EXTREME TOURISM

EXTREME TOURISM
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Beaches
INDEX
Cuco Beach----------------------------------------1, 2
Tunas Beach---------------------------------------3
Espino Beach--------------------------------------4
Towns & Lagoons
Conchagua Town---------------------------------5, 6
Alegria Town & Lagoon-------------------------7, 8
Mountains & Volcanos
Conchagua Volcano----------------------------9, 10
Perkin----------------------------------------------11
Chaparrastique Volcano-----------------------12
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Cuco Beach
Playa el Cuco is one of the
most popular and amazing
beach in El Salvador. El Cuco
is located in San Miguel, this
is a great surf spot for
beginners and it is also an
ideal place where you can
have a nice vacation or a
break with your family,
friends, etc.
El Cuco offers a lot of
beautiful places where you
can stay, and it gives you
different activities you can
do while you are there. One
of the most popular activities
to do for tourists and
Salvadoreans is the Boat
Trip, another exciting
activity to do in El Cuco is
surfing, and you can also take
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long walks so you can get the
tan you are looking for. All
this, is thanks by the large
coast that El Cuco has.
El Cuco is the pride and
treasure for the residents of
San Miguel, this beach is the
most popular of the east side
of the country. A lot of
people visit this beautiful
beach on vacation or holidays.
One of its attractions is the
seafood and the salty fish
dried under the sun on Bambu
tables. Another of its
attractions is the amazing
view you can have from the
different places. They all
give you a relax feeling. So,
do not wait more to see this
wonderful tourist attraction
BY WILLIAM ESTRADA

Las Tunas Beach
Las Tunas Beach at the province of La Unión is one of the most popular places for
vacationers in east El Salvador.
This beautiful black sand beach has a wide selection of fresh seafood, offered by local
fishermen, such as oysters (US$ 7.00 a dozen) and various types of sundried fish, which
are served over bamboo tables right on the beach at prices ranging from US$ 0.50 to
US$ 1.50 per pound.
Where to eat:
At Las Tunas you will find great choices of restaurants and small palm huts that offer
various types of food at affordable prices.
One option is Rancho Las Tunas where you will savor delicious dishes just in front of
the sea. Their specialties include fresh seafood, poultry, steaks and more, prices
ranging from US$ 4.00 to US$ 15.00.
How to get there:
If you are traveling from San Salvador, drive along the Coastal Highway (CA-2) going
east. After Usulután, find the diversion to “The Rave” where you must turn right. Then
you will find the diversion to “El Cuco”, and to “Intipucá”, finally the one leading to “El
Tamarindo” where you must turn right. At the end of this road you will find Playa Las
Tunas.
BY OMAR MEDINA
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Espino Beach
The Beach El Espino is one of the tourist attractions preferred by the Salvadoreans
since it counts with more than 10 kilometres of gray sand, along which are observed
gigantic palms and rustic cabins of palm.
Considered the best beach of the Central American Pacífico, its principal attraction is
precisely the extensive zone of beach that it possesses, ideal to practice sports as
football, handball, jogging and others that they need of wide areas. For its pleasant
waters also it is ideal to practice the swimming and the fishing. So if you are a lover of
the sport, it is it is necessary to to be your choice.
Its impressive landscape, a sea with delicate surge, beautiful late afternoons and hot
settlers wait in Beach for the Hawthorn.
BY TANIA ZELAYA
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Conchagua Town
This historic city, founded in
1543, has strong Lenca roots;
making this town rich in folklore
traditions, in addition to having
some important colonial remains.
The name means “narrow valley”.
At Conchagua there are several
customs and buildings left from
the Spanish colonial era. The best
example is the temple located in
front of the central park.
This is one of the oldest churches
in El Salvador, built in 1693 in
honor of Santiago Apostle.
It is the creation of Wenceslao
Ramírez and Antonio Garcia, who
used Baroque elements on the
facade and Renaissance style in
the interior.
This architectural gem was built
using a mix of materials including
adobe blocks, stones and a
masonry mix known as “Masonry.”
Fine woods as cedar, mahogany,
hujuste and tempisque where used
on this temple as well.
The central nave has seven
columns on each side, each one
carved out of a single tree trunk.
These columns give support to the
main frame of the roof.
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This church houses over 15 original
religious images brought by the Spanish
300 years ago. They are located in the old
wooden altarpieces that flank the nave.
The town festivities are held every July
25th and there are ceremonies dedicated
to Martyr St. Stephen on January 20th.
Where to eat:
On one side of central park there is a
“pupusódromo”, with more than 10
pupuserías that offer pupusas and some
other local dishes. They sell natural juices
and other drinks such as cashew atol, all at
low prices. Its open from 9:00 am until
10:00 p.m. every day.
How to get there:
If you are driving from San Salvador, take
the coastal highway (CA-2) heading east.
After Usulutan, find the diversion to “The
Rave” where you must turn right. Then you
will find another diversion marked to “ El
Cuco” and “La Union”. Follow the signs that
lead to the village of Conchagua.
BY OMAR MEDINA

