El Salvador OFF THE BEATEN TRACK


towns give way to a Pacific coastline of beautiful sandy beaches and, around Playa La Libertad, some top surfing spots. The country’s capital city, San


Salvador is busy and brash, but it's also cosmopolitan and erudite, boasting an impressive line-up of museums and trendy night spots. Parque Nacional El Imposible, in


T


hose searching for a truly 'off the beaten track' destination


should be directed to El Salvador, Latin America's smallest nation. Rugged interior landscapes of


mountains, volcanoes, cloud forest, coffee plantations and colonial


■ El Salvador's Chichontepec volcano


SAMPLE PACKAGE Last Frontiers' ten-day 'El Salvador – a close encounter with nature, history and coffee' itinerary visits Suchitoto, Joya de Ceren, El Imposible National Park, villages of the Ruta de las Flores, Tazumal, Casa Blanca and San Salvador.


the west of the country, is so named because of the dramatic gorge through which coffee growers once had to transport their crops to Pacific ports. A number of rivers wind their way through the park to the sea, and endangered species such as pumas and eagles are native to the area. Between the park and San


Salvador is Lago de Coatepeque, a large lake formed in the crater of an ancient volcano – complete with


WWW.ELSALVADOR.TRAVEL Capital city: San Salvador | Languages: Spanish, indigenous languages | Currency: US dollar | Visa: Not required by British citizens | Time zone: GMT -6hrs


HIGHLIGHTS  El Imposible National Park  San Salvador  Lago de Coatepeque  Izalco volcano  Pacific surfing beaches


nearby hot springs – as well as the still smouldering volcano of Izalco. The crater lake, as well as Lake Ilopango, just outside San Salvador, are popular for diving and other watersports. Santa Ana, the country’s second biggest city, makes a good base from which visitors can explore the area. Tazumal and Joya de Ceren are amongst the country's best Mayan ruins. The latter is often described as the 'Pompeii of the Americas', having been buried under volcanic ash some 1,400 years ago and only rediscovered recently.


French Guiana A


A TASTE OF FRANCE


s an overseas territory of France, French Guiana has the


unique distinction among Latin America of being part of the EU. Its first language is French and there remains a strong colonial influence, but the environment could hardly be more different to its motherland. The south of the territory is


covered by a near-impenetrable swathe of pristine Amazonian rainforest while capital city, Cayenne, is a veritable melting pot of cultures from across South America, the Caribbean and Europe. Not far to the south of Cayenne,


HIGHLIGHTS  Capital city, Cayenne  Kaw and Tresor Nature Reserves  Saul, gateway to virgin rainforest  Kourou’s Space Centre  Iles du Salut


the Kaw and Tresor Nature Reserves are two of the most popular and accessible destinations for eco- tourism, with bountiful birdlife and a large reptilian population. Still further south, and best


reached by air from Cayenne, is the former gold-mining town of Saul. Today it is a base for expeditions into the rainforest. Along the coast northwest of


Cayenne is French Guiana's second- biggest city, Kourou, whose principal attraction, somewhat incongruously, is a major space centre operated in collaboration with the European Space Agency. Most visitors will pass through Kourou on their way to the Iles du Salut, which, lying offshore across shark-infested waters, once made ideal prison colonies. Only one prisoner, Henri Charriere, is believed to have


WWW.TOURISME-GUYANE.COM Capital city: Cayenne | Languages: French, French Guianese, Creole, indigenous languages | Currency: Euro | Visa: Not required by British citizens | Time zone: GMT -3hrs


■ Remains of the Iles du Salut penal colony


SAMPLE PACKAGE Journey Latin America's 13-day The Three Guianas itinerary travels through this trio of countries, including, in French Guiana, visits to St Laurent du Maroni, Kourou Space Centre, the notorious Iles du Salut, and capital city Cayenne.


escaped from the islands, his story, Papillon, becoming both a paperback and silverscreen hit. Further north, close to the Suriname border, sleepy St Laurent du Maroni is home to welcoming communities of indigenous Amerindian groups.


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