Imagine yourself at the top of a volcano. Close your eyes and feel a soft, cool breeze, smell fresh pine scent, a variety of flowers and hear screaming eagles at a distance.
That is exactly what you will experience once you visit Parque Nacional El Boquerón / El Boquerón National Park in El Salvador.
If you are looking for an adventure and excitement then is just the place to go to spend the day and forget about stress!
Parque Nacional El Boquerón is just 25 minutes away from the Salvadoran capital and sits on top of the San Salvador volcano at an altitude of 5,905 feet (1800 meters above sea level).
The biggest attraction is the crater called “El Boquerón” (wide mouth) which is 5 kilometers in diameter and 558 meters deep.
What is so interesting that there is a smaller crater called “el boqueroncito” (small mouth) created after the last volcanic eruption in 1917.
Reaching it is quite a challenge but a great workout! Hiking and nature lovers, this one’s for you!
There are many trails leading to the “gigante”, the giant crater. Whether you are a beginner or an expert you will find the right one.
We opted for the easiest but also the longest.
Going upwards and forward
View from the top
Lush vegetation can be admired along the path.
and gorgeous flowers such as
Calla Lilies
Hibiscus
Exotic species
Ascending requires a lot of energy, so you need to stop every now and then. This is a great place to breathe in fresh air 🙂
After a few more minutes, you continue until you see this sign. It says that you reached the highest point of the park!
Views of the giant and small craters from the many observation points are simply breathtaking!
This wonder of nature is nothing like I’ve ever seen. I truly wonder why there is a yin and yang symbol in the middle. Now that is a mystery 🙂
About half an hour later, more visitors started arriving. I heard they were from France, Italy, China, the U.S and nationals with a park ranger. We decided to start our descent.
Making our way down (that’s my mom coming down. I waited for her 🙂
Looking up and giving thanks
That left us very tired and hungry, so we headed to nearby Restaurante Café del Volcan to rest and refuel!
As you know I am adventurous and I was so happy to learn that there was a nice garden in the backyard. Of course I set out to explore 🙂
I went back to were my family members were. This was waiting for me: a nice cup of fresh brewed organic coffee and quesadilla (cheese cake). Yum!
This trip to the land of my ancestors meant a lot to me because I traveled with my parents, whom I had not seen in over a year. It took their wild adventurous and fearless child to bring them and discover this park.
Seeing their reaction and admiration on their faces was truly priceless, unforgettable. I tend to forget that they too feel elated and excited, which travel does to anyone. That taught me a very valuable lesson and it reminded me how fortunate I really am!
In honor of the National Hispanic Heritage Month, and Independence Day of El Salvador (September 15th) , I would like to dedicate this post to my people.
I love their friendliness, kindness and they welcome you with open arms. It is definitely worth visiting, trust me on that one!
I hope you enjoyed A Wonder of Nature: El Boquerón National Park in El Salvador.
It was my last road trip in “El Pulgarcito de America” (the smallest country in Central America). Regresaré, I’ll go back!
Now over to you.
What is your favorite National Park?
What makes it so special?
Please share any links, photos with us!
Til next time!
Love always,
Kay 🙂
More to read
The Ruins of Tazumal: A visit to the Mayan world
La Palma, El Salvador: A colorful town
Photo of the day: Playa El Zunzal, El Salvador
Traveller Soul 
¡Cuán preciosas fotos! El cráter es increíble en mis ojos. ¡Un saludo grande!
Muchas gracias!
Si es algo realmente impresionante. Una maravilla de la naturaleza 😉
Gracias por visitar!
How awesome! I wish I had time to go there during me trip to El Salvador! Unfortunately I did not have enough time to explore the country! Who knows, maybe I’ll make it back there someday! 🙂
I sure hope you visit when you return! It’s impressive 😉
Thanks for visiting!
What a beautiful place! I especially like the blue buildings and the surrounding landscape. Your flower photos are fantastic! My favorite National Park is Yellowstone. So diverse in landscapes. Here are all my posts on it. http://www.happytravelbug.com/search/label/Yellowstone%20National%20Park
Thank you so much! That was a great discovery on my last day in the country. So happy i was bold & adventurous 😉
Ah the blue buildings are part of the Restaurant & Coffee shop which we all loved.
There’s no better place to take a coffee break 😉
Thank you for sharing the links. Will go check them out! 😉
I always love visiting national parks, so this would be my first stop in El Salvador. How was the wildlife? Did you see many beautiful birds?
That’s great to hear Ted!
This park in particular had been on my list for a while but only got the chance to visit last year.
I saw a few birds in the area but you need binoculars to see them up close!
Hiking is quite a workout but well worth it!
I really hope you’ll enjoy it as much if not more than me 😉
Thank you for stopping by!
Pingback: Guatemala city in 20 images | Traveller soul
Pingback: Touring Suchitoto in El Salvador | Traveller Soul
Pingback: A mom, a treehouse and a couple mountains – an El Salvadoran adventure | My Awesome Olive Shoots
Pingback: Following the Ruta Artesanal in Ilobasco, El Salvador | Traveller Soul
Pingback: The City of Colorful Textiles: San Sebastian, El Salvador | Traveller Soul
Pingback: Reader’s Q & A: Is it safe to travel to El Salvador | Traveller Soul
Pingback: Top 5 Blog Posts of 2015 | Traveller Soul
A crater within a crater! Very cool hike
Thank you!
It sure is an incredible place and a true wonder of nature 🙂
El Boquerón National Park looks lovely and the hibiscus are beautiful. I’m so happy you got to see the land of your ancestors.
Thank you so much!
Yes, It is a surprisingly beautiful attraction and Mother Nature sure spent a little more time there.
Glad I didn’t skip it and went over there!
I appreciate the time you took to stop by 🙂
It looks so pretty! I always enjoy those tropical flowers, well, tropical to me 🙂
It sure is!
Quite a good workout but well worth it. The reward is getting lost in nature, admiring its colorful creations and the crater is just wow, a spectacular sight!
You must have gone on many hikes I’m sure, are there any that stand out?
Thank you for visiting!
Is this an active volcano or has it not erupted in centuries? Nature is so fascinating!
What an amazing post!!! I had no idea there were craters that large in El Salvador. Thanks for showing us a glimpse of your home country. One that is underrepresented in travel blogs!
And yes – coffee and quesadilla. Well done reward for all your hiking!!