bosque

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.

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Going upwards and forward

View from the top

Lush vegetation can be admired along the path.

and gorgeous flowers such as

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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 🙂

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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.