Plan Your Trip
For the adventure traveler, the compact Central American nation of El Salvador is the perfect setting for rafting, surfing, hiking, mountain biking, diving and more – and all of this within a maximum of a scenic 3-hour drive past black-sand beaches, almost two dozen volcanoes, vast green lush valleys and panoramic vistas. In El Salvador you can experience the very best of what this emerging travel destination has to offer, and be amazed at the opportunities to see and participate in new and exciting adventures. On this 9-day/8-night travel experience in El Salvador, you will begin in the capital city of San Salvador, whose wide avenues and boulevards bustle with energy. From there you will travel to the “Green Lagoon,” where after visiting the geysers and hot springs there, you can hike or go mountain biking through cloud forests, followed by an exhilarating ziplining experience through coffee plantations on a forest canopy excursion. And while in the town of Suchitoto, you can go horseback riding across the countryside with ex-guerilla fighters, or go hiking along the banks of the Senoras River. Then too, you’ll have a chance to take surfing lessons from professional surfers, with plenty of time to practice your new skills. All of these active sports adventure are complemented by cultural visits to art galleries, cathedrals, archeological sites and charming colonial towns. And keep in mind that these tours can be tailor-made to fit your particular taste, interests and schedule – letting you decide what you want to experience and what opportunities you don’t want to miss. Your travel designer at Surtek will take care of all the details and organization, allowing you to focus on enjoying the time of your life in El Salvador.
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Upon your arrival at the San Salvador airport, you will be picked up by your guide and driven to the mountains long the Ruta de Las Flores (“The Flower Route”), famous for its abundance of wild growing flowers. This region has beautiful panoramic views of mountainside coffee plantations, lagoons and dense cloud forests. There, you can take a look around the little town of Juayua, which is colorfully decorated with authentic arts and crafts shops.
Accommodations: Hotel Fleur de Lis (3*) OR Hotel Casa Degraciela (4*)
Today we will go looking for adventure around Laguna Verde (“Green Lagoon”), marked by the serenity of its cloud forest surroundings. Here, you can go hiking or mountain biking. The bike tour will start in the Apaneca Mountains and take you to the Laguna Verde Crater Lake, and farther downhill all the way to the nearby colonial town. Alternatively, you can hike to nearby natural attractions such as the local geysers and hot springs (a trek of about 1 to 1-1/2 hours). In the afternoon you will experience a marvelous sensation of flying through the sky as you zipline through a coffee plantation in the Apaneca region. You can slide down more than a total of 2,000 meters of cable, passing fourteen platforms suspended from the tree canopy, 150 meters at a time.
Accommodations: Hotel Fleur de Lis (3*) OR Hotel Casa Degraciela (4*)
This third day of your tour starts at the Joya de Ceren archaeological site, which in 1993 was declared a “World Heritage Site” by UNESCO. This pre-Columbian Maya farming village is so well preserved that it is the only place where you can appreciate the day-to-day life styles of those former inhabitants. Joya de Ceren was buried by several volcanic eruptions that left the village under 14 layers of ash. The villagers were apparently able to escape in time – no bodies have ever been found – although they left behind utensils, ceramics, furniture, and even half-eaten food in their haste to leave. Then will we take off to one of El Salvador’s principal Mayan ruins, the San Andres acropolis, which was inhabited by Maya between 600 and 900 AD; there is also a small museum on site. In the afternoon you will have optional have lunch at Lake Coatepeque, with an amazing view over the lake! …which is a beautiful, sparkling blue crater-shaped body of water that is 6 kms. wide and 120 meters deep, surrounded by the steep green slopes of the Izalco and Santa Ana volcanos.
Accommodations: Hotel Fleur de Lis (3*) OR Hotel Casa Degraciela (4*)
Today we will visit El Salvador's second largest city, Santa Ana, whose architecture is unmatched anywhere else in the country. City highlights include a visit to Santa Ana's Neo-Gothic Cathedral, the Theater and the Palacio Municipal. We will then travel to Nahizalco, a town predominantly made up of the indigenous Pipil people, who occasionally wear their traditional clothing. Once there, we will visit a wooden furniture workshop.
Accommodations: Hotel Fleur de Lis (3*) OR Hotel Casa Degraciela (4*)
We will take off in the morning to the colonial town of Suchitoto, which has grand old colonial houses and church, as well as art galleries. We will go on a historical city tour to all of the interesting points in town. Suchitoto is also close to Lake Suchitlan, which was formed after a river was dammed and produced an ecosystem that offers a great deal of ornithological interest; the lake is abundant in species such as pelicans, herons and storks. Dinner will be at one of the restaurants located on lake, where you can also watch the sun go down.
Accommodations: Hotel El Tejado (3*) OR Hotel Los Almendros de San Lorenzo (4*)
This morning, you can get up early to participate in any of the optional activities offered around Suchitoto. For example, you can go horseback riding to Guazapa with a local ex-guerilla fighter, who will take you to see the former combat areas, campsites, trenches and bomb craters. Guazapa was the site of multiple bombings and military raids as it was a strategic bastion of the rebels for twelve years during repeated attempts by the army to retake the territory. Alternatively, you can go hiking along the bank of the Senoras River, visiting the Zacamil hanging bridge, several viewing points, the El Cubo waterfall and Los Encuentros swimming hole.
Accommodations: Hotel El Tejado (3*) OR Hotel Los Almendros de San Lorenzo (4*)
Being in El Salvador – a country of world-class surf breaks – we will introduce you to surfing with your first surf lesson by a professional surfer. As the sandy beaches on the west coast of El Salvador are excellent for surfing beginners, the surf instructors there will help you to ride your first waves, and you will be provided with your board for the whole day so that you can practice.
Accommodations: Hotel Tekuani Kal (3*) OR Hotel Casa de Mar (4*)
Today is a free day! …meaning that you can spend the whole day however you like – walking around town, laying out on the beach, or going for a swim. For additional options, you can arrange any of the tours offered by your hotel (extra). You will spend your last night in El Salvador at your selected hotel.
Accommodations: Hotel Tekuani Kal (3*) OR Hotel Casa de Mar (4*)
After breakfast, we will drive you back to the San Salvador airport in plenty of time to catch your flight home or onward.
| 2 Persons | |
| Hotel Category | Double |
| First-Class Superior or Luxury | US$ 1,819 PP |
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