El Salvador is gaining a reputation for having some of the best surf in the world. Tourists from all over are discovering the surfing Meccas of La Libertad, El Sunzal, El Zonte and the wild El Este, transforming El Salvador into the fastest growing surf tourism hot-spot in Central America. The countryside of El Salvador is breathtaking, with volcanoes and mountains offering eco-adventurers what they are looking for, and there are a number of beautiful and secluded beaches and forests scattered throughout the country. An already well maintained and practically deserted national park is found in the west at Bosque El Imposible.

There is also the Montecristo Cloud Forest and many quaint fishing villages with incredible local hospitality. The remote coconut islands of Isla de Méndez and Isla de Olomega, in the department of San Miguel, should be on you list of “must-visits”. There are lots of other Salvadorian islands to go to and you should also try to visit the colonial towns of Apaneca, Juayúa, Panchimalco and Suchitoto. The Mayan sites of San Andrés, Joya de Cerén (The Pompeii of Central America and an UNESCO World Heritage Site) and Tazumal, whose main pyramid rises 75 feet into the air, are not to be missed.

Souvenir hunters will find some of the best artisans in San Juan el Espino and La Palma (the artisan capital of El Salvador). The capital, San Salvador, is a cosmopolitan city with good restaurants highlighting the country’s fresh seafood, as well as plenty of shopping, entertainment and night-life. El Salvador is the smallest country in Central America and, geographically, is part of continental North America. It is bordered on the south-west by the Pacific Ocean, which stretches for 320km, and lies between Guatemala and Honduras. It is divided in 14 sections. It has 25 volcanoes, 14 lakes, and four large cities, as well as the Sierra Madre mountain chain. Its capital is San Salvador. Due to its size it is affectionately called the "Tom Thumb of the Americas".

Official Tourism Body: CORSATUR

EXCHANGE_RATE: 1 Euro = 12,85 Colones
1 USD = 8.75 Colones

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El Salvador has a tropical climate with pronounced wet and dry seasons. Temperatures vary primarily with elevation and show little seasonal change. The Pacific lowlands are uniformly hot, the central plateau and mountain areas are more moderate. The rainy season extends from May to October. Almost all the annual rainfall occurs during this time, and yearly totals, particularly on southern-facing mountain slopes, can be as high as 200 centimetres. Rainfall during this season usually falls in heavy afternoon thunderstorms.

Although hurricanes occasionally form in the Pacific, they seldom affect El Salvador, with the notable exception of Hurricane Mitch in 1998. From November to April, air flowing from the Caribbean has had most of the precipitation wrung out of it while passing over the mountains in Honduras. By the time this air reaches El Salvador, it is dry, hot and hazy.

Officials in El Salvador are very strict and it's highly likely that you will be searched. They are mostly looking for drugs but be careful what you take with you. Antiques, religious materials, unlabelled medicines and counterfeit goods could end up getting you into trouble.

Argentina - 0054-11-4325/0849
Australia - 613-9867-4400
Belgium - 0322-733-0485
Brazil - 055-61364-4141
Canada - 613-238-2939
Chile - 0562-233-8324
Colombia - 0571-349-6765
Ecuador - 0593-2243-3070
France - 033-14720-4202
Germany - 4930-206-4660
Italy - 0390-6807-6605
Japan - 0813-3499-4461
Mexico - 5281-5725
Peru - 0511-440-3500
Spain - 0349-1562-8002
Sweden - 0468-765-8621
UK - 044-207-436-8282
USA - 202-387-6511
Venezuela - 058-212-959-0817

Semana Santa is celebrated with carnival-like events in different cities, by the large Catholic population, during Easter. The Fiestas Agostinas take place at the beginning of August in a week long celebration for the El Salvador del Mundo, the patron saint of El Salvador. On the 15th September El Salvador celebrates its independence from Spain, achieved in 1821AD. On the 12th October Día de la Raza (Columbus Day) is celebrated. This day commemorates the discovery of the Americas. Día de los Difuntos (Day of the Dead)is a day in which people usually visit the tombs of deceased loved ones. This takes place on the 2nd November.

