#27: Salto de Malacatiupan, Ahuachapan, El Salvador
Hidden gems abound in emerging El Salvador
Is there any feeling better than hopping into a natural hot spring, especially if it’s very hot? We love springs, jacuzzis, saunas, anything of the sort, and had our eyes peeled when we arrived in geothermally-rich El Salvador.
To be honest, we didn’t know about this characteristic when planning our visit. We have long-time family friends from the country, and had long wanted to visit. But as you may know, the political and social situation made tourism challenging for over a decade, and only now, after a highly controversial (and, in our perspective, authoritarian and oppressive) crackdown, does El Salvador get to show off its true, vibrant colors.
It’s covers a small area and, for the most part, roads are modern and in great condition…though they lack street lights and safe crossings, so they’re a bit hazardous. Renting a car locally was easy and cheap, and it would straightforward to plan a trip and visit all regions within a week or 10 days. For our itinerary, we focused on the central and south-wester regions, a triangle running from San Salvador to Santa Ana to the Guatemalan coastal border, which includes the “ruta de las flores”—a scenic route through blossoming jungles and highlands frequented by locals and tourists alike.
San Salvador seemed pretty bleak upon arrival, and strikingly “low”—there aren’t any skyscrapers. We didn’t spend much time there, but our hotel was modern and comfortable and our dinner at Tacos Hermanos offered quality and ambiance equal to any buzzing capital city.
We soon headed to the second city of Santa Ana, or, more precisely, to a half-finished tract development outside the city where we’d found what seemed to be a good-fit rental. I won’t say it wasn’t, because inventory in the area is very limited, but it was surely strange to wind through the identical avenues with no one around.
On a positive note, while development always has downsides, it’s probably a good sign that the economy and society is recovering that this building is happening. We rented a Jeep from a local guy and prepared to hit the road.
As noted, one of the country’s main attractions are its volcanic sites, especially Ilamatepec, the mountain closest to Santa Ana. We made the winding drive to the basecamp, joined a required tour group, and trekked our way up through scrub forests, blooming agave stands, and volcanic scree. The summit rewards the intrepid with a neon green crater lake and regular cloud burst of billowing white steam (and for some, with popsicles sold by a vendor). But no hot spring.
The next day, we set out to visit the ruins of Tazumal, a Mayan city that arose around 100 AD. It’s worth going, but mainly because there isn’t much to do, rather than the ruins themselves being particularly engaging. Especially after we were so spoiled from Ankor! Once we’d made the drive to Tazumal, we decided to follow a nearby random map pin towards a hot spring location, soon finding ourselves on rutted dirt tracks through the countryside. In El Salvador, you’re either on the main road, or you’re in the country.
Salto de Malacatiupan, which translates essentially to “temple waterfall,” lives up to its name, if the temple in question is straight out of Indiana Jones. Smooth, light stone cliffs line dark green pools that blast steam into the breeze…because the entire river is a hot spring. Not a tepid spring, hot. Like as hot as your home shower as you stand beneath the smallest of the falls. Or as hot as the gym jacuzzi as you dip into a personal-sized rock pool.
You feel it most of all when you jump from the 15 ft cliffs into the roiling, boiling pond below (until some vague authority figure blows a whistle and everyone has to pretend they won’t jump again as soon as he leaves). This is all in the jungle, mind you, and it screams movie magic, as if Laura Croft would be swinging past on a vine any minute.
In retrospect, this was one of the most interesting and exciting locations we visited across our entire sabbatical. I have to think that hot spring waterfalls of this volume and swimability are rare, and we felt fantastic as we departed with soft skin and warm hearts.
— Nicky and Kira
Next week → The Secret Waterfalls Tour, El Impossible National Park, El Salvador
