October 21-22
Hello everyone!
El Salvador is known as the Land of Volcanoes. It could also justify being called the Area of Agua.
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| Laguna de Jocotal |
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| Laguna de Apastepeque |
This week of holiday was an opportunity for us to explore El Salvador’s many lakes and lagoons, inflatable kayak and paddleboard on standby for some splashing about. Many of these are located in the east of the country, which is why we decided to base ourselves on the edge of El Salvador’s third largest city of San Miguel.
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| The dogs both enjoy life in the water |
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Red is San Miguel, purple is San Vicente volcano, orange is
Laguna de Apastepeque and blue is Laguna de Jocotal. |
Our drive from Santa Tecla took us the northern route on the Pan-American highway. Driving this way after seeing Puerta del Diablo allowed us to take a brief stop to admire the San Vicente volcano.
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Though not too long, doing the journey in a
car without A/C led to a lot of tiredness |
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At 2,182 metres above sea level, San Vicente is
the second highest volcano in the country |
Further on from this towering volcano was Laguna de Apastepeque, a small lake about 70 km west of San Miguel. Set in a volcanic crater, the shimmering water looked perfect for a paddle. We decided we could stop there on the way back later in the week.
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The name Apastepeque in the indigenous
Nahuatl language means 'Hill of the Alabaster' |
The following day, we ventured south from San Miguel to a place called Laguna de Jocotal. An hour’s drive from the big city, and significantly nearer the coast, is El Salvador’s first internationally-recognised wetland.
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The lagoon has an area of 4,500 hectares - about the same
number of football stadiums all put next to each other |
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| A cow cooling off in the water |
Upon arriving, we couldn’t actually see any water. Plenty of tall reeds are flourishing, blocking any view of the lagoon. Some old men were meandering their rickety, wooden fishing boats away from the shore. The scene was reminiscent of being in the Okavango Delta.
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| These boats are sitting close to water - water that you can't see |
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| Paddling fishermen manoeuvring towards the centre of the lagoon |
A recent count found that around 260 fishermen from various communities work in the El Jocotal lagoon. It’s known for its biodiversity, particularly the number and variety of birds which use it either as a home or a stop on a migratory route.
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| This map shows examples of migration routes which pass through Jocotal |
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| Unidentified bird |
The water is connected to the enormous San Miguel volcano which looms to the north. The lagoon was formed through the capture of rainwater in the volcanic rock.
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A view from the east - San Miguel would be on the
right if you had a wider viewpoint |
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| Many empty boats sit along the eastern shoreline |
Wanting to kayak and paddle - and having seen on a website that you could do that - we spent time wandering around the edge looking for a route in. After asking, we were told that there was a ‘swimming area’...behind a gate. Eventually we were able to get through the gate to find a pool the size of a small hotel swimming pool. Not ideal for kayaking.
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| In theory, that canal in the distance would have taken us into the lagoon |
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| After doing a lap of the pool, the dogs went in for a swim |
One other reason for not using an inflatable kayak or paddleboard with two dogs on board can also be found on that same website. Not just birds to be found here, with apparently both alligators and crocodiles present! I’m not convinced they have both, but probably not worth the risk.
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| It's particularly green as we're at the end of the wet season |
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A few minutes before, that cow had been sat under
the tarp, almost as if it was the one serving food |
I’d like to come back and do a boat ride in a sturdier vessel in the future so that I can more fully appreciate the lagoon and its wildlife. It’s a relatively unknown but pretty spot, just the kind of hidden Salvadorean gem we’re looking for on this trip.
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| The Okavango of El Salvador...in a way... |
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| Longing to jump into Apastepeque |
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| Already excited for their next wet adventure |
Love you all,
Matt
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