Article updated on 08.03.23
Discovering El Salvador
As we explained in our last article about Guatemala, we were stuck in Guatemala City for a couple of weeks because of a mechanical problem. So we’re delighted to be back on the road. The border crossing with El Salvador went perfectly well, one of the easiest we’ve ever experienced. In just 1 hour, we were in the country with all our documents (visa and temporary importation of the vehicle). The customs officers made us sit down while they filled out all the paperwork for us – what an amazing experience!
A waterfall of warm water
Our first night in El Salvador was spent in a petrol station, which wasn’t very paradise… But given that we crossed the border at the end of the afternoon and that we avoid driving at night for safety reasons, we didn’t have much choice.
On our first day in the country, we headed to discover a warm waterfall, Salto Malacatiupan.
It was the weekend, so unfortunately there were a lot of locals enjoying the place, but we weren’t disappointed. The water is super hot, like 35 degrees, and the place is beautiful.
La Ruta de Las Flores
A well-known excursion in El Salvador is the “Route of Flowers” (La Ruta de Las Flores). As the name suggests, it’s a road that’s full of flowers in spring, with several small tourist villages. To be honest, we were disappointed. In fact, during our roadtrip from Mexico, we were lucky enough to see a whole host of small villages, each more beautiful than the last. Another problem was that we didn’t come during the flower season.
However, our highlight of this region is the farm where we stayed for free, Granja Don Alvaro. We set up camp with our friends Julie and Guillaume, who are travelling in their yellow IVECO from Halifax to Ushuaïa (@nomad_xplorers).
The next day, we set off together on a hike to the “7 waterfalls”. We managed to find our way thanks to the app Maps.me so we didn’t have to pay $10 per person for a guide. We only saw the first waterfalls, as the last ones are only accessible with climbing equipment. The first ones are already very beautiful to observe.
Santa Ana Volcano
We continue our journey with Julie and Guillaume to the Santa Ana volcano. We’re back in the fresh air at an altitude of 1,800 metres. And fresh means a campfire for the evening! We spent a wonderful evening around the fire.
We got up around 6am to climb to the summit of the Santa Ana volcano at 2380 metres. We were forced to take a guide (even though the route is very simple…) to walk to the top. The special characteristic of this volcano is that there is an acid lake in the crater. It’s very impressive to see the blue colour of the water!
Back to the beach in Mizata
Still with the friends, we headed down to the coast and found a great campsite by the ocean. We spent several days in the little village of Mizata, surfing for Benji (the waves were too big for Audrey) and chilling out by the beach.
We made the most of staying at this campsite for 2 weeks because it felt good, but above all we had to slow down the pace of our trip. Audrey’s parents are arriving in Nicaragua at the beginning of March and we can’t enter the country too quickly as the temporary import permit for the vehicle is only for 1 month. There are worse places to wait 😉
Our first collaboration for a hotel
Discovering San Salvador from the top
We didn’t think we’d be passing through the capital of El Salvador, San Salvador, and yet… We contacted an airbnb with unusual architecture for a collaboration proposal. With our luck, they agreed to go into collaboration.
So here we are for 2 nights in this little paradise in the heights of the capital in the middle of nature. We have an A-shaped cabin all to ourselves. It’s a breath of fresh air after spending 2 weeks on the edge of the water where it was very hot and humid.
The town of Suchitoto
The advantage of El Salvador is that the country is very small, so distances between the various tourist spots are very short. We decided to visit the charming little town of Suchitoto. We “have” to spend 3 nights there as we have a final collaboration in the region. The town is very small, so we quickly make our way around the narrow streets. We parked in a street and as soon as we went into a café or shop, people knew who we were straight away because they’d seen our huge Jeff Camper… it’s very funny, we’re well known in the town 😂
Surprisingly, it’s between 35 and 40 degrees so we decide to take a seat in a nice little café for a fresh juice. This place is also a hotel and we can see that it has potential but the photos they use on their social networks and website don’t represent its charm.
We decided to talk to the owner, who happened to be French, at reception and offer him our services. And that’s how we ended up spending an excellent night with air conditioning in this pretty little hotel 😃
Just a little more luxury
To complete this loop of collaboration, we stayed for 2 nights in a designer hut built by a local. It’s a restful place, set in the middle of the jungle in a region of Chalatenango that is little-known to tourists. Here’s to a rich life for one last time 😃
A bit of surfing in surfing country
After a month in this country enjoying a slower pace, we’re looking forward to discovering another country with Audrey’s parents in March.