El Pueblo de Alegria
El Pueblo de Alegria, is one of
the most visited Pueblos Vivos
for the tourists and the
Salvadoreans. This beautiful
town, is loved because of its
cold weather.
The weather in Alegria is
around 24° C maximum, and
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15° C minimum. This is the
right place to get away from
the heat of San Miguel. In this
place, you can walk and find
beautiful view points. One of
them is, The Hundred Stairs.
From there you can have a
great view.
Alegria is also popular because
of its coffee

that is cultivated by the residents from this town. Another
attraction from this town is the fair it gives every weekend in the
park. So this is a nice place to go with your family, and live an
amazing experience together.
In Alegria you can also find a Lagoon. But this is not a common one,
this lagoon has a legend of a mermaid that lives in it. This lagoon is
a vent of a volcano, and it has green water because of the sulfur,
and many people think that this lagoon is helpful for medicative
people
BY WILLIAM ESTRADA
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Conchagua Volcano
One of the best views of the Salvadorian
coast can be seen from the Conchagua
Volcano. From there you can also see the
islands in the Gulf of Fonseca (Meanguera,
Meanguerita, Amapala, among others) as
well as the city of La Union.
The Conchagua Volcano is located in the
department of La Unión, in the
municipality of Conchagua at
approximately 190 km from the capital city
of San Salvador, at 1,242 m ASL.
Its name means "narrow valley" in Lenca,
even though some authors relate the origin
of its name to the story of a fearless
woman named Comizahual, which means
"flying tiger". In fact, one of the pathways
on the way to the top of the volcano is
called "The flying tiger".
In order to get to the top of the volcano we
recommend you ride a four wheel drive
vehicle, since most of it is dirt road. You
can access this road from the city of La
Unión, or Conchagua. Drive to the town
known as "El Faro" where a gate protects
the entrance towards the top of the
volcano. A person in charge of CODECA
(Asociación Coordinadora de Comunidades
para el Desarrollo de Cacahuatique) will
open the gate for you. We suggest you tip
him for his help. In order to prevent any
delays you should try to contact with the
association before taking this trip. CODECA
keeps park rangers who help the
preservation of the area, and also provides
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of a safe area for camping. There are two
sightspots in this area. Conchagua,
according to the Salvadorian geologist
Walter Hernández, is a volcano complex,
which divides itself into two volcanic
cones: Ocotal to the West and Banderas to
the East. Ocotal is the oldest one and it's
been modified by several plates; therefore
does not have the perfect cone shape.
Banderas on the other hand is much
younger and therefore well shaped. Both
volcanoes have craters but Banderas' is
more evident.
Local population refers to the volcanoes as
"Cerro" (hill) since they elevate on a flatter
surface. Much older volcanoes are
sometimes not always recognized as
volcanoes, due to their shape. For
example, volcano Guazapa (older than
Conchagua) can not be easily recognized as
a volcano unless the person is related to
vulcanology or geology.
If the vehicle you are ridding is not a 4x4,
we suggest you spend the night at the
property of CODECA, which has running
water, since the road to the top is too
rocky and steep. Next day, wake up early
and take a walk for about 1Hour 30mins to
the main sightspot and in 45 more minutes
to the second one, through the pathway
called "el tigre que vuela".
BY WILLIAM ESTRADA

PERQUIN
The town of Perquín is in Morazán's department. Founded by tribes Lencas, its name
means “way of the warm one ".
Perquín surrounded with rivers and mountains for what it possesses an agreeable
climate during the whole year. Some of the activities that it can enjoy are included by
it: to climb, observe birds, treks, bicycle mountaineering, etc.
Perquín was extraoffcially acquaintance as the guerrilla capital, on having visited
Perquín, it cannot happen for high to visit the Museum of the Revolution in which
there show themselves appliances used during the Salvadorian war 1980-1992.
The Museum of the Salvadorian Revolution counts the troubled history of El Salvador
from the perspective of the guerrilla warfare to way of hundreds of photos, weapon
and documents. Founded on Perquín in December, 1992 for a group of guerrillas of
Morazán, the Museum of the Salvadorian Revolution, Honoring to the Heroes and
Martyrs tells an authentic history of 12 years of conflict armed in El Salvador across
documents and original appliances
The first week of August they celebrate the winter festival in the people of Perquín.
They are five days of local food, sweets, cultural presentations, music, dance Folkloric,
dance and theatre.
BY TANIA ZELAYA
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The Volcano of San Miguel
The Volcano of San Miguel, known also as Chaparrastique, is an estratovolcán formed
by different caps of volcanic rocks of basaltic composition. It is located in the oriental
region of the Volcanic Mountain chain of El Salvador, to 11 kilometres to the west of
the city of San Miguel.
It has an elevation of 2.130 m.s.n.m and is the highest third volcano of the country.
Around it they find the municipalities of: San Miguel, Quelepa, Moncagua, Chinameca,
San Jorge, San Rafael Orientates and The Traffic, all of the Department of San Miguel.
The volcano of San Miguel is considered to be an assets, both for his historical activity
and for his current activity.
There is had knowledge of at least 26 eruptions during the last 304 years. In the
present, it possesses a high level of seismic activity and permanent emission of gases
across fumaroles. From the foundation of the city of San Miguel, in 1530, the volcano
has produced eight flows of lava across fissures in the hillsides of the volcanic cone.
The most remembered eruption happened in 1762, when the lava went to the city of
San Miguel. The volcano also has produced of small to moderate explosions of ash,
gases and warm mud across the central crater, which had been distributed in the
northern part and west of the same one. The last eruptive activity with emission of
lava happened in 1976 and the last small explosion with launch of ashes took place on
January 16, 2002.
BY TANIA ZELAYA
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