Volunteer Locations: Santa Tecla

Santa Tecla is an excellent place volunteer and an ideal base to explore the rest of El Salvador. Whilst the friendliness of the Tecleño (Santa Tecla people) and its customs mean that volunteers will quickly feel at home in this wonderful little city. Located in a valley 900 meters above sea level and known as "the city of hills" its elevation means it is one of the freshest places in El Salvador. The city is only 10 miles away from the capital San Salvador and was built in 1854 after a huge earthquake destroyed most of San Salvador. In the panic that followed the earthquake the government decided to move the entire capital to the Santa Tecla and the new city was originally known as New San Salvador. Although San Salvador eventually remained the capital Santa Tecla continued to grow alongside it spurred by the success of the local coffee industry.

Santa Tecla has all the facilities that you would expect from a modern city including supermarkets, bank offices and an efficient public transport system. The city is also only 30 minutes away from the coast, making it ideal for beach and surf lovers. The center of Santa Tecla has a wide variety of popular restaurants and although it still pays to follow common sense rules, is one of the safest areas in El Salvador. The population of the city are largely middle class, conservative and hard working so the city's night life is very limited, however the main night life of San Salvador is only 10 minutes away by car.

Santa Tecla was badly affected by the El Salvador earthquake in January 2001. A huge landslide buried an entire neighborhood killing over 300 people. The city also lost many of its oldest buildings including a number of historical catholic churches. The city recovered quickly and its now difficult to see any traces of the earthquake.

Photo Gallery: Santa Tecla Photo Gallery

More images from Santa Tecla

Volunteer Projects in Santa Tecla

In Santa Tecla Travel to Teach volunteers teach English and computers in schools and the " " orphanage. Volunteers can also collaborate with local teachers teaching maths, sports, music and art. More information on our El Salvador volunteer programs.

General Santa Tecla Information

Accommodation
Travel to Teach volunteers home stay with El Salvadoran families giving them the opportunity to experience daily Salvadoran life first hand. Our home stays are located in a nice area of Santa Tecla, close to banks, shopping centers, markets/supermarkets and cultural and historical sites. Volunteers will have a private room and will share facilities such as the kitchen, refrigerator and bathroom.

Food
The food most identified with El Salvador are Pupusas, an El Salvadoran speciality of stuffed tortilla which are filled with cheese, beans and sauces. Other popular foods in Santa Tecla include chilate, nuegados, yuca plant, atole de elote, tamales and shuco.

As well as excellent range of El Salvadoran restaurants, Santa Tecla also has Italian, French and Japanese restaurants in places like multi plaza and La Gran Via (commercial center). For those needing a fast food fix there are also a growing number of Taco Bell's, KFC's etc.

Weather
El Salvador has a tropical climate with distinct wet and dry seasons. The rainy season extends from May to October with virtually the whole annual rainfall occurring during this time mostly in heave afternoon thunderstorms. In the lowlands temperatures are hot throughout the year with an average temperature of 23°C and temperatures reaching as high as 38°C in March and April. Santa Tecla's elevation makes it cooler than the lowlands although temperatures are still consistently warm throughout the year.

Activities
Santa Tecla’s main attraction is the old town's dazzling array of churches and cultural buildings some dating from the early days of colonization. Being only 30 minutes form the beach volunteers can also take part in bungee jumping, swimming, surfing, snorkeling.

On weekends there are a number of day or weekend trips that volunteers can take from Santa Tecla. These include the cloud forests of the Montectisto National Park. Located around 4 hours west of Santa Tecla on the borders with Honduras and El Salvador, the areas damp cloudy climate has created a number of unique micro climates and huge and diverse range of vegetation and wildlife. Wildlife includes flora, orchids, ferns, spider monkeys, anteaters and over 100 species of bird, many of which are endangered and unique to the park.

Other possible destinations include the arty colonial city of Suchitoto with its surrounding lake wildlife and volcanoes and the biggest lake in El Salvador, Lake Suchitlan. Volunteer can also take trips to El Pital - the highest mountain in El Salvador at 2730 meters - where activities there include hiking, climbing, biking, and bird watching and Alotepeque mountain chain.

In the far south east there is also the 8 islands of the Gulf of Fonseca, which make an excellent weekend trip and include Travel to Teach's other El Salvador location on Meanguera Island .