Delta 2014 - (Page 56)

EL SALVADOR COSTA RICA VENEZUELA San Jose The nation's capital, San Jose sits in a climate-friendly 3,805-ft. altitude in a lush valley in the Central Highlands, surrounded by coffee ﬁncas and volcanoes. While business travelers make their headquarters in San Jose, the town also plays home-base to visitors for many close-by excursions to the rainforest and the coast. BEST PLACE TO STAY There's a wide choice: business guests seem quite at home at the Crowne Plaza Corobici, the hacienda-style Costa Rica Marriott Hotel and the more boutique and charming Hotel Le Bergerac, while every visitor's special boutique treat is the Hotel Grano de Oro (yes, of restaurant fame). The Sheraton San Jose Hotel, Costa Rica, located in the trendy upscale suburb of Escazu, is also a good option for those who want to stay away from the city-center. BEST NATURE EXPERIENCE From San Jose, head for "volcano land" and peer into the volcanic craters of Irazu Volcano National Park, Poas Volcano National Park and Braulio Carrillo National Park. Sample the best in birdwatching: in Caño Negro National Wildlife Refuge close to Arenal or quetzal-spotting along the Cerro de la Muerte between San Jose and San Isidro de El General. Hop on a small plane to Limon, gateway to Tortuguero National Park on the Caribbean coast, or on the Paciﬁc coast to Puerto Jimenez, ﬁrst stop on the way to the Osa Peninsula, the richest biological zone in Mesoamerica. BEST CULTURAL EXPERIENCE See Costa Rica's most celebrated artists on display in the Costa Rican Art Museum in San Jose. The coffee culture serves up a strong brew with Costa Ricans, who treat visitors to excellent tours at the Cafe Britt and Doka Estate plantations. Pilgrims from all over Central America ﬂock to Cartago for the Procession of the Miracles during the annual La Romeria on Aug. 2. BEST SPORTING LIFE Arenal National Park, famous for the active Arenal Volcano, offers guided walks through the park and over lava ﬂows. It's also the hot destination for canyoning, canopy touring (aerial trams and ziplines), horseback riding, mountain biking and ATV touring, as well as windsurﬁng and kitesurﬁng on Lake Arenal. Whitewater rafting is a top draw for action aﬁcionados. There are multi-day rafting trips offered on many rivers-the Pacuare, Corobici and Sarapiqui, and several rivers are nearby for a day's outing from San Jose, including the Reventazon. BEST KEPT SECRET The crown jewel in Costa Rica's scuba diving crown is Cocos Island, 300 miles west of the mainland. FACTS San Salvador BEST TIME TO GO: November to April; December, the coldest month, is best of all FUN FACT: Catch the world-class Punta Roca-perfectly shaped, long, fast and strong-and you are sitting atop the best surf wave in Central America GETTING THERE: Delta ﬂies from Atlanta to San Salvador ENTRY DOCUMENTS: Valid passport CURRENCY: U.S. Dollar MUST-TRY NATIVE FOOD: Pupusas (tortillas stuffed with cheese, beans, pork rinds and other ﬁllings) served with hot sauce and curtido, a slightly spicy coleslaw BEST BUYS: Local paintings, ceramics, hammocks, terrycloth towels and bathrobes INFORMATION PLEASE: Ministry of Tourism of El Salvador- elsalvador.travel San Salvador sits geographically in the middle of the country, making it easy for visitors to take off in many directions. But before you do, stay awhile to see the Metropolitan Cathedral, incorporating colorful murals by the country's most famous 20th century artist, Fernando Llort, and the modernist Iglesia El Rosario, with interiors bathed in stained-glass-window light. Move on to the capital's top-notch museums: the National Anthropology Museum David J. Guzman with excellent exhibits on the ancient Maya; or the Museum of Popular Art, highlighting regional folk art. BEST PLACE TO STAY The capital further surprises its guests with a vibrant, tourist-friendly bar, restaurant, and live music scene in the Zona Rosa, whose closest international hotel pick is the Hilton Princess San Salvador, although the Sheraton Presidente San Salvador is not far away. BEST NATURE EXPERIENCE Take the road from San Salvador to Santa Ana and Cerro Verde National Park, with its orchid gardens and good local guides to lead you over a network of hiking trails; this is also a cloud forest haven for birds, with 127 recorded species, including 17 kinds of hummingbirds. Take time to explore and enjoy the waterfalls, streams and swimming holes in Parque Nacional El Imposible, El Salvador's richest-in-wildlife national park. BEST CULTURAL EXPERIENCE Salvadoreans call Tazamul their ﬁnest Maya site. However, a less grand but more important and interesting ﬁnd (and a UNESCO World Heritage site) is Joya de Ceren, a village that thrived 1,400 years ago before being buried intact around A.D. 600 in the ashes of a volcanic eruption. Among the structures on view are adobe houses, unearthed with household goods in place, and an excellent onsite museum. BEST KEPT SECRET Following a guided tour along the Ruta de la Paz trail to the towns of Perquin and Mozote provides unique insight into the troubled civil war history of the country. 56 D52-D59.indd 56 12/20/13 9:22 AM

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Delta 2014

Editor's Notes
Hotel Desk: Aloft Hotels
Tour Talk: Swain Destinations
Uniworld's Queen Isabel
Disney Magic
Delta Air Lines Travel Guide 2014
Macau
Egypt Update
Scandinavia Exposed
B Hotels & Resorts
What's New in Las Vegas

Delta 2014