A guide to El Salvador

Small but rich in history, nature and culture, El Salvador is often overlooked by travelers to Central America – thanks partly to a negative reputation it doesn’t really deserve. While the 1979–1992 civil war and subsequent crime problems still cast a shadow, the smallest country on the isthmus is chock-a-block with sensational surfing spots, mist-covered volcanoes, buzzing cities, charming country towns and resilient people with a hell of a story to tell.

The good news is that El Salvador is on the rise. Crime is falling, the government is investing in tourism, and a new sense of optimism is spreading across the country. Even once-shunned destinations such as San Salvador are reclaiming their rightful place on the travel map, helped by international bus routes that make El Salvador an easy stop on Central America’s overland trail. 

Those who come will find a more relaxed kind of tourism, focused less on big sights and more on soaking up the atmosphere of laid-back country towns, surfing the volcanic beaches of the Pacific Coast and sampling the local coffee and cuisine. If your experience of Central America has been dominated by busy beaches and queues at the sights, El Salvador will come as a breath of fresh air. 

Here’s what you need to know on your first visit to El Salvador. 

When should I go to El Salvador? 

The best time to visit El Salvador depends on what you want to do when you get here. The surfing is spectacular all year round on the Pacific Coast, but the November to April dry season has the most consistent swells and the driest, sunniest weather for enjoying surf hubs such as El Tunco and Punta Mango. 

The dry season is also the best time to hike up El Salvador’s volcanoes, swim in its lakes, and explore the marine world from Los Cóbanos – a hub for whale-watching and diving on a thriving Pacific coral reef system. Sea turtles arrive in El Salvador between July and December, while migrating birds throng the mangroves of the Bahía de Jiquilisco from September to April. 

The rainy season (May to October) can still be a rewarding time to travel to El Salvador. Surfers are lured by challenging, powerful waves, and temperatures stay warm. And the rain tends to fall mainly in the afternoon and evening, so sunny mornings are common. Prices fall and crowds thin, but localized flooding and damage to roads can cause problems for public transport. 

How much time should I spend in El Salvador?

Overland travelers can dip in and enjoy some of the highlights in just a few days en route from Guatemala to Honduras or Nicaragua, but a couple of weeks is a good starting point for a trip focusing specifically on El Salvador. Spend half the time exploring the sights in and around San Salvador, Santa Ana and the gentle country towns of the Ruta de las Flores, and the other half enjoying the Pacific coastline. 

Is it easy to get into and around El Salvador? 

Getting around in El Salvador is easy, but not always quick, despite the small distances involved. Plenty of travelers enter El Salvador overland from Guatemala, Honduras or Nicaragua, taking advantage of convenient international bus connections from other capital cities in Central America with operators such as Tica Bus and Transporte del Sol. San Salvador's international airport is the key hub for travelers arriving by air, with flights arriving from across the Americas. 

When it comes to getting around inside the country, most travelers rely on local buses – sometimes known as “chicken buses” – which are frequent and inexpensive but often crowded with passengers. More comfortable air-conditioned coach services connect larger cities such as San Salvador, Santa Ana and San Miguel.

Few people hire a car to self-drive, but it’s easy to arrange a car and driver for point-to-point transfers or sightseeing day trips. In big cities, you can use local buses, taxis and rideshare apps such as Uber to get around. Stick to safe areas and ask your hotel for advice on local transport – they can usually call a cab for you.

Top things to do in El Salvador

There’s plenty to do and see in El Salvador, from surfing the black, volcanic beaches of the Pacific Coast to exploring peaceful rural towns in the hills. 

Get some culture in San Salvador and Santa Ana

El Salvador’s two biggest cities are just 64km apart, but they’re different in character. Once avoided by travelers, San Salvador has undergone a remarkable transformation in recent years. The once-ragged downtown is now picturesque, safe and accessible, and the city is being pegged as an up-and-coming technology and business hub. 

