Barra de Santiago, El Salvador

El Salvador is a nature-lover’s paradise. With a large variety of unique plants and wildlife, its geographic location is ideal for those seeking an eco vacation. With so many sights to see, from the breathtaking volcanic lake, Lake Coatepeque, to El Imposible National Park, El Salvador is the perfect place to experience the beauty of nature first hand. Many nature tours in El Salvador are available through La Cocotera Resort as well as various tour groups in the area.

La Cocotera offers exciting eco and nature tours including an exploration of the Ruins of Joya de Ceren and San Andres, a Santa Ana Volcano Tour and a day hike in El Imposible National Park.

Ruins of Joya de Ceren

Visit the Mayan ruins of Joya de Ceren and San Andres on this unique, full day nature tour. Named a UN World Heritage Site, this archaeological region offers unforgettable panoramic volcanic views from beautiful Cerro Verde. Tour includes transportation, a pack lunch, park entrance fees and a guide. Cost: $175 for up to 2 people.

Volcano Tour

This tour is for the athletic and adventurous. Climb the Santa Ana Volcano, the highest in the country, with magnificent views of other volcanoes and lakes. The effort will be well worth it! This full day trip is  relatively strenuous and sturdy shoes are necessary.  Transportation, lunch, entrance fees and a guide are all included. Cost: $165 for up to two people.

El Imposible National Park

The San Salvador area is well known for El Imposible, a tropical rain forest and El Salvador’s largest national park. Explore its diverse collection of animals and plants on this educational hike.  During the nature tour, you will also learn about the Scarlet Macaw reintroduction program. The trip is a 1/2 day hike and includes transportation, drinks, entrance fees and guide. Cost: $150 for up to 2 people.

Other types of nature tours and activities that are readily available at or near La Cocotera Resort include ocean and estuary kayaking, deep sea fishing, birdwatching, and a behind the scenes eco tour of our resort.

If you have other nature tours in El Salvador that you would like to book while staying with us, we would be glad to help point you in the right direction.

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From popular beaches such as El Sunzal and El Tamarindo to lesser known spots like La Barra de Santiago, such ideal locations have made surfing in El Salvador a must for the surfing enthusiast.  If you are looking for warm, tropical weather, unspoiled beaches and challenging waves, then El Salvador has everything you need.

The beautiful beaches and favorable geographical location of El Salvador’s long stretch of Pacific coastline provide some of the world’s best areas for surfing. With mostly vacant waters, El Salvador’s beaches are not only the perfect place to catch a wave, but to soak up the sun and explore the natural surroundings in serenity. Places like Punta Roca in Costa del Balsamo are well known for their beach breaks, river mouths, reefs and cobblestone points.

For the longest wave in El Salvador that’s perfect for both long and short boards, try El Sunzal. The waves are big and surfers are often found spending their time here. In fact, many wave seekers refer to El Salvador’s coast as a “surfer’s heaven”. The coast to the west of El Sunzal has many beach breaks and a few river mouths, and it enjoys some of the most consistent surf in the country of El Salvador.

El Salvador has a dry season (November - April) and a wet season (May-October). While the wet season is characteristic of rain, there is also plenty of sunshine and the biggest surf. Waves up to 8-12 ft are not uncommon! The dry season offers beautiful sunny weather and calmer waves, with more consistent surf. Depending on what kind of vacation you prefer, either season may have just the perks you’re looking for.

Experienced surfers may want to check out Barra de Santiago. It is a small coastal village with deserted beaches and consistent year round surf. Beginners can go down the beach towards village where the waves are much softer. When you’re not surfing, you can explore the estuary, observe the local wildlife or just enjoy the gentle breeze.

At just a short five hour flight from Los Angeles, surfing in El Salvador is well within reach for west coasters and a worthy vacation destination for those coming from farther away. At La Cocotera eco resort, you are only a few steps from the beach. Just roll out of bed, grab your surf board and go!  Other water activities are also readily available, including kayaking through the Barra de Santiago estuary. La Cocotera is an all-inclusive resort, so leave the accommodations and meals up to us, and we’ll leave the surfing to you.

