Quick Facts

Capital: San Salvador
Languages: Spanish, Nahua (among some Amerindians)
Population: 6,122,515 (July 2000 est.)
People: 90% Mestizo (Spanish and Indian descent), 9% European descent and 1% indigenous population
Religion: Christianity
Language: Spanish
Currency: US dollars and Salvadoran Colon

Stacking Your Post Cards

Los Chorros
Los Chorros 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.

Lago de Ilopango
Formed in a giant volcano crater the lake, at 15 km long, 8 km wide and 248 metres deep, is the largest lake in El Salvador and a popular spot for fishing, boating and swimming. A Turicentro is located in the village of Apulo located near the lake and offering restaurants, picnic spots and boating. Fresh lake fish is a local speciality in the many restaurants rimming the lake in the village and there are a few basic hotels.

Balboa Park
70 acres of lush flora, myriad birds, sloth and rabbits, the park is 12 kms from downtown San Salvador 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 corn cakes stuffed with meats and beans, cooked on a grill and called pupusas.

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. A cafeteria serves typical foods. (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.

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.

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. Admission free. (take bus #34 on 4a. Calle Poniente and 7a Avenida Sur, 1/2 block south of Hotel Ritz)

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.

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.

Destination Guides

San Salvador
Sprawling across the Valle de las Hamacas at the foot of the mighty Volcán San Salvador is the urban melee of San Salvador, El Salvador's chaotic, frenetic and polluted capital. It's a city which is unlikely to win many hearts – on first impressions at least – with its crumbling buildings, raucous traffic and surrounding fringe of shantytowns. Earthquakes have robbed the city of most of its colonial architecture and under-investment in public buildings is often painfully obvious, while the legacy of war has left large slices of society without employment or opportunity. The daily theatre that passes for street life in the city centre reflects all of these factors, showing the public face of a metropolis that goes about its business without recourse to many of the advantages of Western cities.

For all that, San Salvador is a modernizing city, and the authorities are making a determined effort to create a more attractive environment in the old centro histórico. The plazas and parks have all been renovated and many of the city's street traders moved into indoor markets in order to free up pavement space and aid traffic flow. Extra police have been deployed on the streets and, although much work remains to be done, the city is a more pleasant place to visit than just a few years ago. A stay, however short, in El Salvador's capital is probably inevitable, and many people find it easier to get used to the place than they imagined, appreciating the diversions and services it offers – restaurants, bars, shopping, cinemas – that are unavailable in the rest of the country.

San Salvador is also a surprisingly green city, with a canopy of lush vegetation shrouding even the most unlikely of neighbourhoods, and a ring of encircling mountains that seem at times close enough to touch. Dominating the skyline to the north is Volcán San Salvador, accessible via the town of Santa Tecla, 13km from the city, while in the hills to the south lies the lush, extensive Parque Balboa, from where there are vistas right across to the Pacific coast. Beneath the park to the east is the predominantly indigenous village of Panchimalco, with its splendid colonial church. Fifteen kilometres east from the city is the country's largest crater lake, Lago de Ilopango, stunningly beautiful and with views on a clear day across to the peaks of Volcán Chichontepec, whilst to the west are the natural gorge, waterfalls and pools of Los Chorros, a favourite weekend retreat for harrassed city dwellers.