Start exploring from the handsomely restored Palacio Nacional, then admire the rainbow of stained glass inside the Iglesia El Rosario, and the imposing Catedral Metropolitana, where Archbishop Óscar Romero gave sermons arguing for reform before he was assassinated in 1980. 

San Salvador is also a vibrant hub for Salvadoran culture – drop into the Museo Nacional de Antropología David J Guzmán and Museo de Arte de El Salvador to discover treasures old and new. Spare some time to browse the city’s markets; traditional herbal remedies are traded in the Mercado Central, while Mercado Sagrado Corazón de Jesús is crammed with inexpensive comedores (simple Salvadoran eateries). 

Over in Santa Ana, a genteel vibe pervades, thanks to the wealth that poured in from local coffee plantations in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Grand buildings flank Parque Libertad, including the graceful Teatro do Santa Ana and the gleaming white, neo-Gothic Catedral de Santa Ana, which is brilliantly illuminated at night. Be sure to sample the rich, strong local coffee – either in downtown cafes or on plantation tours in the surrounding hills. 

Climb a Salvadoran volcano

Towering volcanoes rise over the countryside all over El Salvador, and many can be climbed on day trips. Santa Ana is the best hub for hikes up the three volcanoes inside Parque Nacional Los Volcanes (also known as Parque Nacional Cerro Verde). Fit walkers can complete the return trip to the summit of Volcán de Santa Ana (2381m) in around five hours, for views over its smoking turquoise crater lake and surrounding peaks. 

Nearby Volcán de Izalco (1958m) is a perfect cone of dry cinders, while true-to-its-name Volcán de Cerro Verde (2030m) is capped by dense cloud forests that are alive with colorful birds, from tiny hummingbirds to turquoise-browed motmots. Nearby is the scenic, color-changing lake of Lago di Coatepeque, ringed by restaurants on stilts where travelers gather to dine, swim, kayak and paddleboard. 

For visitors to the capital, Volcán de San Salvador tops the must-climb list. Scenic hiking trails weave through Parque Nacional El Boquerón, centered on an 800-year-old crater filled with dense green vegetation. Keen hikers continue to El Picacho, the volcano’s highest point, offering sweeping views from 1960m above sea level. 

Check out El Salvador’s Maya history

While it stands at the periphery of the ancient Maya world, El Salvador was once an important hub for Mesoamerican culture. There are several interesting ancient sites to explore, though nothing quite on the scale of the great Maya cities of Mexico or Guatemala. 

Between San Salvador and Santa Ana are the fascinating, UNESCO-listed ruins of Joya de Cerén, a Maya farming village that was smothered by a shower of cool ash from the Loma Caldera volcano in 600 CE. After the site was rediscovered in 1976, archaeologists unearthed a treasure trove of objects revealing intricate details about the life of its inhabitants, including preserved foodstuffs such as cacao and chili peppers. 

No human remains were found, suggesting that villagers had time to flee, but the site includes the remains of thatch-roofed homes, storehouses, a preserved cornfield and communal adobe buildings such as a shaman’s house and a temazcal (sweat lodge). Nearby, the small site of San Andrés features a worn collection of pyramids and ceremonial courtyards. 

About 14km west of Santa Ana at Chalchuapa, the ruined Maya city of Tazumal was an important ancient trading center for obsidian – the volcanic glass used by the ancient peoples of Mesoamerica to make razors, knives and arrowheads. Dotted around the site are stone altars and monuments, a ball court and a 24m-high pyramid. At the smaller site of Casa Blanca, you can investigate the ancient Salvadoran tradition of indigo dyeing and reputedly haunted Laguna Cuzcachapa. 

Surf the Pacific Coast

El Salvador may lack the golden Caribbean beaches of its neighbors, but the black-sand and pebble beaches of the Pacific Coast offer ample compensation in the form of spectacular surfing. The point breaks around surf hubs such as El Tunco and La Libertad on the Costa de Bálsamo in the west of the country perform consistently year-round, including during the wet season. 

