EL BOQUERÓN.

Perched right above the heart of San Salvador, El Boquerón isn’t just a scenic lookout — it’s the fractured crown of an active stratovolcano. Rising to 1,893 meters (6,210 feet) above sea level, its enormous crater spans 1.5 kilometers in diameter and drops 377 meters into the abyss. But hidden within that great void lies a curious formation: a smaller secondary crater known as Boqueroncito.

In 1915, a temporary crater lake formed inside Boqueroncito, giving rise to a moment now frozen in history. A rare photograph, preserved in Jorge Lardé y Larín’s book El Salvador: Floodings, Fires, Earthquakes, and Eruptions, shows four individuals — one rowing and three passengers — floating in a canoe on the surface of that fleeting lake, 377 meters below the rim.

But nature had other plans. Just two years later, in 1917, El Boquerón erupted. The explosion cracked the crater floor and drained the lake, silencing one of the most surreal and little-known scenes in Salvadoran volcanic history.

Today, El Boquerón National Park welcomes visitors with cool mountain air, safe trails, and panoramic views of the capital. Yet beneath the serenity lies a restless system — and the memory of a lake that once shimmered where few have ever stood.

If you're planning a visit, El Boquerón is easily reachable by road. Just follow Google Maps directions.

EL BOQUERÓN.