8-DAY TRAVELS IN EL SALVADOR FROM SAN SALVADO
From climbing volcanic peaks to exploring Maya ruins, we share the best one-day trip from San Salvador, the bustling capital of El Salvador.
As the smallest and most densely populated country among the seven Central American countries, it is not surprising that El Salvador has many things on its borders. El Salvador has lush tropical inland areas, charming colonial towns and first-class coastal surfing, which can be said to be a microcosm of the vast Latin America. Considering that many of the country’s best assets – hiking, hills and coffee – are derived from its hot geology, it is not difficult to understand why the country is called “the country of volcanoes”.
One advantage of the small size of El Salvador is that many of its top attractions are crowded in a compact area – especially the area close to the west of its capital, San Salvador, making it an excellent base for one-day tours. The city is close to the country’s best natural landmarks, national parks, colonial towns and archaeological sites. You can even go to the seaside for a quick surfing lesson.
Therefore, a one-day trip from San Salvador is a carefree way to explore this small country. Let’s share the best of them below.
1. Elbokron National Park
Distance from San Salvador: 20 km
Tour time: 2-3 hours
Price: $42 ($2 per person, $40 round-trip taxi fare)
Book travel: ectourselsalvador.com (or as a combination of city travel).
El Boquer ó n, also known as San Salvador volcano, is the most accessible volcano in the country, only 35 minutes’ drive from the downtown of San Salvador. This miniature national park has a small network of hiking paths, all of which — in one way or another — lead to the edge of the dormant volcano. The last eruption was in 1917, when a small crater was formed at the bottom of the main crater 558 meters deep, known as “Boqueroncito” (small Boquer ó n).
ATLAS&BOOTS in the main crater.
There is a small museum outside the main entrance, a viewing platform overlooking the city, and a series of cafes and souvenir stalls. We organized a driver through Edwin of EC Travel Company, although it may be cheaper to arrange a taxi by ourselves. We note that there is a taxi station in Caf é del Volc á n, about 2.5 kilometers from the entrance of the park.
El Boquer ó n can also be combined with the following city sightseeing tours.
2. San Salvador City Tourism
Distance from San Salvador. Not applicable
Travel time. 4/6 hours
Price. Free/$55/$89
Book a tour. EC Tourism Network (walking tour), viator.com (city only), viator.com (combination).
From the hillside of El Boquer ó n, San Salvador looks like a handsome capital. However, on the street, the city center feels chaotic, far from being friendly to pedestrians, and, I dare say, a little sloppy.
HENRYK SADURA/SHUTTERSTOCKS El Salvador Cathedral
Nevertheless, there are still many scenic spots worth seeing, including the San Salvador Cathedral, the unorthodox but beautiful Iglesia El Rosario, and the bustling Plaza Gerardo Barrios, where the national hero Saint Oscar Romero condemned the civil war in El Salvador, You may see an impromptu dance and music performance.
We suggest taking part in a free hiking tour (with a tip expected), or combining urban tourism with visiting El Boquer ó n to make it a one-day trip.
3. Flower Avenue
Distance from San Salvador. 80-100 km
Travel time: 8-9 hours
Price: $99
Book travel: viator.com
Ruta de las Flores (Flower Road) is a series of colorful colonial towns and indigenous villages nestled in the Appaneca Mountains in the west of San Salvador. The city of Ahuachapan á n is usually the first or last stop of most tourist groups. These tourist groups will choose at least two stops from Concepci ó n de Ataco, Apaneca, Juay ú a, Salcoat á n or Nahuizalco.
wharf
The murals of Juava and the church of Appaneca
Each town has its own unique selling points, whether it is colorful murals, local food, lively markets or local handicraft shops (tiendas). The region is also famous for its coffee culture, so you can stay at a farm (finca) to learn how some of the best coffee in the world is produced.
4. Los Angeles Volcano National Park
Distance from San Salvador. 65km
Travel time. 7-10 hours
Price: $85
Book travel: viator.com
Los Volcano is also known as Cape Verde National Park. There are three major volcanoes in Cape Verde, Isarco and Santa Ana, as well as the dense forest full of birds, the picturesque Cotepec Lake and its shiny blue crater.
MBRAND85/SHUTTERSTOCK Lagoon in Santa Ana Volcano
If you have only one day, you can’t arrange everything properly, so most people prefer to climb Mount Santa Ana on foot, which is 2381 meters (7812 feet) above sea level, the highest volcano and the third peak in El Salvador. At the top of the mountain, you can walk around the edge and overlook the emerald lagoon in the center of the crater.
The return hike takes about four hours, and then most of the tour groups will have lunch at a restaurant overlooking the nearby Lake Coatpec. After that, you will have time to go swimming, take a boat or play water motorcycle on the lake.
