Nature

Many visitors are surprised by El Salvador's outstanding ecotourism destinations

Many visitors are surprised by El Salvador's outstanding ecotourism destinations, which include rare tropical forest, volcanoes, hot springs, caves, rivers, lakes, waterfalls, estuaries and much more.
El Imposible
El Imposible National Park, which can be reached via the towns of San Francisco Menéndez and San Benito in western El Salvador, offers a unique look at dry tropical forest. This type of forest, once common along the Pacific coast of Meso-America, has largely disappeared due to clearing of land for crops and grazing. About 400 species of trees have been identified thus far in El Imposible, along with 40 mammals and 263 birds. The park covers 13,000 acres and its facilities include a visitor's center, camping area and several hiking trails. One trail leads downhill into protected forest with a crystalline stream and a boulder carved with pre-historic petroglyphs. Another climbs to lookouts offering spectacular views of El Salvador's coast. Park elevations range from 300 to 1400 mASL and the climate is often hot and humid, so be sure to get an early start and carry plenty of water. Trained natural history guides, who live in nearby communities, are a great source of information about the park's history and natural resources.
Montecristo
Visitors to the Montecristo National Park, found in the northwest corner of the country, will discover an enchanting, cloud forest world of ancient trees laden with ferns, Spanish moss, bromeliads and orchids. Facilities at the park entrance include picnic tables, camping areas and a lovely orchid garden called the "Garden of 100 Years." From the entrance, trails lead uphill into the dark interior of the cloud forest, often shrouded in mist. Near the park's summit, a monument and lookout tower mark the point where the countries of El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras intersect, and visitors have the unique opportunity of standing in three countries at the same time. Temperatures in Montecristo are often chilly, and rain and mist are common, so be sure to take a rain jacket and waterproof boots.

Volcanes
Volcanoes, crater lakes and hot springs provide seemingly endless ecotourism opportunities throughout El Salvador. Visitors can drive right to the top of Cerro Verde, an old volcano rising to 2,030 mASL in Los Andes park. The volcano's lookouts provide great views of nearby Izalco Volcano, once known as the "Lighthouse of the Pacific" because its fiery eruptions could be seen by ships at sea. Now dormant, Izalco's last eruption occurred in October 1966. Forest trails atop Cerro Verde lead to another lookout offering a view of the lovely Santa Ana Volcano, which rises to 2,365 mASL and has a sulphurous crater lake at its summit. Moving west, the San Salvador, Usulután and San Miguel Volcanoes rise majestically above the country's fertile farmlands. San Miguel, or Chaparrastique, Volcano is still active and occasionally spews ash from its peak. El Salvador boasts other crater lakes, including that of the Laguna Verde Volcano near Ahuachapan. The enormous Coatepeque and Ilopango Lakes were both formed as a result of volcanic activity. Hot springs may be found on Tacapa Volcano near the town of Alegría and on Chinameca Volcano near the town of Chinameca.