Acajutla

The port is situated in an industrial area. Most passengers partake in cruise organized tours.

The town center is approximately 5 kilometers away from the port.

A courtesy shuttle is provided to take passengers to the nearby Acajutla beach, as well as a small craft market and playground

The Port of Acajutla is not a large town with hundreds of tourist attractions to keep restless travelers busy. It is, however, a beautifully pleasant place with friendly people and a comfortable atmosphere. It is also an increasingly more popular seaside resort with people who want to enjoy its marvelous beaches.

Los Cabanos Beach in the Port of Acajutla is a long stretch of white sands, blue waves, and abundant reefs. Every summer, divers flock to the resort to join one of the diving tours offered from the Artisan Pier. Lasting up to five hours, the dives are from five to ten kilometers offshore in depths from 20 to 30 meters. The beach has accommodations for every budget, too, and some great seafood restaurants.

Taxis provide good ways of getting around.

Acajutla is a good place for visits to several Mayan ruins, as well as tours to view some of the country's active volcanos, coffee plantations or see some of the native wildlife. Most attractions are within a one-hour drive of the port. Taxis are recommended.

Deep-sea and reef fishers will enjoy their stay at the Port of Acajutla as well. Chartered boats will take you to the best spots for making the catch of your life in the open seas. For those who want to go inland, the newest adventure in the Port of Acajutla is the high-flying canopy tour of the forests of Apaneca.

A trip to the Izalco Volcano is well worth the trouble. About 34 kilometers inland from the Port of Acajutla, Izalco erupted almost continually from its birth in 1770 until 1958. It had the nickname "Lighthouse of the Pacific" because mariners used its flames as a guidepost. A 1926 eruption buried the village of Matazano, killing 56 people. The volcano has not erupted since 1966, and visitors today climb to the top and peer into the now-dormant caldera.

El Salvador is very cheap! Expect to pay $8-10 for a room in a hotel, $2-4 for a simple meal, $0.25-0.35 to ride a San Salvador city bus, $1/hour to use the Internet, and $0.25 for a bag of sliced mangos. The one drawback to this is that large bills ($50 & $100) are almost unspendable. Get change wherever you can -- gas stations are always a good bet. A good idea is to visit a bank and ask for small bills and nothing larger than a $20. Take note of the prices that street vendors sell their products because at times they will take advantage of people that look or sound foreign by raising their prices dramatically.

'Agua en bolsa' (water in a plastic bag) is very commonly sold in the streets and corner stores of El Salvador. Visitors should never drink 'agua en bolsa' nor tap water, period. Instead purchase sealed bottled water of a well-known brand. Likewise it's good to avoid food that has been washed with tap water such as lettuce or other vegetables sold on the street. Use common sense!

US$ however ATM's are difficult to find near the port.

The official language in El Salvador is Spanish.