5. TAZUMAL
Distance from San Salvador. 80 km
Tour time: 9 hours
Price: $69
Book travel: viator.com
Although it cannot be compared with Tikal in Guatemala or Chich é n Itz á in Mexico, the pre-Columbian settlement in Tazumal has the best Maya ruins in El Salvador. The history of Tazumar can be traced back to 250 to 900 A.D. It has a small pyramid, temple, platform and burial site.
JOEY VILLAFLOR/SHUTTERSTOCKTAZUMAL is one of the best one-day tours from San Salvador.
These relics are surprisingly located in the suburbs of the town of Chalchupa. According to archaeologists’ estimates, this once grand ancient city was first settled around 5000 BC, and most of its contents are still buried underground in the town. However, what has been unearthed is still impressive.
6. The archaeological site of Joad Salem
Distance from San Salvador. 36 km
Tour time: 9 hours (when combined with Tazumar).
Price: $69
Book travel: viator.com
Known as “Pompeii of the Americas” and listed by UNESCO, Joya de Cer é n, a former Spanish agricultural community, was buried after the eruption of El Boquer ó n in about 600 AD. Like the ancient city of Pompeii in Italy, the ruins of the Maya village are very well preserved, which let people know the lives of people who worked on this land at that time.
MATYAS REHAK/SHUTTERSTOCK “Pompeii of America”.
It seems that the residents are not involved in the igneous rock flow. On the contrary, the preserved buildings include a shaman’s house and a Mayan sweat steaming room (called temazcal), designed to remove toxins from the body like a sauna. There is also a small museum (with English and Spanish signs), displaying cultural relics and models of villages.
Due to the relatively small size of the site, the visit to Joad Seren is usually included in the one-day tour of Tazumar.
7. SUCHITOTO
Distance from San Salvador. 51 km
Travel time. 5 hours
Price: $59
Book travel: viator.com
Suchitoto is a charming rural colonial town with cobbled streets, whitewashed St. Lucia church and rows of pink exterior walls. It is the original site of San Salvador and was founded by the Spanish in 1528. Before being abandoned by the conquerors, it only existed for a short time, but this small town on the hill overlooking Lake Sutherland still retains most of its charm.
The FOTOS593/SHUTTERSTOCK colony of Suchito is one of the best one-day tours in San Salvador.
Suchito is often called the cultural capital of El Salvador, and is famous for its annual film festival, local art cooperatives and the long history of indigo trade. Due to innovative educational projects and handicraft workshops, the latter is making a comeback — please pay attention to the rich blue textiles floating in the front of shops and galleries.
8. Eltonko Beach and Tamanik Falls
Distance from San Salvador. 38 km
Travel time. 7 hours
Price: $95
Book travel: viator.com
Eltunco has been praised as one of the best surfing sites in Central America for many times. It is also famous for its quiet black sand beach and the offshore rock group called “el tunco”. It has only two streets and is one of the most popular party places in El Salvador. It is really lively on weekends, but there are oceans every day of the week, which makes it a good place to start from San Salvador.
HENRYK SADURA/SHUTTERSTOCKEI Tongke is only an hour’s drive from San Salvador.
A popular option is to visit Tamanik Falls, which is only 20 minutes away from Ertongko. This complex of four waterfalls can be reached through a 40-minute hike, and then you can jump off a rock platform, or jump off a natural slide to enter a clear natural pool to cool down.
One-day tour from San Salvador: basic elements
Content: Explore the best one-day tour from San Salvador, El Salvador.
Where? We stayed at the modern and comfortable Crowne Plaza San Salvador in the center of the financial district of San Salvador, just a stone’s throw away from the World Trade Center and Futura Building.
Crowne Plaza San Salvador Hotel
The hotel is located in a quiet, tree-lined suburb in the west of the city center. You can see the surrounding hills, including the San Salvador volcano in El Bockron National Park. The hotel has a gym, a small outdoor swimming pool and a live restaurant and bar. There are also several cafes, bars and restaurants in Futura Square nearby, which can be accessed directly from the hotel through a covered sidewalk.
The best time to visit El Salvador is from November to March, when the weather is relatively cool and dry. December and January after the rainy season are the greenest months of the landscape.
How to go? We travelled from Copan, Honduras, to San Salvador by shared shuttle bus. We used the shuttle bus to travel in most parts of Central America, including Belize, Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador. From San Salvador, there are shuttle bus services connecting to Santa Ana, El Tongo and San Miguel, as well as Leon in Nicaragua and Antigua in Guatemala.
We used Gekko Explorer and Marvelus on several trips, although there are other services. You can also ask your accommodation or local travel agency to organize the transfer.
Public transport in the form of buses (modified by American school buses) is available and very cheap. However, we do not recommend these public transport vehicles because they are known for being unreliable, overcrowded, slow and potentially unsafe – especially after dark.
All international flights arrive at El Salvador International Airport (SAL) and take about 50 minutes to the southeast of San Salvador. Book flights through skyscanner.net to get the best price.