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Lily and Tito, El Salvador Scarlet Macaws at La Cocotera Eco Resort

The Scarlet Macaw is an incredible bird, now extinct in El Salvador and most of Central America.  Hunting, poaching for the pet trade, and the destruction of habitat through deforestation have all been contributing factors in their population decline. As an environmentally active eco lodge in Central America, we are working in conjunction with SalvaNatura to sponsor a project that reintroduces macaws into the wild and establishes a self-sustaining population.

SalvaNatura is a private, nonprofit organization recognized nationally and internationally for its successful work on the issue of environmental conservation in El Salvador. For more information, visit www.salvanatura.org. You can read more about the Reintroduction of the Scarlet Macaw to El Salvador here.

For more information on our El Salvador all-inclusive hotel, visit us at www.lacocoteraresort.com

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As an eco-friendly resort, we constantly strive to ensure that our hotel and practices always put the environment at high priority. But what does that entail exactly? We wanted to take the time to share with you what makes La Cocotera truly an eco friendly resort.

La Cocotera was built following the “green leaf” system utilized by the Certification for Sustainable Tourism (CST).   The planning of the resort involved mapping out how to carefully minimize footprints on the land and ensuring that structures were built around the natural landscape. Local natural materials such as palm fronds, sustainable teak wood, plant vines, natural stone and hand woven fabrics are used throughout. In fact, all the wood used in construction was derived from sustainable teak plantations.

Energy conservation and recycling are also important elements of our eco resort. We use solar energy, energy saving lightbulbs and kinesthetic power flashlights. We have a biological (not chemical) waste water recycling treatment plant and we utilize gray water recycling as well as black water recycling, which not many hotels do. All trash is presorted for recycling before it leaves the property.

At La Cocotera, we pride ourselves on the freshness of the food we serve. Mangoes, cashews, almonds and our own citrus trees are all grown on the property and we use them in our desserts.  We will soon be buying Tilapia fish from the local elementary school, which is raising them, and will be adding a vegetarian menu. For drinks, we use plastic cups made from corn  which are 100% compostable.

A few of our other eco friendly resort features are:

• Environmentally safe products, shampoos and soaps
• All cleaning products are environmentally safe
• Ionization pool filtration, rather than chlorine and other chemicals
• All rooms are non-smoking

Being a green hotel is more than just having environmentally friendly practices in place. We also educate our guests by offering a free Behind The Scenes Eco Tour that shows you all we are doing to be green. We educate all our staff in the same way.

As an eco friendly resort in El Salvador, we are glad to offer world-class accommodations in a beautiful and unique setting. We encourage environmentally conscious travelers, nature and luxury lovers alike to visit our green hotel in El Salvador for a different vacation experience surrounded by nature, far away from the stresses of everyday life.

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From TripAdvisor reviewer TravelToLiveToday:

“This might have been the most well designed facility we have ever stayed at. We have stayed at many outstanding facilities around the world…So many wonderful things to talk about. The rooms are incredible. Some deep engineering makes the rooms so climate comfortable- without having to turn on the air-conditioning. I don’t care for air-conditioning but always use it. At La Cocotera the rooms have huge double french doors that capture the ocean breeze…Outside of the rooms are chase lounges. So incredibly comfortable, I thought I might want to sleep outside. Inside the bed, linens and pillows are simply perfect….The food is wonderful. The chef is a native Salvadorian who trained at culinary school for three years…The ocean is simply magnificent. Very private- yet the feeling of safety because the beach is wide open.”

From Tripadvisor reviewer Peckhamgypsy:

“The rooms are very nicely designed and decorated and give a feel of quality. Likewise, the whole hotel is well designed and because of it’s position, guests can enjoy the peace and solitude of the lagoon or walk a few metres and be sitting in front of the crashing Pacific waves. I don’t normally like the concept of “meals included” resorts but in this case there really is not much choice but to eat at the hotel and the good news is that the food was varied and tasty.”

