Apaneca’s location is what makes it perfect for harvesting coffee. At 1455 meters above sea level, it is the city with the highest altitude in El Salvador, and the next stop after Juayua on the Ruta de las Flores. Due to its height, some of the best coffees in the world are produced here.
Apaneca means “the river of the winds” and the city holds up to its name, with constant breezes throughout the day. Many wind barriers are created using coffee bushes, making the whole region very picturesque.
There are lost of different sights to see in Apaneca, such as the Laguna Verde and the Laguna de las Ninfas, and touring a coffee plantation is a must.
The greatest resource you can have when it comes to travel in Juayua (not counting a Spanish-English dictionary if you don’t speak the language) is the information available on www.juayua.com. The website is actually all in Spanish… so you will need that dictionary for sure!
Juayua.com has photo galleries of the city, a calendar of events, hotel listings, info on tour companies, restaurants, news, transportation and more. It is like one stop shopping for this little town that is talked about all over the internet as one of the best stops on the Route of the Flowers.
I think my favorite is the “Comida Rapida” section, which highlights the three “fast food” places in Juayua, all right by city Read more
So everyone knows the Food Festival in Juayua is where it’s at, but what if you arrive mid-week and are looking for somewhere to grub? Hit up the Pizzeria Al Forno… you won’t be disappointed.
In other countries I have traveled to, I often succumb, at least once, to eating at an American style pizza joint, like Pizza Hut, and I am always incredibly disappointed. Even in countries where there are local pizza chains, it is just never as good as Hungry Howies (GO MIDWEST PIZZA!).
Pizzeria Al Forno isn’t Midwest pizza, and it’s not a New York pie either, but it does what it does well. Pizzas are baked fresh, in about 15 minutes, and they use all fresh ingredients. Read more
With all the fun hiking to do in and around Juayua it is important that you choose a reliable tour company. Juayutur on the east side of the town’s central park is known for providing a variety of excellent tours, even custom fitting tours to tailor to the needs of your group.
Really, if you come to Juayua during the week, you are going to want to fill your days with different hikes, bike rides, and swims in anticipation of the weekend’s Gastronomic Fair.
That’s where Juayutur fits in. Although at the moment they don’t have a web-site, you can call Edgar Antonio Alfaro at 011 503 2469 2387, or just stop by the office!
There are a number of places where you can connect to the internet in Juayua. These cybercafes charge for the amount of time that you are connected, and although the speeds aren’t very fast, you can still manage to connect and read email. Voice and video chat functions don’t work too well, as there isn’t enough bandwidth to handle it.
For connecting to the internt in Juayua try these three internet cafes:
Cyber y Equipment
1a. Av. Sur 1-2, Barrio San JoséTel.: 2452-2769
Nautilus Cyber Shop
Calle Merceditas Cáceres y 2a. Av. NorteTels.:2452-2343, 2226-4374cor07_1@hotmail.com
En El Yei
Calle Merceditas Cáceres No. 13, Centro Comercial La Futurista. Tel. 2452-2214
Heading up the mountain of Apaneca you will pass through San Juan de Dios, a small coffee oriented community. Just beyond the city you will come to Finca El Portezuelo, which is a farm that runs a variety of tours in the mountainous region.
From Finca El Portezuelo you can take a hiking tour up through the mountains into the cloud forest, where there are amazing wild orchid gardens and other plant life. The hike takes you through coffee plantations and ravines, ending in a series of geishers. The mud from the geishers is said heal the skin, and that combined with a nice soak in the hotsprings melts away the outside world.
If you are headed to Nahuizalco within the next 5–10 days you are just in time to celebrate the patron saint festival in honor of San Juan Bautista, as well as the annual arts and crafts festival. The 5 day fesitval is held annually from June 20–25.
San Juan Bautista is the namesake for the Nahuizalco Chapel which was built in 1859. It is an interesting archaeological site, which is home to several graves. (In colonial times, before cemetaries, they buried people in the church!) Several tombs have already been discovered, and many people hold to the belief that another temple or grave might exist underneath the floor.
During the festival the whole town lights up! Local furniture, arts and Read more
The closest beach to San Salvador is in the southern department of La Libertad, and is only about 32 kilometers from the city.
The most popular beaches dot the coast, and are situated between kilometers 30 and 53. The main entrance to the town of La Libertad is the El Puerto de la Libertad (The Pier). The namesake for the city is an old wooden pier that was originally built in 1579. It is still in operation today that serves fishing boats. It is also the best place to buy cheap, fresh seafood.
The first beach area east of the pier is El Obispo. It is popular because of its large shopping mall and many commercial developments. To the west of Read more
For a day trip from El Salvador try Balboa Natural Park, it is one of the main ecological reservoirs in El Salvador, and it is only about 7 miles from the capital.
Balboa is one of the best places to take the family to. There are amazing rock formations, such as La Puerta del Diablo (Devil’s Doorway). It can be seen from one of the park’s many pathways. There are a large number of natural sight spots as well.
In addition to the natural beauty there are also a lot of other things to do in the park. For kids there is a playground with a castle and a labyrinth. You can go skating in the park, ride bikes, and Read more
The Museo ¡Ajá! Centro de Culturas y Artes Populares is a great way to spend an afternoon discovering arts and culture in Santa Ana. The Museum is open from 3 pm to 7 pm Wednesday to Sunday and admission is free! Visitors wishing to tour around the museum Wednesday to Friday need to set an appointment.
El Museo ¡Ajá! is a different kind of space: it offers workshops, film screenings, and conferences about current global and national issues and an opportunity to actively participate.
The objectives of this hippie-style museum are as follows:
1. To divulge the current situation of the planet in terms of peace, human development, the environment, and democracy.
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