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Western El Salvador, El Salvador
Photo: Fanny Basurto, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Salcoatitán is a small town in the mountainous highlands of Western El Salvador. The town is a quiet, scenic small town known for its slow pace and its weekly food festival in the town square. The town is one of the designated points of interest along the Ruta de las Flores, a tourism route through scenic colonial towns of El Salvador's western highlands.
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Learn about the history of printing in El Salvador in this small historical museum. Several old printing presses from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. On-site cafe.
This is the town square with carefully manicured landscaping, paved pathways, park benches, and a central walkway. On weekends, it is home to a regional gastronomic emporium with local vendors serving up pupusas and the town's specialty, yuca frita.
St Michael the Archangel Church
Two churches stand side-by-side, one white, one an off-yellow. The white one is the original church built in 1824 of limestone and slate. The church was damaged in an earthquake in 2001 so the yellow church was built as its backup.
The 400-year old ceiba tree is not just a huge old tree, it's a symbol of the town and commemorates the town's history as a trading outpost. The story is that merchants traveling between Guatemala and Sonsonate would gather at this tree. Tradition says that the souls of enslaved Mexicas brought to the area in the early 16th century inhabit the tree and that visitors who embrace the tree and give thanks in Nahuatl will receive a gift from the souls. The mosaic murals in the park are pretty cool, but the park is not well maintained.
Known for their roasted hen soup (sopa de gallina), the restaurant serves a typical Salvadoran menu. Tortillas are hot off the comal and aguas frescas are available in a range of fruity flavors.
Small family-run eatery with handmade pupusas served with spicy salsa and curtido.
Bakery and coffee shop serving a variety of sweet breads and cookies.
Small hostal known mostly for their cafe.
Chicken buses are the easiest and cheapest way to get around in El Salvador. From the Terminal Occidente in San Salvador, take the Ruta 205 bus toward Sonsonate (usually painted a shade of dark aqua green).
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San Salvador · Regional · ILS
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Articles and travel topics about Salcoatitán and El Salvador.
ItinerariesRuta de las Flores is an official tourist itinerary in El Salvador. The itinerary follows a route through the Apaneca-Ilamatepec mountain range visiting six towns that are emblematic of rural Salvadoran culture.
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Nature & adventureEl Salvador has 5 national parks conserving a wide range of plant and animal species across several types of ecosystems including Pacific beaches, coastal wetlands, mountainous rainforests, and rugged volcanic peaks.
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Nature & adventureSurfing is a sport in which people stand on boards and ride waves.
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ItinerariesItineraries in North America
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