Elderly Woman Resting in the Square of Juayua, El Salvador

The town of Juayua, El Salvador organizes a food festival every weekend. It’s a large production and after experiencing it, we were very impressed with how much work goes into this on a weekly basis. This photos was taken while walking around the town. We noticed an elderly woman sitting on a park just people watching.

Laguna de Alegría

While staying in Alegría, El Salvador it’s necessary to visit Laguna de Alegría, a green hot spring fed sulfur lake inside the crater of volcano Tecapa that exudes mysticism.  From Alegría’s town center you can easily walk 45 minutes in sandals along a cobblestone road or hire a guide to take you on a 2-hour hike up and over the crater’s ridge then down to the lakes edge.  Of course, Aracely and I opted for the hike.  Our hostel recommended a local 21 year old to guide us with complete confidence.

We woke up the next morning and ate pupusas for breakfast, packed 2 liters of water and met our guide Tulio outside the hostel at 9:00am.  The hostel owner advised us that we could trek in sandals since the hike was brief and easy.  We didn’t wear boots, but we did choose something sturdier than sandals.  Aracely and I both strapped on our Teva hiking sandals instead and dressed in shorts and t-shirts.  We were told that at the foot of the lake was a tienda selling snacks and drinks, so it wasn’t necessary to pack any food.

As we walked away from the hostel, Tulio, our guide, began educating us on the history of Volcano Tecapa.  Coffee farms were plenty and we sucked on a few of the red ripe beans for energy, similar to the ways of the coffee harvesters.  The hike began slowly on easily traversed trails through coffee farms and then prairie landscapes as we neared the top of the volcano.  One of the most beautiful sites along the trail was the constant bright color from flower bushes and trees.  Once along the crater’s ridge we had several views down on the town of Alegría.  We crossed a radio tower patrolled by several military men and then turned left down into the crater via a vague trail.  It was 10:30am and our journey was about to begin.

Flowers on Volcano Tecapa

We seemed to be following a trail for the first 30 minutes down the lush crater walls.  After that we were literally skiing down steep dirt slopes.  It was peculiar considering we were told we could hike in sandals.  A few slips on our butts and hands and the leisurely stroll quickly turned into an extremely difficult hike with no trails.  Our guide led the way with his dull wailing machete.  I laughed a few times and Aracely smiled; we were thrilled by the idea that this was a more challenging hike than we initially imagined.

An hour after we descended into the crater Tulio alerts us that we are off the trail we intended to take.  He explained that the farmers must have covered the trail with brush or the trail had naturally overgrown.  I guess it’s not traveled much during the low season.  No worries, we were with a local guide.  We moved on searching for the trail that would lead us to the crater lake.  All volcano craters aren’t created equal and this one was covered in thick forest, steep rock walls and was of significant size.  The crater walls were filled with v-shaped valleys, so in order to traverse around the crater in a circle you needed to hike large ‘W’ patterns along the crater walls to avoid the steep cliffs.  During our search we passed grazing horses and cows.  It’s hard to image how thick the forest was considering I just mentioned animals were grazing, but I assure you, I was as stunned as you are reading this.  We continued hiking and it soon became apparent to Aracely and I that Tulio was lost.  Our smiles disappeared, our stomachs growled of hunger and we began to question our guides’ next steps.

It was 12:30pm; we should have arrived at the lake at 11:00am.  We had finished 1 liter of water already, not expecting to hike long.  The trek had become so dangerous that for the first time I was scared not only for Aracely, but for myself.  I couldn’t handle the feeling of being scared and I started to become very frustrated.  Tulio climbed 10 meters up a tree to orient himself with the crater.  He was wearing a pair of jeans and worn through Vans and only carried 1 liter of water.  Looking for the power lines from the radio station that stood atop the crater, Tulio shouted to us that it was only 30 minutes to the power lines and then we can start over on the correct trail.  We faithfully followed his lead, traversing the crater’s walls to the power lines.

I stepped on a log that collapsed like a booby trap and covered my boot in termite infested wood dust.  A black scorpion grazed my hand as I cleared some dirt off a rock for gripping.  Tulio said we were lucky the snakes weren’t out today, because they are extremely poisonous; I was pleased to know that the scorpions were not.  Our Teva hiking sandals were not meant for this hike.  We constantly had to remove them to shake out the dirt and rocks caught between our feet and the sandal’s bottom.  I haven’t figured out what these overly engineered sandals are designed for, besides walking around town.  Even in rivers they seem to trap every little pebble.  Long pants would have also been a great benefit, since thorns gave us cuts and scraps on our legs.  More important than all those luxuries is the need for food and water.  My energy was draining quickly.  We hadn’t eaten in over 5 hours and we stopped drinking our remaining water for fear of not getting out of the forest before the sun set at 5:30pm.

