Lin Low
Though perhaps not as well-known as its neighboring countries of Honduras and Guatemala, El Salvador is the smallest and most densely populated country in Central America. Surrounded by ocean (with world class surfing beaches), mountain forests, active volcanoes, and dotted with quaint cobble stoned streets in colonial towns, it is truly a hidden gem.
Having recently had the opportunity visit El Salvador, I discovered it not only has lots to offer in the form of tourism, but the Salvadorians are friendly, personal, and caring. They certainly welcomed me with open arms.
Despite all the bad publicity in the past because of its relatively recent civil war, El Salvador is now growing in economically as well as becoming a tourist destination. With twice daily 5.5 hour-long nonstop flights from San Francisco, El Salvador is an easy travel destination. Here are some of the highlights of my trip to the El Salvador Travel Market 2013, sponsored by Corsatur and El Salvador Tourism.
World-Class Surfing
First I visited La Libertad Port on the Pacific Coast. Here you can enjoy quietly strolling around fisherman’s pier, or you can choose to get a major adrenaline rush by taking an exciting surf lesson at one of El Salvador’s world-class surf beaches. Professional and celebrity surfers from around the world come to El Salvador to enjoy the warm and challenging waters. Many of the top-10 break points in the world are located here, with top breaks including Punta Roca, El Sunzal and El Tunco. Some of the world’s most important surf competitions have been held in La Libertad, including Copa Quicksilver, and just this past July the 6-star Reef Pro El Salvador competition.
I had a surfing lesson here at the Playa San Blas located in El Sunzal. The waves were a bit too rough for me, but I managed to get half way up on the board and to do several flips before it was time to get back to the beach. I recommend everyone should try it since it is so much fun!
I also enjoyed the lunch by the beach at the Restaurante Acajutla. Here I found all types of seafood dishes on the menu, like seafood, cerviche, fish and chips, and langoustes (crawfish). I could sit there all day enjoying the music, watching the surfers catching the wave and relaxing.
Want to learn about turtles?
Well, you can when you visit the turtle sanctuary located at San Diego Beach. Here you could learn about the native turtles that swim along the Salvador's coast, including the Green Sea Turtle (Verde Marina), the Leatherback Turtle (La Baula), and the most common, the Olive Ridley Turtle (La Golfina). I learned that the Salvadoreans are becoming more aware of the plight of sea turtles, and they are learning to protect them. With the help of a new conversation programs and in conjunction with other countries in North, Central and South American (including the USA ) the people of El Salvador are learning how to protect the turtles for the future and for all to enjoy. 
One of the conservation strategies implemented by FUNZEL (Fundacion Zoologic de El Salvador), a non-profit, non-governmental organization, is to buy back the sea turtle eggs that have been harvested and are being sold in the market. They take these sea turtle eggs to a sanctuary or "farm," and then put them back in sea turtle nests. When the sea turtle eggs hatch, the baby turtles are returned back to the ocean.
I learned that only a small handful of baby turtles survive after they hatch, and that sea turtles return to their place of birth to lay their eggs. So it was with mixed emotions that I had the privilege of participating in the release of a baby turtle back to sea. As it crawled toward the open ocean: I worried if it would survive or not. I wished it a good safe journey and long life, and rejoiced that it had survived the crawl to the sea.
Walter Deininger National Park
Next I went to Walter Deininger National Park, located south of La Libertad. It is an 1800 acre forest with a wide variety of endangered trees, and a large assortment of wildlife, and medicinal plants. This park is home to 70+ species of birds, over 20 species of amphibians and small mammals such as raccoons, deer and armadillos. I enjoyed strolling along the park’s pathways, breathing fresh air, before repelling down a 180 foot cliff. Yes, it was a bit scary at first. First I caught a deep breath, and then I stepped off the cliff. I must admit I was scared in the middle of my repelling. My hands and feet were shaking so badly that I needed to take a break. I took a deep breath then continued repelling down. It didn't take long though, before I was safely on firm ground. What an achievement for me!
El Boqueron Park
The National Park of El Boqueron is located only 20- 30 minutes from San Salvador. For someone who has never seen a volcano up close and personal this is a must see attraction. After a light trek up the volcano, through fresh air and beautiful natural landscape, I was delighted with the view of the impressive 1 mile wide crater. Upon my return to San Salvador, I recommend stopping by either the Las Brumas or the Pampa Argentina restaurants to try typical Salvadorian dishes. Believe me, you will enjoy the beautiful view of the valley, and by the way, this volcano is dormant!
Concepcion de Ataco
Concepción de Ataco, is a lovely cobblestoned town surrounded by coffee plantations. It has many colorful handicraft shops and several beautiful boutiques which sell native indigo outfits which I found very hard to resist from buying. If shopping is not for you, how about mingling with the locals? Food vendors love showing all the types of foods they sell, and even show you how they prepare it. Many even love to take photos with you! This truly is a delightful and lovely town to tour, and it even has a very nice and refreshing climate!
The El Carmen Estates Coffee PlantationI visited a coffee plantation, the El Carmen Estates, where I took a tour of their working coffee mill and learn about the process of how a simple coffee bean becomes an excellent cup of coffee. A guide led us through the different areas of the coffee mill and described each stage of coffee production. He explained how the "cherry" coffee bean is transformed into a "green" coffee bean for export to companies like Starbucks, American Airlines and the Holiday Inn, among many others. And best of all, a delicious cup of coffee was waiting for me after the tour.
El Tunco
After attending the tourist agent conference, and more sightseeing, it was time for me to wind down and relax for two days/three nights before heading home. Rodrigo from Salvadorian Tours organized my stay at a beautiful boutique hotel, on one of the most developed surfing beaches in El Salvador, the Hotel Tekuani Kal, in El Playa Tunco, La Libertad. This hotel is run by a local family and each room has its own unique architect and design.
I joined my good friends Emilia (a Salvadorian) and Cori to explore this small charming town. Together with Javier Melendez who was our local tour guide during the conference, who happened to live in town, gave us a special tour of El Tunco. I must say it was the perfect relaxing stay for us after the hectic conference and sightseeing. We enjoyed breakfast overlooking the surfers in the morning.
Lunch at the local restaurants, and eating local seafood prepared in sinfully rich cream sauces. One afternoon we walked to town and enjoyed smoothie. Then later we sat by the beach and enjoyed the sunset while having a glass of wine and mingling with the locals. That was totally a treat! But that wasn’t all! Then for a late night dinner, we enjoyed just caught local seafood! That was my first time trying Conchas (raw clams). The best clams on a half shell that I ever ate, well........until I saw it moving. I practically freak out but my friends reassured me that the clam meat’s movement meant freshness. Thoughts of that freaked me out but I must say my stomach was just fine afterwards!
That night time, we attended the local open mike and watched the talented musicians play and sing. We were never alone as the friendly local people always joined us either in conversation or in activities during our stay. If we had stayed longer, I am sure we would have gotten to know everyone in town.
Visiting El Salvador was a very memorable experience. I can hardly wait to go back! Maybe I'll even sign up for more surfing lessons!
Worthy Notes:
Spanish is the primary language- English is widely spoken
El Salvador uses only US DOLLARS
Sept- March- best time to surf,
No Visas required
Taca Airline is the National airline
Lin Low
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