About El Salvador - greenbluered

Volcanoes National Park
About El Salvador
A hidden gem within Central America where you can find
Mayan sites, colonial towns, cloud forests, great beaches,
coffee plantations, crafts and traditions and friendly
people! El Salvador is not known as a tourism destination
and travel agents are not familiar with general facts about the
country. In this section you will find useful information as well
as how to get to El Salvador.
About El Salvador
GENERAL FACTS:
Area:
20.742 km2
Population:
6.757.408 Habs.
Capital:
San Salvador City.
Official language: Spanish.
English is spoken at Hotels and
main tourist areas.
Electricity:
110volts. AC,60 Hz.
Religion:
Mainly Roman Catholic. There is
freedom of religion.
Time Zone:
GMT-6 (UTC-6)
Seasons:
Rainy (May-October) Dry
(November-April)
International airport: SAL
(50 minutes from San Salvador City)
Currency:
US Dollar
Country Code:
+ 503
Government:
Republic - Democratic
Coatepeque Lake.
Requirements for entry:
Valid Passport.
Depending on the country, a tourist visa might
be needed. For tourist visa check if the country of
origin requires visa. In addition to that, a tourist
card is needed. This may be purchased at airport
upon arrival for $10 and has a 90-day validity.
Departure tax:
US $ 37.13 for all airways. This tax is included at
the moment the air ticket is issued. By ground
and waterways it varies depending on the area.
Hotel Taxes:
18% on top of Hotel rate (13% sales tax and 5%
tourism tax).
Tips:
10% is the appropriate tip at most restaurants
and bars. Some might include the tip in the bill.
Credit Cards and ATMs:
All main Credit cards are accepted. ATM’s are
widely available.
Internet:
Easy access to internet in business centers, hotels,
cyber cafes, and WIFI Hot spots.
Shopping:
San Salvador is famous for its modern shopping
centers, more than any other city in Central
America. Some of them include Multiplaza,
Galerías, Metrocentro, La Gran Vía, Plaza Mundo,
Las Cascadas and El Paseo.
Food:
Salvadorean food is a mixture of indigenous and
Spanish influences. Main dishes include chicken
soup and an exotic bean soup which consist
of avocado, cheese,cream, sauce to taste, lime,
egg and even meat. The main typical dish is the
pupusa: a corn tortilla stuffed with cheese, or
beans/cheese, pork, etc.
Weather:
Most of the country enjoys warm weather with
an average temperature of 25°C. The coast has
warmer temperatures whereas in the high lands,
temperatures may drop to single digits Celsius.
During rainy season, rain tends to fall at nights.
Welcome to
El Salvador!!
Our tour operator greenbluered.com and our nonprofit
organization Share Smiles welcome you to El Salvador!
Come and visit us!
How to get to El Salvador
Direct Flights to El Salvador (SAL):
North America: LAX, SFO, DFW, IAH, MIA, FLL, MCO, IAD, ATL, JFK, EWR, YYZ, MEX, CUN
Central America: BZE, GUA, SAP, TGU, RTB, MGA, LIB, SJO, PTY
Caribbean: HAV
South America: BOG, UIO, LIM
Europe: MAD
Airlines that serve El Salvador: AV, UA, AA, DL, CM, NK, IB
Roatán
Copán
El Salvador in Central America
El Salvador is an ideal country to combine with other
Central American countries:
By Land:
• San Salvador - Copan: 3.5 hours.
• San Salvador - Guatemala City: 4 hours.
Caribbean Sea
By Air:
• San Salvador - Roatán: 50 minutes.
• San Salvador - Belize: 50 minutes.
• San Salvador - San Jose: 1 hour.
By Land and Sea:
• You can travel to Nicaragua crossing the
Gulf of Fonseca by boat and ending the
trip in León, Nicaragua. An atrractive and
unique way to travel between countries.
Panama
To Copan
Border Anguiatú
2:00 Hrs.
Border El Poy
Guatemala
1:45 Hr.
To Guatemala
City
2:00 Hrs.
1:30 Hr.
Border
Las Chinamas
Border
La Hachadura
Flower
Route
2:00 Hrs.
Suchitoto
1:00 Hr.
To Antigua
2:00 Hrs.
1:30 Hr.
San Salvador
2:00 Hrs.
1:30 Hr.
Decameron
Hotel
45 Min.
La Libertad
2:00 Hrs.
Pacific Ocean
El Salvador by land: Driving Times
Honduras
4:00 Hrs.
Border
El Amatillo
4:00 Hrs.
2:00 Hrs.
3:00 Hrs.
La Unión
1:00 Hrs.
Jiquilisco Bay
2:00 Hrs.
*Lines are for illustration only.
*Do not represent actual routes.
El Icacal
CRIOLLO
CACAO
IN EL SALVADOR
The drink of the Gods and the
currency of the local people.
Cacao has been present in
Mesoamerica for about 3000
years. It was the Mayas who
mastered the art of cultivation of
this plant. They were able to cure
and conserve the cacao seeds
which were used as a currency
and to prepare a delicious drink
that was also used for their
religious ceremonies. In this
region, the cacao type was the
criollo which is considered to be
of the highest quality in the
world.
At around 1524, the Spanish
Conquistadores found great
extensions of land that were
dedicated to the plantation of the
cacao tree. Most of this land was
in Western El Salvador. By 1550,
cacao was being exported to
Mexico and then to Spain. It
became the first product to be
exported from El Salvador, and
for 200 years, it was the most
valuable product in the region.
Two main factors contributed to
the downfall of the cacao
production in El Salvador. The
first one was the abolishment of
the “encomiendas” which
required the local people to give
the cacao product to the Spanish
as a tribute to the crown, and the
other was the eruptions of Izalco
Volcano, since the ashes
damaged the cacao trees. By the
Independence in 1821, the cacao
production was almost inexistent.
Today, the cacao industry is
coming back and El Salvador is
one of 51 countries that produce
cacao and export it to the United
States and Europe who combined
buy almost 75% of the worldwide
production. You can visit cacao
plantations in El Salvador and
learn the whole process related to
the production of the delicious
chocolate!
You will also see the eight oldest
cacao seeds (1,360 years old)
which were found at Joya de
Ceren and are now exhibited in
the museum of this
archaeological site.
For more information: [email protected]