An hour after we began to look for power lines, Tulio, using his cellular phone, called the hostel for advice.  Aracely listened in on the conversation.  He was clearly lost and they couldn’t help him much considering he didn’t know where he was.  I feared Tulio was still trying to get to the lake.  At this point, I wanted out of the forest and didn’t care about the lake at all.  Tulio knew we were upset and he was too.  He kept quiet.  Most frustrating for us was the fact that Tulio did not know this mountain.  I asked Aracely to explain to Tulio that we wanted off the mountain as quickly as possible.  Unfortunately, he was still trying to get us down the crater, so we quickly switched directions and headed straight up.  After 15 minutes we ran into thick bush that we couldn’t get through.  We backtracked, then went up again in a different direction.  This time we scaled a rock wall that tested my rock climbing ability.  I made it, paused and told Aracely we are not going to do anything like that again.  It was too dangerous and getting hurt on this mountain would only make the situation worse.

We continuously ran into obstacles and couldn’t climb straight up out of the crater.  Tulio received a phone call from the hostel and they recommended he circle back around the inside of the crater, from where we began and search for a road the locals use connecting the towns of Alegría and Santiago de Maria.  That meant it would take another 2 hours possibly to go back in the same direction we came from.  We began to make the journey.  It was now 2:00pm and we were becoming mentally drained.  The hike back was just as difficult, because we couldn’t find the path we had cut initially.  I was carrying Aracely’s backpack at this point and we kept the two water bottles in the side pockets.  During a muddy ascent up a steep wall, one of the bottles fell out.  I decided to take off the backpack and attempt to recover it.  Once I reached the bottle, I realized I needed both hands to scale back up the muddy slope.  Tulio had climbed half way down to where I was so I threw him the bottle.  It was a bad choice.  I should have put the bottle in my shirt.  My throw was short and the bottle fell again, this time farther, to unknown bottom.  Tulio adamantly offered to retrieve it, but I insisted he not.  I know he felt bad about the situation, but it wasn’t worth putting our selves in danger again.  The bottle stayed.  As I climbed back up and grabbed the backpack again I realized it had an 8-inch slice through the main compartment.  The thorns must have cut right through it as it scraped the hedges we crawled under.

Merlin Edith (a local child) on Volcano Tecapa

After hiking another hour we reached a road!  It was a great feeling of relief and a sure sign we weren’t spending the night on the volcano.  Confidently, we marched down the road to what I believed was going to eventually be the lake.  We came to a few crossroads and our guide hesitantly chose a direction and we went with it.  After only 30 minutes walking along the cobblestone winding road, our guide began to knock on the metals doors of some rural dwellings.  To help put it into perspective, these were extremely primitive huts where peasant families lived on the volcano surrounded by thick forest.  The doors granted access to their property and were sometimes far from the actual house.  There were no answers to our knocks.  We were still lost.

We walked for several kilometers up and down steep grades, passing locals carrying water and wood to their homes on cattle and horses.  I had reached total exhaustion and sat on the road for a rest.  It was clear to me that we needed to collect fruit for the night.  I asked Aracely to communicate to Tulio our need for food and water for the evening.  By his reaction, it appeared that Tulio still felt confident we were going to make it out before dusk.  It was 3:30pm and the sun would be setting in 2 hours.  Our guide stopped as we neared some drum playing in the distance.  Seizing the opportunity to rest, I sat on the road again.  This is not a road traveled by vehicles so there is no risk of being run over.  After speaking with some locals passing by Tulio informed us that we were close to a neighboring city of Alegría, named Santiago de Maria.  Aracely asked if there were buses in Santiago de Maria that we could take to Alegría.  The local responded yes.  This was it… a way out.  As the locals left, Aracely and I were already walking to the next town.  Tulio halted us and explained that the drums in the background came from the homes of bandits.  This was a gut wrenching feeling.  He gave us the choice of walking through the neighborhoods of bandits, risking losing our camcorder and SLR camera and our safety, or heading in the other direction towards what should be Alegría.  Aracely was willing to make the short hike to Santiago de Maria to ensure we escape the volcano before dusk, but I wasn’t comfortable risking our safety and equipment.  I would rather sleep on the volcano than knowingly risk her safety.  Tulio didn’t want to take us the route of the bandits either and was relieved we decided to return in the direction we came.

