We awoke to a gorgeous morning in stunning Playa El Zonte, with its beautiful black sand, cliffs, caves, and tropical flora. We're not much for playing in the ocean, so the mean riptide doesn't affect us, and the surfers love it.
Tropical paradise
Playa El Zonte
The tide was much lower this morning, so we were able to walk up the beach to within sight of El Cueva. We could have made it all the way to the cave, but it would have required getting soaking wet, so we skipped it. We were happy with the view from a few dozen yards away.
El Cueva
Not quite low tide
After cleaning off the sand back at the hotel, it was time to head on. We drove west along the Salvadoran coast on the Carretera Litoral. There were very few places to pull over and enjoy the scenery, but the glimpses we got of the ocean were nice. Throughout El Salvador, it seems the miradors (overlooks) are mostly at restaurants or tiendas, and the occasional public mirador generally has no good place to pull over and park.
The Carretera Litoral passes through four tunnels. The tunnels are interesting in that they're simply carved roughly out of the rock and not lined with concrete or anything else. I guess that's safe... We managed to find a place to stop for one quick photo.
Tunnel 2 of the Carretera Litoral
We turned north into the mountains on RN-11 at Apancoyo, an interesting route but slow going. Driving in El Salvador is intense! There are slow trucks, fast cars, lots of motorcycles, vehicles randomly parked sticking out in the road, and dogs and pedestrians roaming everywhere. It's a steep and mountainous country, people build wherever they can, and life happens in and near the road. As a driver, you have to stay alert!
Lodging: Bosko Cerro Verde, on the side of Volcan Cerro Verde and near the entrance to Cerro Verde National Park. The room was large and had a king-sized bed, but it was very dark and lacked some basic amenities, like surfaces on which to place your belongings and usable chair. But location, location, location! The hotel is a mere 6 km from the Volcan de Santa Ana trailhead, and the view of Lago de Coatepeque from here is killer! We're here for two nights.
Bosko Cerro Verde Cafe
Hotel Bosko Cerro Verde
Lago de Coatepeque from the cafe
After dropping off our things, we drove into Cerro Verde National Park. The park includes three major volcanoes, Izalco, Santa Ana (also known as Volcan Ilamtepec), and Cerro Verde. The park entrance is on Volcan Cerro Verde, and though it was an overcast afternoon, we got some dramatic views of Volcan de Izalco peaking through the clouds.
Tom at Cerro Verde National Park
Volcan de Izalco
We strolled some short paths inside the park, but mainly we were looking for information about hiking up Volcan de Santa Ana tomorrow, since information online is sparse and conflicting. We found out that we could start the hike up Santa Ana from here in the park, but the path is longer because you have to descend Cerro Verde before you can ascend Santa Ana, or, since we have a car, we can park at the privately owned Casa de Cristal for a small fee and hike from there. We also learned that the park service hadn't allowed people to hike up Santa Ana today because of the wind, and tomorrow is uncertain as well. Since tomorrow is the day we have available, we're hoping for the best!
Pretty plants
Covered path
Topiary Tom
On our way back to the hotel, we stopped by Casa de Cristal and got a minefield of information in rapid-fire Spanish that went way over our heads. Eventually, we determined that (1) the parking is cheap, though the exact amount was still a little fuzzy; (2) a guide is required and would be available onsite at Casa de Cristal; (3) we could get our own guide for $35 or join a group and share the fee; (4) you have to start the hike in the morning – I think by 10:30 – or you won't be allowed to ascend. Good enough.
We'd skipped lunch so had an early dinner at our hotel's restaurant, Bosko Cerro Verde Cafe. They offered more regional fare, but we were in the mood for burgers and fries. Yum! The national Regia Extra beer is acceptable, but their Pilsener might as well be water.
Dinner time
Salud!