Although it doesn't still have the fame of other countries to tourist level; El Salvador offers a wide range of amusements. El Salvador gives the tourist the welcome with its beautiful coast of the Pacific Ocean and fertile land, marked by two almost parallel lines of volcanoes. The field is really beautiful and it doesn't only offer ecological activities, but also a trip to the past:

El Salvador is part of the fascinating Mayan World and it shows the Presidency of this organization at the moment. Here we find the wealth of this millennial civilization, besides a great cultural tradition and a wide flora variety and fauna. For the beginners and the experts; El Salvador is a dream come true for the surf lovers. The better known places where this sport is practiced are: La Libertad beach, near San Salvador , The Sunzal, The Zonte and the Savage They offer varied conditions for the surf. The comforts, as the waves, vary from place to place. San Salvador , the capital city, is a metropolis with excellent restaurants, an amusing night life and cultural attractions. Ecotourism, beaches, crafts and archaeology; everything you will find, under the sun of El Salvador; this, together to their main attractiveness; the Salvadorans, people always willing to offer you, their best smile.

GENERAL INFORMATION

Localization

El Salvador limits to the north and the east with Honduras , to the south with the Pacific Ocean , to the east with the Gulf of Fonseca and to the west with Guatemala.

Capital city San Salvador

Population approximately 6,122,515 inhabitants: 50 % mestizo percent, 90 % white and 1 % indigenous people.

Languages Castilian and some groups maintain the nahuatl.

Climate Tropical, the rainy season is from May to October; the dry season (summer) is from November to April. The climate is tropical in the coast and tempered in the plateau. There are three climatic areas that vary according to the height on the level of the sea.

When should you come to El Salvador ? The best time to visit El Salvador is from November to April, when the highways are in better state thanks to the rain lack of The local high season is from Christmas until half of January, the Holy Week and the first week of August. During this period of time the rates rise a 50 percent and many services close. The prices lower during the rainy season, when the showers are good to refresh a little the tropical night.

Government Democratic, Republic

Uso horario GMT -6,00
( In summer it doesn't suffer modifications)

Currency and credit cards

since January 2001 the American dollar circulates whose official change is 8.75 colons per US $1.00. The main credit cards are accepted in most of the establishments.

A tax is added (IVA) of 13 percent to all the articles and services. Make sure that the total price includes this tax, and 5% correspond to tourism taxes.

Money transfers You can transfer money through Money Gram, in any branch of Agricola Bank, Cuscatlán Bank and Scotia Bank El Salvador.

Schedules of government Offices: From Monday through Friday: 07:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Banks: from Monday through Friday of 09:00 to 17:00 hours and on Saturdays until the 12:00 hours ( noon ). Business and commercial centers: from Monday through Saturday: 09:00 to 20:00 hours

Electricity 110V, 60 Hz

Migratory requirements besides the visa requirement, or tourist's card, the visitor should have a valid passport ( United States demands six months of validity), a return ticket to your country or of trip continuation and enough funds to cover your stay. The visas are free for the North American citizens. Tourist's cards cost US$10 and they can be bought to your arrival to the airport. In general they have 30 days of validity

Airport rate it is necessary to pay US$27, 15 for an exit tax at the airport in international flights.

Custom house free of taxes until 200 cigarettes or 50 cigars, two liters of alcoholic drink, six units of perfume and gifts until a value of US$ 500.

Tips Most of the restaurants they add you 10 percent from the consumption to the total. The bellboys and waitresses receive approximately US $ 0.50 per day, per person. US$1-5 per person is appropriate for the tourist guides.

Tourism offices Salvadoran Corporation of Tourism (CORSATUR)
Tel: 243 7835 Fax: 243 7844
E-mail: corsatur@salnet.net
Internet: http://www.elsalvadorturismo.gob.sv

Telecommunications

El Salvador has available service of long distance, telegraph, and fax service. There are huts of public telephones (pay phones) in the whole country; the call of three minutes costs U.S. $ 0.10 dollar cents.

The international code to call to El Salvador is 503; the internal area codes don't exist. For international calls mark the 0

THE GREAT CITY

San Salvador. The capital of El Salvador is located in a valley to the foot of the San Salvador volcano. The economy has received big sums of foreign investors, and San Salvador has become the main commercial, industrial, government and tourist center of the whole country.

The biggest city in Central America constitutes a good starting point, to begin to discover, this small, great, country. But mainly, it is a center of attractions in itself. Although the sky-scrapers don't prevail, the Salvadoran capital has an architecture that combines styles and it offers an eclecticism tropical; brother of cities like Havana or Old Panama. The colony Flor Blanca and the Historical Center , with their palaces, religious temples and elegant houses, they are the best examples. The Casa Dueñas, downtown, the Alameda Juan Pablo II, is an impressive building, as is it the West Portal and the Church “El Rosario”, in front of Plaza Libertad, in the historical center of the city;, where is also located the Plaza Barrios (mayor), flanked by The Metropolitan Cathedral and the National Palace.