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Travelers share photos from their eco vacation to La Cocotera on SmugMug.com:

“The last week of October my friend Colette and I spent 4 days at La Cocotera Ecolodge in Barra Santiago, El Salvador. We took advantage of all the resort had to offer including taking part in a turtle release, kayaking the estuary, an afternoon on the floating ranchita, a trip by panga to the local school, and a trip to a local home to learn how to make tortillas!”

View the La Cocotera Ecolodge, El Salvador 10.08 gallery here

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Check out this fun YouTube video with pictures of the resort’s gorgeous scenery:

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La Cocotera on Flickr:

See even more eco vacation photos on Flickr, or cruise through a few traveler-submitted photos on Tripadvisor.

Have photos or reviews that you’d like to share? Feel free to submit them to lacocoteraresort @ yahoo.com and we would be happy to include them in our blog.

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The country’s Balsam Coast is known as a surfer’s paradise, well known for its beach breaks, river mouths, reefs and cobblestone points. For the longest wave in El Salvador that’s perfect for both long boards and short boards, try El Sunzal. The waves are big and surfer enthusiasts can often be found spending their time here.

Some of the other water activities in the area include:

• Eco/nature/wildlife observation in the Barra de Santiago estuary
• Kayaking
• Scuba diving
• Snorkeling
• Jet skiing
• Boogie boarding
• Boat tours/sailing
• Visits to local conservation projects
• White-water rafting
• Deep sea fishing

To better serve our guests,  La Cocotera eco lodge offers life vests, boogie boards, kayaks and other equipment. Because we are not a large chain resort, these are easily accessible for our guests to enjoy.

After a day of nature and water activities, don’t forget to relax by the pool! Designed to be very private, relaxing and secluded, the La Cocotera pool is the perfect place to lounge and enjoy paradise. One of the most characteristic features of the pool is the design, which allows two mature palms trees to remain in the center of the pool. This is a testament to our commitment to not disturbing the natural surroundings and our effort to accommodate nature and our guests. The pool is environmentally friendly, with an ionization filtration system, eliminating any need for chemicals and chlorine.

Take your time and have fun with these uncrowded water activities. If you are looking for an all-inclusive eco lodge far away from the crowded beaches that allows you to be  a conscientious consumer and tourist, then La Cocotera is for you!

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One of the great advantages of ecotourism is the opportunity to witness nature’s wonders first hand. Just one of the many unique and amazing animals that reside in our little area of El Salvador is the olive ridley sea turtle. If you are lucky, you may be able to see this sea turtle on the Barra de Santiago beach.

Olive ridley turtles get their name from the coloring of their heart-shaped shell, which starts out grey when they first hatch, but becomes olive green once the turtles are adults.  Olive ridley turtles are one of the smallest species of sea turtle, with adults reaching 2 to 2.5 feet in length and weighing 80 to 110 pounds.

Female olive ridley’s have a remarkable way of nesting that sets them apart from other animals. Large groups of turtles gather off shore, then simultaneously come ashore to nest and lay their eggs. The  nesting rush is known as an “arribada”,  which is Spanish for “arrival”. During these arribadas, hundreds to thousands of females come ashore to lay their eggs.

The olive ridley turtle’s conservation status is threatened, which means it is likely to become endangered unless the circumstances threatening its survival and reproduction improve. In breeding populations on the Pacific Coast of Mexico, the Olive Ridley turtle is endangered. The main cause of the historical decline of the olive ridley sea turtle is the collection of eggs and killing of adults on nesting beaches.

At La Cocotera Eco Resort, we sponsor a turtle release program that allows guests to participate in the release of baby olive ridley turtles into the Pacific ocean. Our eco lodge aims to promote ecotourism and inspire guests to help preserve our natural environment. We purchase the eggs from locals and raise them until they are ready to be released. If you would like to learn more about our eco resort and the turtle release program, contact us at info [at] lacocoteraresort.com

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El Salvador is slowly earning a reputation as the ideal place for sun, surf and peaceful solitude. Travel to this tropical area is on the rise as word gets out about ideal surfing conditions, unique wildlife, beautiful beaches and captivating culture. For those who seek a travel experience a little bit off the beaten path, but with the trimmings of a picturesque beach vacation,  La Cocotera ecolodge should be your first stop. In her article for the Travel Section of The New York Times Online, Bonnie Tsui dotes on the charm and beauty of El Salvador:

