The helpful government organization Corporación Salvadoreña de Turismo, or Corsatur , at Blvd del Hipodrome #508, Col San Benito, San Salvador (Mon-Fri 8am-noon & 1.30-5pm; tel 243 0427, fax 243 0427, corsatur@salnet.sv ), has a useful bilingual guide, Destination El Salvador , which gives an overview of what there is to see in the country. They can also provide information (Spanish only) on national parks and archeological sites in El Salvador, and details of local specialist tour operators.

The Instituto Salvadoreño de Turismo, or ISTU , C Ruben Darío, 9a-11a Av Sur, San Salvador (Mon-Fri 8am-4pm, Sat 8am-noon; tel 222 8000) is responsible for some of the national parks and the network of turicentros . Staff are extremely unhelpful, however, and will, more than likely, refer you to Corsatur.

Although El Salvador is gradually waking up to its own tourism potential there are, as yet, no tourist offices outside the capital , and the concept of independent tourism is still in its infancy. If you have any questions, head for the largest and most expensive hotel, or strike up a conversation with a taxi driver. Alternatively, it might be possible to obtain information from municipal cultural centres ( casas de la cultura ), offices of the government-run culture development agency Concultura , or the city hall ( alcaldía ).

Useful Web sites include www.elsalvadorturismo.gob.sv and the comprehensive www.sv , the Web site of the Republic of El Salvador.