The Ichanmichen Waterpark is located about 30 minutes east of the International Airport in the town of Zacatecoluca. It’s also only about a 20 minute drive north of the coast.
My girlfriends mother suggested that we go to the water-park for a family day, so we hopped into the car at about 10:00AM and headed off for south of the city. Driving from the city the drive took a little more than an hour.
When we arrived, we paid the entrance fee and parked. The water park had a low entrance fee, only $2 per person.
When we arrived, we saw public pools, beautiful green landscape and lots of families. It seems to be a popular place for kids. Surprisingly though, there weren’t as many people there as we expected. It was rather peaceful.
The pools vary in shape and size. The pools and walkways appear to be hand-crafted. It must have been a lot of work.
The water is provided by natural water sources, so the water doesn’t have any chemicals. That’s really cool. That’s not something I ever saw in the United States.
The pools have a lot of leaves in them, because the overhead trees are always shedding leaves. I’ve never swam in pool with leaves and debris, so it was a new experience. But surprisingly, it was awesome. I loved it. The fact that the water is all natural makes swimming in it much more enjoyable and fresh. The water feels so soothing, similar to how it felt when I swam in the Cenotes in Valladolid, Mexico, which I wrote about.
Some of the waterways have stones and rocks, so they’re less comfortable to swim in, but that doesn’t stop people. Many people were sitting and laying in the small streams, enjoying the fresh water slowly pass by.
Here you can see the outskirts of the waterpark. There are many little bridges like this.
The waterpark and the ocean are two must-visit places in El Salvador. The waterpark of Ichanmichen is very relaxing and peaceful.
After we swam, we went to one of the small restaurants in the waterpark. They had delicious and hearty meals at a low price. I think we paid $7 each for a steak meal with rice, beans, salad and a beer.
If you have the chance, definitely check it out!