Lago de Coatepeque

- Santa Ana department

Lago de Coatepeque is a lake that has been created in the crater of a volcano. The lake is situated in the Santa Ana department, just South of the city of Santa Ana (the country's second largest city). It is a very beautiful place to dwell. Coatepeque means "at the snake hill" in the native language Nahuatl. There is an island called Teopan, that was an important Mayan site. There are hot springs near the lake.

There are several restaurants to chose between on piers right above the lake, and in the mountains above the lake. They offer fine food (and a bit too loud live music for diining), are cheap and you get generous portions and drinks. We tried the restaurant La Octava Maravilla, built right above the lake. This area has a good standard in general and is an amazing place to visit, but straydogs, bad roads and disastrous public restrooms drag down the overall feeling. But this stunning natural beauty is still another proof that El Salvador is underrated as a tourist destination. During our visit, a miraculous light could be seen, due to heavy rain on the other side of the river.

The first set of photos are taken at the lake, and the last set in the mountains above the lake.