After a week at the beach, our group headed inland to see a different side of El Salvador. This is a part of the country filled with colonial towns, green mountains, volcanoes, and Mayan ruins. Coffee is also grown in these highlands, since the coffee plants favor the cooler mountain climate found here.
We arrived in Apaneca after a beautiful drive on the Ruta de las Flores (Route of the Flowers) from the coast. We traveled there in mid-January, which was a great time to see the flowers in bloom. The temperature was noticeably cooler, which was a nice change from the heat on the coast. We headed straight to Cafe Albania, where we got adventurous and did some activities like ziplining, sliding on a giant Rainbow Slide, and exploring the beautiful grounds. We also had some drinks and snacks at their on-site restaurant, since you can use your entrance fee as a credit there.
On our first evening in town, we went to Santa Teresa Hot Springs, just 30 or so minutes from Apaneca. They are open til 10 pm and after paying the $6 entry fee, we found a table to plop down our things and got into one of the larger warm hot spring pools. The water temperature was lovely and it felt so good on our sore muscles after some intense hiking (see previous post: https://earth-n-oven.com/a-week-at-the-beach-in-el-salvador/). There are 15+ pools of different temperatures and sizes, which we enjoyed trying out. The bar/restaurant was unfortunately only serving beer at the time (after 6:30) but they also allow BYOB so we were happy to save our money and bring our own drinks from our AirBnB. We left feeling so relaxed and rejuvenated!
On our last day, we visited the small town of Ataco. This is another stop on the “Ruta de las Flores”, which has a lot to offer to visitors. There are colorful murals, some good options for food and drink, souvenir shops, and a market. Axul Cafe was a perfect stop for lunch for our group with different dietary needs and it had a gorgeous garden area with outdoor seating. They specialize in coffee from the local area, so you can sip on that onsite or pick up a bag to take home. There is also a connected artisan shop with items created on their onsite loom, which you can watch them weave on too!
From there we headed to Tazumal Mayan ruins which were impressive, well preserved, and practically empty of tourists!
After the ruins, one car of us drove down some bumpy dirt roads until we reached a truly unique natural phenomenon, a hot spring river and waterfall called Salto De Malacatiupan. The falls are beautiful, though seemed a bit hard to get down to, so we just soaked in the hot spring river after checking out the view of the falls from above. Even though it was daytime, it was very relaxing and we enjoyed bird watching and the sounds and sights of the exuberant nature around us. What a great way to end our time in El Salvador!
