Pacific coast Travel Guide

El Salvador's Pacific coast stretching from the Río Paz in the west to the Río Goascorán in the east, is a 300-kilometre sweep of sandy tropical beaches, dramatic cliffs, mangrove swamps and romantic islands. The Carretera Littoral , which runs along the coast, links the towns and villages, and public transport runs regularly to many places, but it's worth renting a car for a few days to reach some of the more remote and beautiful beaches. While there are clusters of tourist facilities here and there, don't expect the amenities of international resorts. Instead, the beauty of this part of the country lies in relaxing on clean, wide beaches or spending time in the relatively untouched fishing villages of the coast. Unfortunately this region was very badly affected by the January 2001 earthquake , whose epicentre was located about 35km out to sea. The Carretera Littoral was badly damaged in places, as were many of the coastal towns, while many villages between La Libertad and Santa Tecla were obliterated. Though much rebuilding work should have been completed by the time you read this, evidence of the quake will take a few years to clear away.

The most accessible stretch of coast near San Salvador - and thus very crowded at weekends - is the small fishing town of La Libertad , set among some of Central America's best surfing beaches. Head west up the coast, towards Guatemala, and there are more untouched beaches, including Los Cóbanos and Barra de Santiago , and the tranquil forest reserve at Bosque El Imposible . To the east, the small city of Zacatecoluca is the main jumping-off point for the Salvadorean playground of the Costa del Sol , home to the coast's most upmarket resort hotels. A little further down the coast are the green waterways and islands of the mangrove swamps of the Bahía de Jiquilísco and what many consider to be the finest beach in the country, Playa El Espino . Further east are the fine beaches of El Cuco and El Tamarindo , both busy at weekends but delightfully deserted during the week. In the extreme east of the country is the faded port town of La Unión , from where you can catch irregular lanchas to the tranquil islands of the Golfo de Fonseca.