ABOUT EL SALVADORDecameron Hotel Border La Hachadura Border Las Chinamas Flower Route To Guatemala City To Antigua Pacific Ocean Guatemala 4:00 Hrs. 4:00 Hrs. 3:00 Hrs. 2:00 Hrs. 2:00

A b o u t E l S a l v a d o r

Volcanoes National Park

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.

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

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, atourist card is needed. This may be purchased at airport upon arrival for $10 and has a 90-dayvalidity.

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.

Coatepeque Lake.

A B O U T E L S A L V A D O R

Our tour operator greenbluered.com and our nonprofit organization Share- Smiles welcome you to El Salvador! Come and visit us!

Welcome toEl Salvador!!

Direct Flights to El Salvador (SAL):North America: LAX, SFO, DFW, IAH, MIA, FLL, MCO, IAD, ATL, JFK, EWR, YYZ, MEX, CUNCentral America: BZE, GUA, SAP, TGU, RTB, MGA, LIB, SJO, PTYSouth America: BOG, UIO, LIM, GYEEurope: MAD

Airlines that serve El Salvador: AV, UA, AA, DL, CM, NK, IB

H o w t o g e t t o E l S a l v a d o r

PANAMA

COSTA RICA

NICARAGUA

HONDURAS

EL SALVADOR

BELIZE

GUATEMALA

E l S a l v a d o r i n C e n t r a l A m e r i c a

El Salvador is an ideal country to combine with other Central American countries:

By Land:• San Salvador - Copan: 4.5 hours.• San Salvador - Guatemala City: 4 hours.

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.

Roatán

Copán

San Salvador

Border El Poy

Suchitoto

1:30 Hr.1:45 Hr.

2:00 Hrs.

1:30 Hr.

45 Min.

1:30 Hr.

1:00 Hr.

2:00 Hrs.

La Libertad

2:00 Hrs.

2:00 Hrs.

2:00 Hrs.

2:00 Hrs.

Border Anguiatú

To Copan

Decameron Hotel

BorderLa Hachadura

BorderLas Chinamas

Flower Route

To Guatemala City

To Antigua

Pacific Ocean

Guatemala

4:00 Hrs.

4:00 Hrs.

3:00 Hrs.2:00 Hrs.

2:00 Hrs.

1:00 Hrs.

BorderEl Amatillo

La Unión

El Icacal

Jiquilisco Bay

E l S a l v a d o r b y l a n d : D r i v i n g T i m e s

*Lines are for illustration only.*Do not represent actual routes.

Honduras

CRIOLLO CACAOIN EL SALVADOR

The drink of the Gods and thecurrency of the local people.Cacao has been present inMesoamerica for about 3000years. It was the Mayas whomastered the art of cultivation ofthis plant. They were able to cureand conserve the cacao seedswhich were used as a currencyand to prepare a delicious drinkthat was also used for theirreligious ceremonies. In thisregion, the cacao type was thecriollo which is considered to beof the highest quality in theworld.

At around 1524, the SpanishConquistadores found greatextensions of land that werededicated to the plantation of the

cacao tree. Most of this land wasin Western El Salvador. By 1550,cacao was being exported toMexico and then to Spain. Itbecame the first product to beexported from El Salvador, andfor 200 years, it was the mostvaluable product in the region.

Two main factors contributed tothe downfall of the cacaoproduction in El Salvador. Thefirst one was the abolishment ofthe “encomiendas” whichrequired the local people to givethe cacao product to the Spanishas a tribute to the crown, and theother was the eruptions of IzalcoVolcano, since the ashesdamaged the cacao trees. By theIndependence in 1821, the cacao

production was almost inexistent.

Today, the cacao industry iscoming back and El Salvador isone of 51 countries that producecacao and export it to the UnitedStates and Europe who combinedbuy almost 75% of the worldwideproduction. You can visit cacaoplantations in El Salvador andlearn the whole process related tothe production of the deliciouschocolate!

You will also see the eight oldestcacao seeds (1,360 years old)which were found at Joya deCeren and are now exhibited inthe museum of thisarchaeological site.

For more information: [email protected]