Get More CYS Delivered Straight to Your Inbox
 

Beautiful Barra de Santiago, El Salvador

We introduce you to the largely undiscovered, remote beach of Barra de Santiago, El Salvador

Welcome to the second in a series of mobile-photo essays from El Salvador. Over the course of the next few months, Centro Y Sur’s Fotografía newsletter will continue to introduce new installments, sharing the exceptional sights, scenes and experiences captured from within this beautiful Pacific gemstone. Today we introduce you to the coastal location of Barra de Santiago. Largely undiscovered, this beach community, located upon a sliver of land between the ocean and an estuary, provides its visitors with an edge-of-the-world experience of relaxation and privacy.  Enjoy, and please let us know what you think. Your feedback is always welcome.

A Beautiful Salvadoran Sunset | © Jason Z. Guest

A Salvadoran Surprise

The sun disappears over a Pacific horizon as calm waters and atmospheric conditions offer up an evening of brilliant vistas from upon quite possibly one of the most remote beaches in all of Central America — the tip of Barra de Santiago.

La Cocotera Eco-Lodge | © Jason Z. Guest

Eco-Experience

Flanked to the south by a vast Pacific, and a picturesque estuary to the north, the relaxing, eco-friendly resort of La Cocotera serves as a source of inspiration, reflection, relaxation and entertainment. Three bungalows (two ocean-front and one estuary-front), each with two separate rooms, provide users with a few modern comforts such as wifi and flat-panel TVs; walls are adorned with beautiful Salvadoran art. Following a “tipico” Salvadoran breakfast, time is well-spent fishing, kayaking, surfing, skiing, hiking in the Imposible National Park, visiting archaeological sites, or touring volcanoes and coffee plantations.

Pacific Tranquility | @ Jason Z. Guest

Tranquility

Time stands still in Barra de Santiago. Each morning, at exactly one hundred and ten paces from the beach entrance of Playa Cocotera, tumbling waves frame local fishermen in an approximate due-south heading. At one thousand miles directly ahead lies the Galapagos Islands.

Beach Tracks Upon Barro de Santiago | © Jason Z. Guest

Tracks

Signs of at least three animals are visible surrounding the gateway to this beach crab’s home. An abundance of wildlife is present in Barra de Santiago.

Off the Grid
This destination follows the “green leaf” system utilized by the Certification for Sustainable Tourism. Here you see the harvesting of solar energy. This site includes a biological waste water recycling treatment plant, ionization pool filtration, kinesthetic-powered flashlights and a well-established recycling program. Designed and built by Salvadorans, this lodge uses many native material accents, such as palm fronds, teak wood, plant vines and natural stones.

Estuary of Barra de Santiago @ Jason Z. Guest

Bountiful Estuary
To the north we see the community of El Zapote, situated at the mouth of rivers which source from within the volcanic highlands seen here in the background. During low tide, it is common for the distant portion of this body of water (pictured here) to retreat, exposing a surprisingly-solid surface which the locals use to walk, bike and run.
Jason Z. Guest is the founder and publisher with Centro Y Sur. All photos here were captured on the iPhone 5.