Lake Coatepeque, formed within a large volcanic caldera, is situated near the city of Santa Ana in western El Salvador. We weren’t originally intending to visit it during our sojourn in the city, but it so happened we did quite accidentally…
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A week into our stay in Santa Ana city, we headed out one morning aiming to climb the Volcano of Santa Ana. But this excursion ended ingloriously upon reaching the bus station. We got then informed by a guard on the spot that we were too late to make it on time for the compulsory daily tour starting from the national park’s entrance. In fact, we knew that already but judged we’d most likely be allowed to do the trek alone if we were late. It didn’t turn out to be the case.
So we decided to postpone the volcano for the next day—when we’d have our own car and start on a road trip around this part of the country. But now we needed a new plan for the current day. It was an exceptionally sunny one for the rainy season and shouldn’t be missed. We had read some mentions of Lake Coatepeque and thought “why not?”.
We inquired on the spot about transportation to the lake and were sent to the Terminal de Buses de Occidente (coordinates: 13.9879, -89.5635). The bus nr 220 departs from there for Lake Coatepeque every approximately 1 hour, and we had to wait a bit until it showed up. The ticket cost $0.43, and the trip, although a mere 21 km long, took about 1.5 hours with all the stops and the traffic.
Alternatively, one can also arrange a private transfer on this site.
The bus dropped us off at the lake’s northern shore, where a little, 100%-tourist-oriented settlement lies. There weren’t any foreign travelers around, but the place seemed to be a fav among locals.
Pretty much the entire length of the shore was privatized and occupied by restaurants. Most of them additionally maintained motorized platforms with tables where denizens apparently paid $20 per person (without even a free drink) for an hour’s ride around the lake.
We made do with a $1.75 local Pilsner beer at one of the stationary tables and enjoyed the view. It was pretty lovely. Santa Ana and Izalco volcanoes dominated the scape over the delightfully blue lake. Lush rainforest covered the slopes along its entire periphery. Numerous jetskis barrelled up and down the water, disturbing a little the otherwise profound serenity.
Having finished our beer, we then set out to locate a quiet and shady spot on the shore to have our packed lunch. It wasn’t particularly easy to even reach the shore at all. As I said, most of it is privatized and restricted to non-paying individuals. But eventually, towards the eastern end of the settlement, we managed to get down through some narrow paths and even found a broad-foliaged tree to settle under.
Heading back slowly… As soon as we got back to the road, the bus to Santa Ana was passing. Perfect timing.
Accommodation and Activities in El Salvador
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