Beaches

Puerto de la Libertad Beach 

The Puerto La Libertad became a city in 1957. It is situated 34 Km from the capital San Salvador. Its major tourist influx is due to its beaches and its fine cuisine restaurants where you can eat well. The nearest to Puerto de La Libertad beaches are Conchalío, La Paz, El Obispo, El Majahual, Punta Roca and El Sunzal. The latter beach is well known and visited by domestic and foreign lovers surfing because the waves are amongs the best in the world for surfing.

El Puerto de La Libertad is one of the most representative tourist destinations in El Salvador. The resort includes a boardwalk, restaurants and an amphitheater, while small seafood markets and craft shops are located at the wharf. Construction of the first phase of the work was inaugurated on January 6, 2006, and completed in early 2010.

Other beaches located in the municipality include Las Flores, San Diego, El Obispo, La Paz and El Majahual. Among the area's highlights is the Parque Nacional Walter Thilo Deininger(Walter Thilo Deininger National Park), situated on the Coastal Highway (CA-2) near Playa San Diego, going east from La Libertad towards the El Salvador International Airport. The Deiningers were the first German immigrants to settle in the La Libertad department. They established dairies, cattle ranches and coffee plantations.

La Costa del Sol Beach

La Costa del Sol. It is for all types of tourists destination. The Costa del Sol in La Paz, is the longest beach in the country, 15 miles away, has always been considered as one of the most important attractions of the country. It is one of the most important hotel areas of the country and is ideal for all kinds of adventures and water sports.

Costa del Sol is a gem in the setting of El Salvador's many treasures. Hosting sailing, fishing and other water sport activities, the area is also home to celebrations, festivities and fine dining opportunities. Come along an experience the Coast of the Sun!

Costa del Sol is located at Kilometer 66, southwest of the capital San Salvador and in the department of La Paz. The area known as Costa del Sol is in reality divided into three beaches: San Marcelino, Los Blancos and Costa del Sol. Costa del Sol offers the most diverse hotel infrastructure and also has the most specialized areas for practicing sailing and fishing. The sand in Costa del Sol is different to the sand found elsewhere, since it is lighter gray in shade.

El Tunco Beach

A paradise for surfers and coastal nightlife

Characterized by its black sand, its magnificent waves and varied nightlife, La Playa El Tunco is one of the most visited by those who love surfing and nightlife destinations.The beach offers superb waves for the practice of surf, sport professionals and beginners eager to "tame" his first waves approach the beach for their first surfing lessons. It also offers after sunset, an opportunity to enjoy live music, especially "batucada", not to mention restaurants, bars hotels and B, which are in the area. And if it seeks greater harmony with nature there are also areas where you can camp.

Getting there

From San Salvador by car along the road to Puerto de La Libertad, to reach the turn, take the road to El Malecon El Litoral until mile 42. Along the way there are signs that tell you where to enter the beach.

Surfing lessons.

There is variad Lodging offering professional surf lessons fairly cheap prices from $ 15 class, that way you should not worry about getting a place to learn surfing. The best time to learn this wonderful sport is between September and early March for its waves that reach 2 meters.

El Cuco Beach

El cuco is a popular beach town at the east side department of San Miguel, very close from the Fonseca gulf that share El Salvador with Nicaragua and Honduras.

This area is conciderated as one of the best beaches areas in El Salvador, there are around 100 kilometers including beaches like El Espino, Playas Negras, Las Tunas and Tamarindo.

El cuco Town is the biggest town in the area, but the town is veyr small and quiet, the only activity is the fishing and a very quiet tourism, most of it during the weekends.

Fishing it is one of the mayor activities you will see inthe area.You may enyoj of a great fresh seefood meal!!

One of the classic hotel in this area is Tropiclub, this hotel offer a great service for families looking for small suties with private bathroon and airconditioiner, also available budget

Lakes

Coatepeque Lake

Coatepeque Lake , nestled in the foothills of the Santa Ana volcano, is considered one of the ten most beautiful lakes in the world and competed in recent years as one of the new seven wonders of the natural world.