As we walked uphill heading to one of the first crossroads we encountered while hiking on the road, Aracely and I continually fell behind Tulio, struggling to maintain enough energy.  After passing fruit trees earlier in the hike, I couldn’t believe there was none to be found when we needed it most.  We arrived at the crossroad and headed down a new route; this time through a locals property with their permission.  She explained that Alegría was about 3 kilometers away and a difficult walk.  A hint of hope began to emerge amongst us.  Tulio was able to find a local to provide him some water, but unfortunately for Aracely and I, we couldn’t risk drinking the local water for fear of getting ill.  It was 4:00pm and Tulio shouts to us that we have arrived.  Arrived at what, we thought.  The area seemed no different than the last 2 hours, with no town in sight.  More specifically, he knew the road, and knew we would make it off the volcano before dusk.  Relieved, we all dropped the large rocks we had been carrying for defense.  30 minutes later, we arrived at the entrance to the crater lake and the tienda for drinks and snacks.  We ordered two sugar drinks and three waters to share between the three of us.  My body changed immediately.  You gain a strong understanding of the importance of food and water during extreme activity.  After regaining strength and mental motivation we told Tulio we had no desire to visit the lake today, we just wanted to get home.

Laguna de Alegría in Volcano Tecapa

Along the road back to Alegría, we purchased three oranges from a local girl and savored the sweetness of comfort.  Comfort knowing our challenges were done for the day and no one was injured. We arrived home at 4:45pm, 45 minutes before dusk.  We would return the next day to experience the sulfur lake, known as Laguna de Alegría, minus the 7.5-hour hike.

Alegría, El Salvador, the City of Flowers

Alegría is located in the Usulután department of El Salvador and can be considered one of the most beautiful small towns tourists will visit in the country.  If traveling to Alegría from San Salvador, expect 5 hours of traveling on various buses, but you can be assured you will be pleasantly rewarded.  Alegría is a town famous for flowers, which is easily recognized once you enter the town square.  Rose bushes, sunflowers, anthuriums and orchids all rest in brick beds surrounded in tile.  Two large gazebos sit across from each other, providing a perfect setting for concerts and town gatherings.  But, this wasn’t the first thing that caught our eye.  What stood out most to Aracely and I was how clean the streets were.

No Trash Town

As we dragged our backpacks off the bus and began to adjust our straps to saddle up for our hostel search, we recognized trashcans on the curb.  It sounds so mundane, but trashcans on the streets are a rarity in most Central American cities and towns.  These weren’t just any trashcans; they were colorfully coordinated with the rest of the park.  It might seem like an injustice to the town of Alegría to highlight it’s trashcans, but this fact helps garner a more clear understanding of Alegría’s unique environment and local culture.

Main Plaza in Alegría, El Salvador

7 Waterfalls Video Tour in Juayúa, El Salvador

Juayúa Food Festival, El Salvador

Lost in Laguna de Alegría, El Salvador

Santa Ana Volcano, El Salvador

Hostels of Alegría, El Salvador

We walked around the square searching for a place to stay and the first place we came across was Entre Piedras Hotel.  The hotel was well maintained, had it’s own courtyard and served café and fine dinners.   The price was $32.00 USD a night, a bit steep for those staying in hostels.  We kept walking one block off the square and met Memo, owner of the art hostel Casa Alegre.  We took a look around and noticed it’s artistic style and art gallery entrance.   The rooms were upstairs, there was a kitchen and Memo explained that they contributed to the local community through art education.   Sounded great!  We unpacked our bags and headed out to a local restaurant for some much needed food.

Flowers of Alegría, El Salvador

As we ate, we discussed how charming Alegría appears, similar to Juayúa, but smaller and less traveled.  The cleanliness of the town was impressive, considering it’s such a challenge culturally in most parts of Central America.  It seems to create a sense of honor amongst it’s citizens.  Alegría is in the highlands and rests on the side of volcano Tecapa.   The cool weather makes it ideal for growing flowers, and they have become the flower capital of El Salvador.  Coffee is also still a major crop for this town.   Several large restaurants surround the town’s square, as well as street vendors offering pupusas, beans and french fries.   Children can always be found in the park on swings and seesaws, while the high school students flirt in the gazebo.

Laguna de Alegría

Upon returning to our hostel, we got to know Memo a bit more and learn about his organization.  It’s a promising venture that has support from many of the locals and his artistic friends he has met while traveling the world.   He has a great passion for art and the children of Alegría.

Cold Evenings and Cold Showers

In the evenings, we put on our long pants, socks and fleece jackets to stay warm, so you can imagine our shock when we discovered the showers, were not just cold, but freezing.  One of the guests let out a few screams as she tried to bathe.  No need for coffee here.   Aracely and I purchased some eggs, cheese and tomatoes for breakfast the next morning before returning to sleep.  This is when we realized there was no refrigerator.  At least we didn’t have anything that needed to remain cold.  We tied our food up in a bag and sat it on the toaster oven, since most of the counter was crawling with ants.  The next morning we found our eggs broken on the floor and our cheese spread throughout the house.  We can only imagine a cat or squirrel got into our bag.  The hostel is open air, so it’s very likely animals are crawling around.  The fact that it’s very dirty, probably also attracts the bugs and animals.  The hostel entrance served as the art studio and therefore didn’t provide a place to sit down, eat or socialize.  We were beginning to realize this was not an ideal hostel for travelers.

