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Photo: European Union, Copernicus Sentinel-2 imagery, Attribution via Wikimedia Commons
A beautiful lake that was once an active volcano caldera. Access to the lake shore is difficult due to many private properties, try at one of the hotels or restaurants.
Coatepeque Caldera is a volcanic caldera in El Salvador in Central America. The caldera was formed during a series of rhyolitic explosive eruptions from a group of stratovolcanoes between about 72,000 and 57,000 years ago. Since then, basaltic cinder cones and lava flows formed near the west edge of the caldera, and six rhyodacitic lava domes have formed. The youngest dome, Cerro Pacho, formed after 8000 BC.
© OpenStreetMap contributors
Is noteworthy for the turquoise lake in its crater. A guided and police escorted tour (they don't let you do the hike without a guide) leaves Cerro Verde at 11am to the vulcano. The hike up takes 2 hr and 1.5 hr down, and is moderately difficult. Trekking boots recommended. The weather is chilly at the high altitude (2381m, 7812ft) so long pants, a jacket, and a windbreaker are also recommended. Bring at least 1 liter of drinking water with you! Best time for climbing is during dry season (between Nov and April) when perfect sky is the rule, but even in rain season (between May and October) good weather is not uncommon. For volcanic activity check web, last eruption was in 2005.
Los Volcanes National Park
A must for eco-tourists, and the starting point for climbing Santa Ana and Izalco volcano. Inside the park, a small comedor serves breakfast for $1.50 and lunch for $3. Cabins can be rented for $36 per night (up to 3 people per cabin).
A guided and police escorted tour (they don't let you do the hike without a guide) also leaves from Cerro Verde at 11:00 to the vulcano. The hike is way harder than the Santa Ana volcano. Both volcanoes can be done in the same day if you start with Santa Ana volcano around 07:00-08:00 then go to Izalco and start the hike from there at 11am.
While not part of the Ruta de las Flores per se, this tiny village located 23 km southeast of town at an altitude of 1450m (4754ft) is the closest place if you seek relief from Santa Ana's heat. Several hostels, hotels, and fincas in the area offer accommodation (eg Paso Alaska Resort, from $75, pasodelalaska.com, or Hostal Casa Blanca, $22-$40). As everywhere in the region, ask locals for security advise (and guide, or even police escort) before setting out in the surrounding countryside. You cannot climb Santa Ana vulcano from here!
Segunda Brigada de Infantería. The ruined building nearby (at the corner of 3a Ave Sur y 13a Calle Oriente) is the Casino Militar Centroamericano, which was destroyed by fire during the war in 1981.
Often overlooked, this once impressive building was saved in the very last moment from demolition by the city government. No plan for restoration exists so far. As of Dec 2024, there is no access due to maintenance work.