Pink and orange hues begin staining the sky as the sun begins its rise over the distant horizon. Flat-bottomed clouds suffused with color hang high above the shining surface of the ocean. The silhouettes of small fishing boats heading out to deep water herald the beginning of a new day on the Pacific coast of El Salvador.

The coast stretches from the border of Guatemala down to Honduras and proffers a wide variety of beaches to choose from. Striking rocky beaches dotted with surf-smoothed boulders to black or white sand beaches. With almost 200 miles of curving coastline to deal with, travelers will have quite a task when picking out a beach. Yet even this dilemma is quite easily resolved since even the most remote coastal area is but a few hours away. Travelers can use San Salvador as their base or they can settle into La Libertad, either choice will give you more freedom when planning day trips on the western or eastern areas of the coast.

Vacations are often characterized by lazy days spent lying in the sun with a tropical drink in hand. The image of broad beaches dotted with sun lovers is difficult to pass up when planning a jaunt to another part of the world. Luckily, nature blessed El Salvador with several beautiful beaches that are ideal for either working on the physique with a brisk walk, surfing the waves or just working on an enviable tan.

One irrefutable fact in this country is that no matter what beach you're driving to, the trip will be brief. A forty-five minute drive will take you from San Salvador to La Libertad and where you go from there is up to you.

La Libertad itself is a small coastal town that offers lodging, seafood restaurants and striking black sand beaches. When walking around La Libertad head for the pier. If it's during the early morning you will find a large crowd of fishermen just in from their daily run selling their catches of the day.