Coatepeque is a volcanic lake and its name in Nahuatl language means "Hill of Snakes". His body of water is around 24.8 km ², and its center reaches 115 meters.

On the banks of the lake there are two rock formations called the "glasses". It also has an island called "Teopan" which was a shrine to the goddess Izqueye (companion of Quetzalcoatl). On the island Teopan the Maya had a temple and a representative of the goddess Ixqueye monolith, female deity of pre-Columbian culture; so in some parts of the island you can see petroglyphs that show the importance of this island for the Indians.

Coatepeque Lake is an ideal condition for ecotourism, the observation of resident and migratory birds, you can hike around the lake, also allows the practice of mountain biking. The lake fishing is practiced, diving and you can tour the waters by kayak, jet ski or boat.

A gazebo and several restaurants overlooking the lake, make more pleasant the visit to this beautiful place.

Lake Coatepeque participated

in 2013 at the

eighth wonder of the world which took second place, and being a favorite for tourists from various countries who have visited destinations. Declared of National Tourist Interest Center Coatepeque is a destination you can not miss, simply because we love at first sight.

Ilopango Lake

Ilopango lake is a crater lake which fills a scenic 8×11 km (72 kmor 28 sq mi) volcanic caldera in central El Salvador, on the borders of the San Salvador, La Paz, andCuscatlán departments. The caldera, which contains the second largest lake in the country and is located immediately east of the capital city, San Salvador, has a scalloped 100 m (330 ft) to 500 m (1,600 ft) high rim. The lake is globally known for being responsible for the infamous Extreme weather events of 535–536, and locally Ilopango lake is known for being a hot spot for UFO sightings. The military airbase, Ilopango International Airport has annual airshows where international pilots form all over the world fly over San Salvador City and Ilopango lake.

Eruptive History

Four major dacitic - rhyolitic eruptions occurred during the late Pleistocene and Holocene, producing pyroclastic flows and tephra that blanketed much of the country.

The caldera collapsed most recently sometime between 410 and 535 AD (based on radiocarbon dating of plant life directly related to the eruption),which produced widespread pyroclastic flows and devastated Mayan cities.

 The eruption produced about 25 km3 (6.0 cu mi) of tephra (20 times as much as the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens), thus rating a 6 on the (VEI) Volcanic Explosivity Index. The "ash-cloud fallout [..] blanketed an area of at least 10,000 square kilometres waist-deep in pumice and ash", which would have stopped all agricultural endeavor in the area for decades.

Later eruptions formed several lava domes within the lake and near its shore. The only historical eruption, which occurred from December 31, 1879, up to March 26, 1880, produced alava dome and had a VEI of 3. The lava dome reached the surface of the lake, forming the islets known as Islas Quemadas.

Suchitlan Lake

Suchitlán "City of Flowers"  is an artificial lake created in 1973 after the construction of the dam Cerrón Grande on the Lempa River has an area of ​​135 km2, being the largest lake in El Salvador. His natural character dominates a large region between the departments of San Salvador, Chalatenango Cuscatlan and, Suchitoto is the site of preference for admission.

Its economic activities include tourism, fishing and marine transportation to the banks. There is an important wildlife, especially fish and waterfowl that give some interest as an ecosystem. You can visit three islands.

The lake is surrounded by villages which could be accessed, San Luis del Carmen, San Francisco Lempa or the emblematic city of Suchitoto. Near this town two miles away is the Puerto San Juan, a modern resort with cafes, various seating areas, dockside boat and ferry.

To address a boat or ferry will help you enjoy the Bird Island wich is a place where resident birds such as herons, ducks and migratory birds can be observed. Another interesting tour is called Hermit Island, this island is a teak forest and camping is allowed. The third path is to the Hacienda Colima This tour lasts 2 hours.