Traveling to El Salvador- Many great site seeing options, travel-safety tips- September 2015
El Salvador
There are many non stop direct flights from major cities in the USA as I flew on Avianca in less than 5 hrs. No shots or vaccines are necessary and you pay a small $10 visa fee when you enter customs into the country.
First stop was the capital San Salvador where you fly into. Visit the 2 churches and the downtown plaza where it is safe but do not wander off from that area. One day is sufficient and a nice hotel to stay with a swimming pool, breakfast and wifi is called The Mirador Plaza.
The next day we drove to one of the many volcanos for a mini hike and awesome view of the crater. Then we stopped at libertade port on the ocean where the country is investing a lot of money to promote tourism. The seaside port has a great fish market and restaurants with mariachis overlooking the ocean. From there, we drove to picturesque Jiquilisco Bay,. The Puerto Barillas is the place to stay with its resort type feel and beautiful views of the bay. They have cabin like apartments with kitchens and tree houses without.
We then took a tour to check out sea turtles which can be set up by the hotel. The fishermen will catch a turtle by planting a net and bring the turtle into the boat to see and feel before releasing the turtle back into the water. We stopped at a local beach for lunch before going for a swim in the 85 plus degree water which felt great. We took the 30 minute boat ride back and watched the incredible sunset. We had turkey sandwiches before getting a good night sleep. In the morning, I went for a nice kayak ride myself adjacent to the hotel before enjoying breakfast. Just be careful getting into the water as it can be slippery.
It was then off to a couple great tours- the first one was visiting the spider monkeys in the Forrest as they were very friendly and loved when I fed them bananas. Next was visiting the cacao plantation to see how the organic chocolate is made from plants. We then took off for a 2-3 hr drive to Suchitoto.
We checked into The Almendros de San Lorenzo intimate boutique hotel & restaurant. The rooms and place is very quaint with a nice swimming pool and background music played in the lobby and patio. This town is small with cobblestone streets and local vendors selling their crafts and food downtown 2 blocks away. We ate dinner and breakfast at the hotel and it was very good. The next day was a visit to the indigo plantation (In other words tye dye) where we saw the process of the plant, washing and drying the product into a powder. The powder is mixed with water where you design a scarf or your own shirt. White shirts work best and this is how they make blue jeans. We stopped for lunch (they have some tasty chicken in the country) and then headed to the archeological site before finishing the day in anacapa. The Casa Degraciela was the last hotel of the trip and a very nice boutique bed and breakfast. After a stroll around the little town with many craft and clothing vendors, it was time for a nice dinner in town. This quaint village offered a uniqueness with charm and down to earth setting. The hotel gives you a breakfast form to fill out for your choice of foods, drinks and preferred time while you dine in the outdoor courtyard. The last day we visited a coffee plantation and of course had to buy some. I went for a short zip line adventure there and tried some of the local popular yucca across the street. The last stop was the Mayan ruins as we walked around and visited the museum before heading to the airport to fly home. What a great adventure where I did so much in a short period of time.
Overall, I thought the country was fabulous with lots to do and see. You just have to be careful and when the gang violence gets to a more calm state, this is a must visit. You can still go now but I suggest to get a tour guide and maybe even a driver to play it extra safe. Below are some photos of the trip.
A special thanks to our tour guide Moises, driver Victorino and the ministry of tourism for setting up a great tour and making us feel safe.
Links to the hotels/info below.
Mirador Plaza – www.miradorplaza.com/
Puerto Barillas – www.puertobarillas.com/
Almendros de San Lorenzo – www.hotelsalvador.com
Casa de Graciela – www.casadegraciela.com
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