In the last few months we were fortunate enough to have rescued a parrot from a raided gang house in El Salvador. To our surprise, Pancho has quite an extensive vocabulary that he picked up while living with his former caretakers.
Visitors of the area as well as guests of our ecolodge have the opportunity to see Pancho the Talking Parrot in person. Take a look at the video and see for yourself. We are happy to welcome him to our beautiful beach resort in El Salvador.
La Cocotera has been featured in Frommer’s Nicaragua El Salvador Travel Guide and in El Salvador: A Great Destination (Explorer’s Guide).
Frommer’s lists La Cocotera as a “find.” Frommer’s says, “Staying here is an unforgettable experience.” We are so pleased to be recognized by Frommer’s. Furthermore, we are so glad that Frommer’s identified what La Cocotera tries to achieve with the eco resort. Frommer’s describes the ecoresort and some of the eco-friendly features at La Cocotera:
This is one of the finest ecolodges in all of Central America and certainly one of the most luxurious hotels in El Salvador outside of San Salvador. It offers a rare taste of international style in a remote and beautiful part of the country. La Cocotera gets the balance right: utter comfort with a social conscience. It employs locals, uses sustainable energy, promotes nature conservation, and blends right in with its environment.
As an ecoresort, La Cocotera features solar-powered hot water and brown-water recycling, and it even incubates turtle eggs, gathered from illegal vendors around the country, for release by guests into the sea. The staff is gracious and friendly.
El Salvador: A Great Destination (Explorer’s Guide) describes Barra de Santiago as “one of the most remote beaches in El Salvador.” The guide then continues to talk about La Cocotera Resort and Ecolodge, “This outstanding ecolodge on the endless beach may be a bit upscale for folk really watching their carbon footprint, but it’s fantastic. Six spacious palapa-topped bungalows are hewn from natural materials, with exquisitely crafted bamboo detailing and gorgeous solar-heated showers with smooth black rocks all around.”
Be sure to check out these travel guides on your way to La Cocotera!
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.
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 to the novice surfer. 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.
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.
Olive Ridley Turtle
One of the great advantages of ecotourism is having the opportunity to witness the wonders of nature 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 Ridleys 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.
Olive Ridley Turtles
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
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
Location
La Barra de Santiago is located on the Santiago Peninsula with long sandy banks created by the currents of the estuary. It is the perfect location for breathtaking sunsets over the ocean. One of the most attractive features of this area is that there is no one around, with the exception of maybe the locals or surfer kids.
Access
The Santiago Peninsula is a must for people who love nature. There is a coastal highway that runs from Acajutla through the Guatemalan border. To reach the village Barra de Santiago, take the turnoff at KM 98.5 . If you choose to travel by bus, there are two direct departures from Sonsonate (morning and afternoon). Take bus #285 to the end-stop at 35 Ave Sur, then walk approximately three blocks to the end of the road.
Barra de Santiago provides numerous dirt roads and walkways along the peaceful beaches to the tip of the peninsula. These beaches are unspoiled by the mega-hotels that vacation destinations like Cancun suffer from. You can walk for miles, undisturbed, along this peaceful, safe and relaxing beach.
Must See
Barra de Santiago harbors a protected area where you can observe turtle nests on the beach, walk through mangroves, and even go bird watching. A short walk will take you to the tip of the peninsula, giving you a remarkable panoramic view of the volcanic mountain chain from the Volcan de Agua in Guatemala all the way to the Santa Ana and Izalco volcano in El Salvador. The lush foothills of the El Imposible National Park are the backdrop of the mangrove forest.
For more information on some of the amazing views or about our El Salvador beachfront hotel, visit our main page at lacocteraresort.com, or click on the icon in the left hand corner.
