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A small wooded island on Lake Suchitlán

Volcanoes and lakes

Lake Suchitlán, El Salvador

Lake Suchitlán is the reservoir of the Cerrón Grande hydroelectric dam on the Lempa river, created between 1973 and 1976. It covers about 135 km² across Chalatenango, Cuscatlán and Cabañas, and the reservoir is a Ramsar wetland of 60,698 ha. Boats leave from Puerto San Juan, in Suchitoto, for the islands.

Updated November 2026 · Figures checked 9 November 2026

Photo: Christopher Arturo Aragón Vides, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Surface of the lake
135 km²3
Surface of the lake
Built with the Cerrón Grande dam
1973–19761
Built with the Cerrón Grande dam
Ramsar wetland, listed in 2005
60,698 ha2
Ramsar wetland, listed in 2005

Lake Suchitlán, El Salvador

At a glance

At a glance
Lake Suchitlán
Departments Chalatenango, Cuscatlán and Cabañas
Type Reservoir of the Cerrón Grande hydro plant (CEL)
Islands Isla de los Pájaros, Isla de los Enamorados, El Chaparral, Isla del Ermitaño and others
Name Coined by Alejandro Cotto from Suchitoto and Cuscatlán

Source: El Salvador Travel (Ministry of Tourism): Lake Suchitlán1

Map

Lake Suchitlán 1 Lake Suchitlán 2 Santa Ana volcano 3 Izalco volcano 4 Lake Coatepeque 5 Lake Ilopango 6 El Boquerón National Park
Volcano or national park Lake Places are approximate, from Wikidata and OpenStreetMap. Boundaries: geoBoundaries SLV ADM1 (OpenStreetMap contributors, CC BY-SA 2.0)2
  1. 1 Lake Suchitlán Reservoir of the Cerrón Grande dam
  2. 2 Santa Ana volcano 2,381 m; last eruption 2005
  3. 3 Izalco volcano 1,950 m; last eruption 1966
  4. 4 Lake Coatepeque Caldera lake, 25.3 km²
  5. 5 Lake Ilopango Caldera lake, 72 km²
  6. 6 El Boquerón National Park The crater of the San Salvador volcano

The reservoir

  • Power and water: the reservoir was built with the Cerrón Grande hydro plant; the Ministry of Tourism says it produces more electricity than any other in El Salvador.
  • A Ramsar wetland: the Embalse Cerrón Grande, the largest body of fresh water in the country, has been on the Ramsar list since 2005.
  • Water lettuce: in August 2025 the floating plant covered much of the lake again, hampering boats and fishing; the boatmen's cooperative of Suchitoto, CEL and the municipality joined efforts to remove it.

Source: El Salvador Travel (Ministry of Tourism): Lake Suchitlán; Ramsar Convention: annotated list of wetlands of international importance, El Salvador; La Prensa Gráfica: water lettuce covers Lake Suchitlán, 8 August 20251,2,3

Visiting

From Puerto San Juan, in Suchitoto, boats take visitors to the islands, with birdwatching, walks and lakeside restaurants.4

Sources

  1. El Salvador Travel (Ministry of Tourism): Lake Suchitlán
  2. Ramsar Convention: annotated list of wetlands of international importance, El Salvador (PDF)
  3. La Prensa Gráfica: water lettuce covers Lake Suchitlán, 8 August 2025 (in Spanish)
  4. El Salvador.com: the four lakes of El Salvador every visitor should know, 2026 (in Spanish)

Figures checked 9 November 2026. Prepared by InvestSalvador.com for general information. Figures come from the sources listed.

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