Hiking the Sta Ana Volcano in San Salvador – Keep Calm and Wander

Hiking the Sta Ana Volcano in San Salvador - Keep Calm and Wander

Standing at the base of the majestic Sta Ana volcano in San Salvador, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of excitement and adventure. The highest towering peak is 2,362 m. (7,749 feet) in El Salvador loomed above me, beckoning me to come closer and explore its hidden secrets. Hiking Sta Ana Volcano in San Salvador would check off one of my bucket lists: walking on top of an active volcano.

Hiking the Sta Ana Volcano in San Salvador is an experience not to be missed for any avid hiker or nature lover. The hike was about 4-5 hours round trip and took us through a beautiful forested trail with stunning views of the surrounding countryside.

After a short briefing from our guide (only 3 of us!), we set off on the hike, ascending the volcano’s steep slopes. The trail was well-marked and easy to follow, but the ascent was no walk in the park. The heat and humidity were intense, and I found myself quickly drenched in sweat as I climbed higher and higher.

By Alain – Full Story at Keep Calm and Wander

Gay El Salvador – The Globetrotter Guys

Gay El Salvador - The Globetrotter Guys

Gay El Salvador. We had never heard anything about being LGBT in this part of the world. What we found out was very surprising, in a very positive way! We recently took a 9 day organised tour called ‘Guatemala and Beyond’ which we booked through ST FLY. This took us from Antigua in Guatemala, through Honduras, El Salvador and finished in Nicaragua.

We spent 4 nights in El Salvador and were lucky enough to meet a local gay couple called Pascal and Joaquin who run a successful (and beautiful) hotel called Los Almendros De San Lorenzo in Suchitoto. Pascal and Joaquin have been together for 35 years and have been running Los Almendros for 13. They got married 3 years ago in France as same sex marriage is not legal in El Salvador.

Pascal is originally from France and Joaquin from El Salvador. Joaquin was also the Ambassador for El Salvador in Europe. We found Joaquin and Pascal by typing ‘gay El Salvador’ into google and then ‘gay Suchitoto’. The results showed their hotel being listed on Spartacus and when we looked on the map it was 30 seconds walk from our hotel! We went across to the hotel and found Joaquin who made us feel very welcome. He invited us back later that evening to learn more about gay El Salvador.

Full Story at The Globetrotter Guys

El Salvador Gay Travel Resources

What to Do On Your El Salvador Layover – Nomadic Boys

El Salvador

First question we asked our guide Moises, was why El Salvador is considered one of the most dangerous countries in the world. His response, which we love:

“…it’s because once you come here you’ll never want to leave!!”

Whilst this small country in Central America does suffer from gang violence, for most tourists visiting, you’re unlikely to ever encounter any problems.

We had a long 6 hours layover at San Salvador airport, so we decided to venture out to see the country. The reports about how dangerous El Salvador is did make us worry for our safety, so we decided to search for a reputable tour company and do a layover tour with them. We found Salvadorean Tours on Tripadvisor and chose them because of all their excellent reviews.

What impressed us the most was that upon arrival at San Salvador airport, they have a dedicated layover express desk who will meet you at the gate as soon as you get off the plane, then whisk you through customs, all the way to the exit to meet your guide. We’ve never seen that before at any airport!

These are our 5 best things to do on your layover in El Salvador, to give you a flavour of what you can expect, and why you should also consider it, instead of waiting around for hours at the airport.

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Hike the Boqueron volcano crater

After trekking the Rinjani volcano in Indonesia, we were ready to conquer another one. The Boqueron volcano dominates the skyline of San Salvador – the capital city of El Salvador. It’s located in the Boqueron National Park at an altitude of 6,210 feet (1,892m), around 40 minutes’ drive from San Salvador downtown. The Boqueron is also called Quetzaltebec, named after the quetzal, which is the country’s national bird.

We hiked around the volcano crater in the Boqueron National Park, which has several viewpoints both into the crater below and also over San Salvador. The hike took around 1 hour, but you can also descend down to the volcano crater if you have time.

Although the last eruption was in 1917, it’s best to check the situation beforehand – a good local tour company will be the best source of this information.

By Stefan Arestis – Full Story at The Nomadic Boys

El Salvador Gay Travel Resources