“A lingering reputation of El Salvador as a war-torn place has kept many foreign visitors at bay, but the country’s beaches, volcanic craters, pristine cloud forests and bird sanctuaries are setting it up to be the next Costa Rica, without the crowds. Authentic local experiences abound: rustic roadside stands everywhere sell pupusas, the country’s famous corn tortillas, usually filled with gooey cheese and refried beans. Out on the water, seasoned oyster divers, their floats and nets bobbing on the surface, are ready to chat between trips down to the rocky seabed.”

Like any area that experiences a spike in travel, big hotels have begun to sprout. By traveling to smaller coastal villages such as Barra de Santiago, you will experience the same El Salvador that Tsui describes. With waves that are  mellow but challenging, mouth-watering local fare, friendly local people and plenty of opportunity for nature exploration,  staying at an El Salvador ecolodge is a travel experience you don’t want to miss.

Read the full article on El Salvador travel at travel.nytimes.com

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Traveling green doesn’t just mean staying at an ecolodge or turning off the lights when you leave your bungalow, you can pack green too! Here are some tips on what to bring to our beachfront ecolodge and how to keep it eco-friendly.

El Salvador has a tropical climate with two seasons: verano, or dry season (November to April), and invierno, or wet season (May to October). Rainfall during this time is usually a single downpour during the day or night with the rest of the day being sunny. The year round average air temperature is between 70 ° - 90 ° F (or 21 ° – 32 ° C), with the hottest months typically being March and April.

Remember to bring lightweight, waterproof outerwear if you plan to travel during the wet season.  To keep things wet/dry while you are out and about on excursions, such as a tour of El Imposible National Park, simply re-use old plastic bags as containers.

Pack light!  Barra de Santiago is a tropical area so you don’t need to bring any heavy clothes. Packing lighter will lighten the load for you and for all your transportation vehicles. Bring a mix of long and short sleeve shirts for hot days and cooler nights.  Instead of denim, which can be heavy and uncomfortable in the humidity and heat, opt for breathable materials for shorts and pants.

If you plan to embark on any eco tours, remember to bring hiking and/or walking shoes along with your beach shoes. On a similar note, bringing a day travel bag for hikes or eco tours is a great way to keep the essentials (sunscreen, water bottle, etc.) with you as you explore the area.

At La Cocotera, we encourage our guests to explore the wonderful natural area surrounding the ecolodge, from the ocean to the estuary to the mangroves. While you’re out and about, it’s a good idea to wear bug repellent.  Many repellents products contain harsh chemical ingredients that are bad for the environment and for you. Look for non-chemical repellents, or better yet, make your own!  Good herbs that repel mosquitoes include basil, eucalyptus, cloves, geranium, peppermint, rosemary and lemon balm (citronella). You can make your own repellent by combining 10 drops essential oil (see list of herbs, above, for choices) 2 tablespoons vegetable oil. Combine the ingredients in a glass jar; stir to blend. Dab a few drops on your skin or clothing.

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La Cocotera Eco Resort is located on the sandy shores of the Barra de Santiago coast, with the Barra de  Santiago Estuary and Mangrove forest as its neighbor. If you are looking for an eco vacation that offers relaxing luxury and intruiging wildlife exploration, then La Cocotera is for you.

Barra de Santiago is home to seven different species of mangrove, and measures approximately 2,000 hectares (4,942 acres). Along with lush vegetation, the inner mangrove coastline is a haven for thousands of native and migratory birds and a various wildlife. Guests at our resort can view several types of wildlife while floating along the peaceful estuary waters including iguanas, lizards, marine mammals, shellfish, sea turtles, crocodiles, blue crabs and more!

If you are a nature and wildlife enthusiast who is looking for the perfect eco vacation activity, you must try kayaking through the Barra de Santiago estuary. To learn more about kayaking, see our other post on Eco Resort Nature Activites: Kayaking. For those staying out our eco lodge, Kayak rentals are included.

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