is made up of a range of rocky steep and great geologic structures as they are formation covered with tropical vegetation. From the West to the East of the coast, El Salvador has many beaches that can be acceded easily, as they are connected through a Highway. In the West, the "Cóbanos", "Metalío" and "Playa Dorada" are famous for their beautiful recreational centers and their private clubs. Travelling towards the centre of the coast, and only 40 minutes away from the capital city, one can find the beaches of "San Diego" and "Costa del Sol", places surrounded by elegant hotels. To the East one can find the impeccable beaches of "Metalio", the popular beach of "El Cuco", and the famous "Gulf of Fonseca".

Macaw. - Miguel Servellón

As a prolonged misuse and exploitation of land, caused mainly by the excessive use of the wood, many mammals, originally of the plateau, are handicapped or have been consequently extinguished. In order to be able to avoid damages majors to the Earth, reservations areas have settled down where the flora and the fauna are intact. Between the most important we can mention: The Trifinio, Montecristo, the Forest of the Impossible, Mountain Park of the Cerro Verde, Park Walter Deininger and the Lagoon of the Jocotal. In spite of everything there are still over 400 different bird species in the country, amongst them 17 hummingbird in danger of extinction.

La Gran Via, Dressed for Christmas - Rodolfo Villeda

El Salvador has a vast number of shopping centers, supermarkets, and independent shops. Amongst the shopping centres we can name : "La Gran Vía", "Multiplaza" and "Cascadas" en the department of La Libertad; "Galerías Escalón" and "Metrocentro" in San Salvador; and "Metrocentro Santa Ana" and "Metrocentro San Miguel" in the departments of the same name.