But the art is not only limited to the facades (front). The new Museum of Art , in the colony San Benito , offers exhibitions of international level and activities related with the plastic art. Its neighbor, the National Museum of Anthropology David J. Guzmán; harbors in its rooms the different expressions of the important historical wealth of the country. On the other hand, the natural diversity of the Salvadoran territory registers in the Museum of Natural History Saburo Hirao . Tin Marín, the children's museum, is a very amusing visit for adult and children.

And for the shopping; there is not anything that can not find in the system of newer and more international commercial centers of the region. The best stores and all the trade marks of prestige mix with the national products, crafts and foods. Areas like the Boulevard de los Heroes, the main axis of the city, the Paseo General Escalon and Merliot city are some of the referring ones of the commercial activity of the capital. Summer clothes with local distinguishing characteristics and attires of high European seam; delight the buyer, in the same way, that the exquisite rum that characterizes Central America, which can be acquire in any supermarket.

Santa Ana This is the second city in size of El Salvador , and it serves like a pleasant base of operations to visit the area of the west and northwest of the country. The beautiful Coatepeque Lake with its so many archaeological places is located just to 30 kilometers from Santa Ana 's north. Other two places that you can not miss are the National Park Montecristo and the ruins of Tazumal.

PLACES WITH A LOT OF NATURAL BEAUTY IN EL SALVADOR

National park Montecristo: This international park shares frontier with Guatemala and Honduras , and it is a sanctuary for a miscellaneous flora and fauna, including the spider monkey, the mountain lion, the toucans, the striped owls and so many other more. Here also you will find some 87 species of birds, including the quetzal. This cloudy forest is compound in its majority by oak and laurel that maintain the humid and dark floor with its thick foliage. Areas of interest; they include the picks of Montecristo, Miramundo and the Sorcerer (here the temperature lows, so we recommend bring your jacket). The park closes from April to September, to allow the reproduction of the animals, but you can always visit the surroundings and to enjoy the gardens. During the rest of the year, the park is open to the public in general and it is allowed to camp inside it.

Ruins of Tazumal These ruins are located to few kilometers of Santa Ana 's city, in the municipality of Chalchuapa . Among its attractiveness; there is a semi-restored pyramid that rises about 23 meters on the earth. The museum of the place exhibits the devices of the culture pipil, the creators of Tazumal, besides oil painting that represent the Salvadoran life before the conquest. If you want to buy souvenirs we recommend you to visit “San Juan El Espino” town, located by lorry to 20 minutes; from Chalchuapa. Here you can buy directly of the artisans.

DESTINATIONS

Suchitoto This colonial town is located to the east of San Salvador . It offers the tourist a window to the past. Here you can spend the night in the local hostelries and to enjoy a good dinner while you contemplate the impressive landscape. This beautiful city offers the visitor the opportunity to know part of the culture of El Salvador through its permanent festival of art and culture that is carried out since 1991.

National park “El Impossible” This is one of the newest tourist destinations in the country, with 5.260 hectares of land and one of the last tropical dry forests of America . Here more than 260 species of birds live, 40 species of mammals and 400 species of trees. We recommend a trip with a guide to be able to sight to the local fauna.

ADVENTURES

Those that visit El Salvador in excursionists' plan are charmed with the dramatic volcanic picks of El Salvador and with its multiple archaeological jewels. With so much greenery and reservations -and so many species of birds - it is natural that the environmentalists also find here their niche. Believe it or not,

the aquatic sports can be enjoyed even in the volcanoes: the waters of the Coatepeque Lake in the volcano Santa Ana is an example. The rivers like the Torola offer rapids and foamy water to navigate in kayak, canoe or raft. The surfer agrees, and with a coast 321 kilometers long, there is always something amusing to make in the water. A proves of this, is the sport fishing: El Salvador is headquarter of an annual, fishing tournament of marlin fish in which; fishermen of six different countries participate.

A LA CARTA

The gastronomy of the region offers variety and the most typical are the plates made with corn. Without a doubt, the main “character” of the Salvadoran table is the pupusa, kind of tortilla of flour of corn padded of beans, cheese or pig meat cooked to the grill; or tamales of corn wrapped in the same leaf of the ear of corn, and tamales of hen wrapped in vegetable garden leaves. They are cooked in water and they are stuffed with chicken, hen and other ingredients, according to the region. The beans and the fried bananas are also part of the daily diet, and they are usually in the table to have breakfast or dinner.

To prove the flavor of El Salvador and of other countries, you can go to the Zona Rosa, in the Boulevard del Hipodrómo. Where you will find restaurants of typical and international food.

The national specialty is the shellfish (seafood): lobster, shrimp, squids and oysters are available in most of the restaurants. In the coastal towns they don't lack the oysters: they sell them in each corner. The Salvadoran ceviche (fish cooked in lemon juice with cilantro, green pepper, and onion) is very popular.

AT NIGHT

The best night life in San Salvador is found in the Zona Rosa. The Salvadoran citizen love dancing. In the Zona Rosa, a great part of the varied capital's night life offer with bars and discos for young and for adults. Among the best discos stand out those of electronic music; many of these you are in the Paseo General Escalon, and those of tropical music, very near the Zona Rosa. You can enjoy live music in the great variety of bars and restaurants. To “higher” cultural delights, the National Theater downtown presents plays, dance and music.