Mirador Las 100 Gradas

Laguna de Alegría

Most travel to Alegría to experience its large sulfur lake inside of volcano Tecapa.  A visit to the lake can be easily accomplished by way of road access or a more adventurous trek to the top of the crater ridge and then down into the crater lake.  The lake wreaks of sulfur, but is believed to provide healing powers.  A visit to Alegría is not complete without a swim in the lake, or at least a visit.

Laguna de Alegría

Alegría, El Salvador

Alegría and Musicians

During our several days in Alegría local guitarists that walked the streets often serenaded us.  It was a very enjoyable experience, since they were always polite and always smiled.  Most evenings we could be found eating pupusas, chicken and sausage, while drinking Pilsener beers at El Portal.  Delicious, filling breakfasts can be found at Mi Pueblito for $1.50 USD.  You will get a plate of eggs, beans, plantains and cheese.

On our last night in Alegría we left the Hostel Casa Alegre for a warm shower and large comfortable bed in the beautiful Entre Piedras Hotel.  There are several hostel options in Alegría, consider the yellow hostel that is adjacent to the El Portal restaurant.  The Casa Alegre has good intentions locally, but as a hostel, we wouldn’t recommend it.  The staff at the Entre Piedras helped Aracely and I figure out how to travel the next day through Honduras into Nicaragua.  The next morning we missed our 6:15am bus and the gentleman at the hotel stopped a pickup truck on the road so we could hitch a ride to the next town.

Alegría Transportation in El Salvador

Sulfur Lake in Santa Ana Volcano Crater

Santa Ana was our second city we traveled to in El Salvador and it is also their second largest city.  As we arrived to the city, it was clear that buses handle most transportation.  The number of buses arriving and departing was staggering, and the exhaust pollution was just as bad.  I was eager to get off the bus to clear my burning eyes.  During our 2 days walking the streets we did not see one other international tourist.  It’s important to note that we are also visiting during the low season.

Teatro de Santa Ana, El Salvador

Tall buildings are absent, which we found surprising for a big city.  Santa Ana does have a welcoming town square, as most towns and cities do in Central America.  Around the square sits a large Gothic Cathedral, the Teatro de Santa Ana and a historic municipal palace.  We took a few photos around the plaza and in the church and then headed to the more vibrant market.  The market was teaming with local vendors sectioned by products.  My favorite was the sausage isle, where chorizo and longaniza hung from the vendor stations.  Before dawn, we headed back to our hostel, but were sure to buy some pupusas on the street before arriving.  El Salvador’s pupusas are the best in Central America.  Be sure to enjoy the bean, cheese and pork filled tortillas.

Click to see more PHOTOS from Santa Ana, El Salvador.

Volcano National Park, El Salvador

Most that venture to Santa Ana do for the access to Volcano National Park (Cerro Verde).  The park boasts 3 volcanoes, Santa Ana (Ilamatepec), Izalco and Cerro Verde.  Cerro Verde is a desolate volcano with no vegetation, but offers a perfect crater.  Santa Ana is the highest volcano in El Salvador at 2,381 meters.  We decided to trek up Santa Ana because of its dramatic changing natural habitat as you reach different levels on the volcano.  First, you walk through thick forest, then colorful flower bushes and high grasses, desert plants and finally desolate rock.  The greatest image on the volcano is when you reach the top and look down to see the nuclear green boiling sulfur Lake.  The lake is believed to be 300 meters deep.  The trail is medium difficulty with the most challenging section at the end.  I wasn’t paying attention when we began our trek, but it must have been downhill for quite some time, because the last 45 minutes were uphill.  Instinctively, I just assumed the return hike was going to be all downhill, but unfortunately it wasn’t.

Large Maguey Plant

The climb up was beautifully enhanced with colorful flowers and large maguey plants, but unfortunately we didn’t learn much.  This is a national park and they require visitors to hire both a guide and police escort to climb the volcanoes.  Our young guide was more concerned using his phone than walking with us.  It became frustrating for us, because at some points we had no idea where our guide was.  This was our biggest disappointment with the park.  The park was very clean and included a small shop (tienda) for light food and drinks.

From Santa Ana it’s a 2-hour bus ride (bus #248) for .90 cents.  At the park you will pay $1.00 entrance fee, $6.00 to the volcano conservation organization and $1.00 to pass private property.  The trek is well worth the money, but hopefully you will have a better guide.

Click to see more PHOTOS from Volcano Santa Ana in El Salvador.