Sleep on the slopes of a volcano watching the stars

Can you imagine being able to camp between two volcanoes, surrounded by nature, and spend a perfect night watching the stars? What if you also do it in a well-equipped tent over a wooden deck and canvas for extra protection, with beds suitable for comfortable sleeping with lining, blanket, sheets, duvet, and pillow? If so, welcome to glamping, the latest trend in lodging aimed at sustainable tourism.

Glamping is a combination of the words glamour and camping, and it is a form of outdoor lodging but with all the luxuries of a five-star hotel. The goal: to enjoy contact with nature 24 hours a day. In El Salvador, there are already several places that offer this option, one of them located in Los Volcanoes Complex.

Declared a Biosphere Reserve by the UNESCO, this destination located between the departments of Santa Ana and Sonsonate is home to three volcanoes and a lake that covers the crater of another volcano. The Ilamatepec or Santa Ana volcano, still active, is the highest in the country, and one can climb up to the lake that crowns its crater. Cerro Verde is an extinct volcano with a cloud forest around the crater. The Izalco volcano is known as The Lighthouse of the Pacific because, during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the ships that sailed along the Salvadoran coasts were guided by the glow of the lava expelled by one of the youngest volcanoes in the entire Western Hemisphere. Nearby is Lake Coatepeque, named one of the most beautiful lakes in the world.

Besides climbing the volcanoes and strolling along perfectly marked paths, in this place you can enjoy the different birds, trees, and flowers such as orchids that Los Volcanes National Park has to offer. Due to its elevation and climatic conditions, this place is perfect for growing coffee, so don't forget to drink one - or several - cups of the world-class varieties produced there.

Ah, when glamping in the three volcanoes, you can also practice yoga while relaxing and looking at the volcanoes or at the Pacific Ocean.