5 Places to Visit in San Salvador Part 2

There are so many things to do in San Salvador. The options are really endless, but I've come up with 5 more must-see places that are sure to make your San Salvador visit more complete.

The options below are well suited for families travelling together and for those travelling alone; be sure to take them into account when planning your next visit.

1) Tin Marín Children's Museum: This museum caters especially to children and was designed to make learning fun as it touches on different academic areas in fun and interesting ways.

The museum has an airplane that children can board and take turns at piloting, it also has a planetarium where children can look at the nearby constellations using the telescope. The grocery store also helps children with everyday areas of life like health and nutrition. Tin Marin museum also has a section dedicated specially to pre-school children.

The museum is located in Cuscatlán Park (San Salvador's landmark urban park); they have guided tours Tuesday to Friday from 9am - 1pm and 2pm - 5pm and weekends from 9am - 1pm and 2pm - 6pm. General admission is $2.00; Planetarium admission is $1.00 or you can opt for the "combo admission" for $2.50 which includes access to the Planetarium.

2) Puerta del Diablo (Devil's Door): It is a lookout point on the southern side of San Salvador. Its rocky formation came from heavy rains in the 1700's. Be sure to bring your camera, to capture some of the spectacular views; the adventurous visitors can even try rappelling down the hills. Puerta del Diablo is located on the Southeast of San Salvador, 1 km south of Balboa Park in the suburban area of Los Planes de Renderos. Great for those who love nature!

It was given its name due to its unique formation: 2 large boulders that come out from an "abyss" that cuts right through the mountain. This makes it seem like a gigantic door with a spectacular view in the background. From Puerta del Diablo the coastline is visible as well as the Ilopango Lake, the Panchimalco village (a native's village) and the twin-peaked Chinchontepec volcano in the department of San Vicente towards the east of the country.

3) Panchimalco: This is an indigenous village also on the south of San Salvador at an altitude of about 600m asl. The local church dates back to the colonial times of 1725; this village also celebrates a flower festival during the month of May. Panchimalco of pre-Colombian origin is one of the few places left in El Salvador where the women can be seen in their native dress as they go about their day to day business.

It is definitely an interesting place to visit to get a feeling of how villages were built around the time of the conquistadors. It is located on km 17 of the road that leads to Rosario de Moya, but to get there, one must get to Los Planes de Renderos first and from there head to Panchimalco it is only a few more minutes.

4) Cihuatán Ruins: Now stepping back even further in the time line, a visit to the Cihuatán Ruins Archaeological Park is a great experience. They're the largest ruins discovered in El Salvador and are located about 36 km northeast of San Salvador - about 30 minute drive; near the town of Aguilares. It is open Tuesday to Sunday 9am - 4pm; admission is $3.00 and $1.00 for on-site parking.

Many of the artifacts that have been found here are displayed on the on-site museum and visitors can also learn about the history of the people who lived there and how much they liked playing the ball game, which can be compared to modern day soccer.

5) Museum of Popular Art: This museum, with its interesting slogan, "The Greatness of Miniature", specializes in the area of miniature pottery and it focuses on popular art and traditions of El Salvador.

The Museum of Popular Art in El Salvador also showcases other forms of art such as wood carving, weaving and jewelry making from many other Salvadorean artists. The museum is located on Avenida San José, unit #125 in Colonia Centroamerica, San Salvador. The museum is open Tuesday to Saturday, from 10am to 5pm. General admission is $1.00 and it includes the option of making a small clay piece.

Places of interest in Quito, Ecuador

The capital is Quito, Ecuador - a beautiful place with built high in the mountains. For those who have a head for heights, take the gondola from the base of the Pichincha volcano Telefonica for its splendid views over the city. At 2,800 m above sea level altitude of the city gets a bit 'addictive! Quito is divided into two very different parts - old and new. Quito Old Town is very beautiful and all of Europe itself - many, iflarge squares, beautiful churches, narrow cobbled streets surrounded by pastel buildings. The new city has more amenities, souvenir shops, banks, tour operators, hotels, restaurants and bars, but his appearance has nothing on the old town. Many people choose to remain in the new city as it is safe after dark and closer to the nightlife backpacker.

Just outside of Quito 30k mitad del Mundo - the center of the earth (you can take the bus from the northBus between the old and new districts of the city) - Ecuador is located on the equator, is the origin of its name. Mitad del Mundo has erected a monument, that thought the place where at 0 degrees of longitude 0 degrees latitude meets. Unfortunately for manufacturers monument turned out that years later, the real point at which this happens, in fact, is c. 200 meters from the monument - but is not a pleasant place to visit andobligatory photos of "taking the center of the earth." It 'an interesting museum inside the monument to all indigenous communities in Ecuador with - there are many more than you think!