In the last week of November there is a week long carnival celebration in San Miguel. Salvadorians also celebrate the usual holidays of Christmas and New Year, as well as Mother's Day which is on the 10th May.

The country code for El Salvador is 503, there are no area codes inside the country. To make an international call it's (country code)+(area code)+(private number). There are lots of phone booths around that take the pre-paid Ladatel cards. These can be purchased from supermarkets, news kiosks and pharmacies. You could also try going to an Internet café and making a web-based call.

Make sure you arrange a good travel insurance policy to cover you while you are away. Familiarise yourself with what it covers and how the payments will be made. A yellow fever vaccination is required if you are entering El Salvador from a yellow fever infected country such as Africa or South America. You will need to have it at least 10 days before entering the country.

It is also recommended, though not mandatory, to have the following vaccinations; hepatitis A & B, typhoid, and a tetanus and diphtheria booster. If you plan to be in close contact with animals then you should consider having a rabies injection and you should also check with your doctor if you will need a measles and chickenpox vaccine too.

Passengers leaving the country through an airport will have to pay a departure tax of US$27. For those travelling by sea or land the tax varies according to the area. Any travel agency can check the actual amounts for you. Also, make sure that the tax has not been included in the price of your ticket.

If driving, rental car agencies include Alamo and Hertz. Buses and taxis also provide good ways of getting around. Numerous buses traverse the highways of the country. Domestic bus services are typically very cheap (not more than two or three dollars for even the longest rides) and not difficult to understand. The buses themselves are often very well painted and adorned with all kinds of posters and trinkets, ranging from the religious to the pop-culture.

Longer bus rides may include a stop in some town where plenty of women, and sometimes their children, too, will board, trying to sell mangoes, nuts, water, and even sometimes fried chicken in a box. There is no central agency that coordinates bus routes and schedules, so it is best to just ask the driver where the bus is going and when. Most are very friendly and helpful. Do watch out for pickpockets if the bus is very crowded.

Passengers leaving the country through an airport will have to pay a departure tax of US$27. For those travelling by sea or land the tax varies according to the area. Any travel agency can check the actual amounts for you. Also, make sure that the tax has not been included in the price of your ticket.

Before the Spanish conquest the area that is now El Salvador was composed of three great indigenous states and several principalities. Early in their reign the Pipil became one of the few Mesoamerican indigenous groups to abolish human sacrifice. Otherwise, their culture was similar to that of their Aztec and Maya neighbours. The first Spanish attempt to subjugate this area failed in 1524, when Pedro de Alvarado was forced to retreat by Pipil warriors.

In 1525, he returned and succeeded in bringing the district under control of the Captaincy General of Guatemala, which retained its authority until 1821, despite an abortive revolution in 1811. It was Alvarado who named El Salvador ("The Saviour").

In 1821 El Salvador declared its independence from Spain. When other Central American provinces were joined with Mexico in early 1822, El Salvador resisted, insisting on autonomy for the Central American countries. Guatemalan troops sent to enforce the union were driven out of El Salvador in June 1822. El Salvador petitioned the United States Government for statehood. But in 1823, a revolution in Mexico ousted Emperor Agustín de Iturbide, and a new Mexican congress voted to allow the Central American provinces to decide their own fate. In 1832 Anastasio Aquino led an indigenous revolt against creoles and mestizos in Santiago Nonualco, a small town in the province of San Vicente. The source of the discontent of the indigenous people was lack of land to cultivate. The problem of land distribution did not become stable until the period 1930. The economic elite, based on agriculture and some mining, ruled the country in conjunction with the military, and the power structure remained in the control of the "Fourteen Families" of wealthy landowners.

The economy, based on coffee-growing, prospered or suffered as the world coffee price fluctuated. From 1931—the year of the coup in which General Maximiliano Hernández Martínez came to power until he was deposed of in 1944 - there was brutal suppression of rural resistance. The most notable event was the 1932 Salvadorian peasant uprising, commonly referred to as La Matanza (The Massacre), headed by Farabundo Martí and the retaliation led by Martinez's government, in which approximately 30,000 indigenous people and political opponents were murdered, imprisoned or exiled.