El Salvador

More than just another great little mountain village, it is the highest in the country (1590 m above sea). The people are friendly and the air is cool. There is not much to see or do besides circling the plaza, which also seems to be what the locals do. A few kilometres outside of town, you can join the love birds at Laguna de Alegria. This crater lake with its emerald green water as been hyped as one of the prettiest place in the country, though it is probably a bit overselling it. The mountain roads to Alegria are amazing, offer splendid views over the plane and are worth the whole journey.

El Salvador has a fair share of charming villages. They even host an annual Puebla contest, voting for the best village, and La Palma is always doing well. Besides being inhabited by friendly people, it is an art centre, which they are not shy to show. Pretty much every surface, being it a wall, pole or door is painted with "La Palma" motifs in fresh colours. We're not sure if the residents think it is as pretty as the rest of us, but we like it... at least for a day.

Halfway between the Salvadorian capital of San Salvador and the Honduran border, the tiny village of Suchitoto proves good things come in small packages. The village, popular with weekenders from the city with its cobble-stoned streets and red-tiled roofs, is wonderfully atmospheric. Galleries, craft centres and street-side cafes fill the time. The laid-back town is a pleasure to stroll through. But more than strolling prowess, the nearby Suchitlan Lake offers a nice diversion. Just outside town, the bizarre Cascada Los Tercios (waterfalls) tumble over a cliff of tightly packed hexagonal stone spires.