Papallacta Hot springs are just wonderful 67k east of Quito, on the route taken in 1542 by Spanish conquistador Francisco Orellana of lying as he crossed the Andes to discover the Amazon. To3300 meters above sea level the views from the heart of the Andes are incredible - a bit 'full of adrenaline bus ride, but be prepared, and those with a fear of heights should not place window! The value of hydrothermal vents Papallacta is due to its location between two volcanoes Cayambe & Antisana - the springs now at the source varies from 30 degrees to 70 degrees and the pools desgrees 36-40. A highlight of every tripEcuador is in a natural hot pool, carved into the rock, surrounded by fog clings to the peaks of the Andes - sit really take your breath away. The Ecuadorean Medical Association to certify that the waters have medicinal properties, and a beautiful spa and a variety of massages and treatments at low prices will certainly find out feeling, how to choose a new person. You have to stay overnight, as theComplex has a long way from anything else - there is no funding opportunities at the foot of the road to the spa (c. 2 miles by road) the city has 32 rooms with heating, fireplaces, private baths and its spa Private baths. Here are some friends of backpacker in Quito and head as a group in order to save costs.

You can fly from Quito to the Galapagos, you have the money does not accept to lose! The Galapagos are an archipelago of stunning1,000 km of the Ecuadorian coast. Live and exceed all expectations - which are usually shot in a beautiful program of wildlife as a basis of very high! The only drawback is that a trip of 1 week prob back slightly from £ 1K - 1.5K € - but if you find the means of its worth every penny. The wildlife here is so numerous and so at home with people who appear in the page at the end of your weekYou stay seated almost blaze eats dinner with a sea lion at your feet! to get excited about the experience builds, from the moment they step off the plane and cross the tarmac to the "Airport" (wooden hut covered with oilcloth) increased more than iguanas sleep, enjoy the warmth of tarmack as you go. The wildlife is amazing and you will be closer than you might imagine - to get a giant blue-footed boobiesThe turtles, pelicans, penguins, flamingos, iguanas, sharks, dolphins and whales - is a reduced simple! Different ecosystems on each island are fascinating and if you land on a tour That allows for some of the larger islands stay, rather than simply do it with the masses on a "cruise" type trip worthwhile. Do not miss the many highlights on the island of Isabella, how about a lava field and Lava (insuredControl for each volcano warnings, but - this is still very active!). Top tip - set a passport stamp - has to if not the best in the world to be .... We will not spoil the surprise!

From Terminal Terrestre in the historical center of Quito by bus to the small mountain town of Latacunga get - here you can organize excursions to Cotopaxi volcano and Lake Quilatoa. Cotopaxi volcano is breathtaking & Picture Perfect - ask a child to draw a volcano and itsEfforts would Cotopaxi! And 'possible to climb the volcano - for the less adventurous can take the path (one vertical at 4,800 m altitude) to the field and from there reach the basic look as the beginning of the glacier. Alternatively, if a challenge - you may decide to camp overnight and measure Summit 4 am to stay with crampons - a great challenge and experience! Quilatoa Lake is beautiful - a submerged crater lake with a very inviting, but completely filledtoxic turquoise waters, surrounded by pastures and alpacas. The journey from Latacunga to the lake is one of the best in South America, along with beautiful scenery and offers a rare vision in indigenous communities along the route.

The next goal is to Riobamba, figure out where you can board a spectacular - the Nariz Diablo (Devil's nose), the view from this amazing train, but is starting are unpredictable and the city itself offers very little that can occurthis before. value of a shipment of Riobamba, the trip by mountain bike on Chimborazzo - Ecuador's highest volcano at 6,300 meters to the summit. The way up is not as steep as Cotopaxi despite the higher elevations is an easy walk down the sights as mountain biking Chimborazzo are wonderful, but ready for a bumpy ride!

The spa town of Banos waiting is worth a visit - not far from the spa itself, but the city is full ofgives character and who loves riding, there are some lovely walks in the area.

Cuenca is the 3rd largest city in Ecuador in Quito and Guayaquil - looks very European, with wide green spaces and beautiful churches. Another bus trip south of the city of Loja on the river - a comfortable place to stop on the way to Vilcabamba gorgeous, but offers little to see.

Near the border with Peru is the backpacker haven ofVillcabamba - a great place for a couple of days (or weeks), before relaxing take on Peru. There are some great places of residence, as Rumi bring eco Wilko riverside. Swimming in the river, making walking, riding and massages all the good deals that place a highlight Ecuador.