The surfing scene varies from beach to beach. El Tunco is El Salvador’s traveler playground, awash with surf schools and backpacker bars and restaurants. Nearby, La Libertad is more urban, while El Zonte is more relaxed. The impressive breaks in the far southeast of the country are less busy; you'll find magnificent waves waiting at Punta Mango, El Cuco and Las Flores. 

Encounter nature along the Salvadoran shoreline

Coral reefs are not limited to the Caribbean in Central America. Offshore from El Salvador is the largest reef system on the Pacific Coast, easily accessible on dive trips from the town of Los Cóbanos. From November to April, this is also the best place in the country to spot migrating humpback whales. 

From July to December, sea turtles arrive on the Pacific shoreline to lay their eggs, and visitors can join organized hatchling releases. Olive ridley turtles favor the beaches around La Libertad, while rare hawksbill turtles visit the beaches and mangroves of the Bahía de Jiquilisco in the east. This mangrove-lined inlet is also an important migration stop for everything from pelicans to magnificent frigate birds from September to April. 

Hop between the towns of the Ruta de las Flores

Southwest of Santa Ana, a winding country road snakes through the hills, linking some of the most appealing country towns in El Salvador. Named for the white coffee flowers that light up the hills in spring, the Ruta de Las Flores hops between the small market towns of Nahuizalco, Juayúa, Salcoatitán, Apaneca and Concepción de Ataco, showcasing the crafts, cuisine, coffee and culture of rural El Salvador. 

Most people start in Juayúa, which fills up with food stalls every weekend for the lively Feria Gastrónomica food fair. Local buses rattle between the towns of the Ruta de las Flores, and you can stop into lively town markets, hike through coffee plantations to thermal springs and waterfalls, and ease into laid-back, small-town life around cobbled squares. 

How much money do I need for El Salvador? 

El Salvador is one of the cheaper countries to visit in Central America, though tourist infrastructure is a little less developed than you might find in neighboring Guatemala or on the islands of Honduras. Prices peak in the middle of the dry season from December to January; at other times, it’s easy to find inexpensive deals. 

Backpackers may be able to get by on as little as US$50 per day, but allow US$100–200 if you plan to stay in mid-range accommodation and do lots of activities. It’s possible to spend much more, of course, particularly if you focus on the big cities and choose more upmarket forms of accommodation. 

Here are some typical costs to consider: 

• Night at a backpacker hostel: from US$10

• Double room at a mid-range hotel: US$30–80

• A cup of Salvadoran coffee: from US$2

• A lunchtime pupusa (stuffed cornmeal griddle-cake): US$0.75

• A bottle of local beer: from US$1.50

• Restaurant meal per person: from US$15

• Surfboard rental per day: from US$15

• A guide for a half-day hike: from US$20

• Bus from San Salvador to Santa Ana: from US$1

• Tourist shuttle from San Salvador to El Tunco: US$35–60 

Is El Salvador safe?

While El Salvador is safer than it has been in years, with falling crime and improving public infrastructure, it still pays to be careful. Avoid walking around alone in quiet areas, particularly after dark, and ask your hotel which areas are safe to explore. Stick to licensed taxis or use Uber, rather than taking unlicensed cabs. 

Be watchful for pickpockets in crowds, and keep an eye on your belongings on local buses – petty theft is a minor risk. When withdrawing money from ATMs, use machines inside banks, hotels or shopping centers. If you rent a car to drive yourself, be alert to the risk of carjacking; lock your doors while driving and be careful at junctions. 

What about volcano trekking?

Many of El Salvador’s volcanoes are still active, including some of the most popular trekking peaks in the country, but eruptions are rare these days. The last major event was the eruption of Volcán de San Miguel (Chaparrastique) in 2013. This wasn’t always the case – Volcán de Izalco near Santa Ana was once known as the “Faro del Pacifico” (“Lighthouse of the Pacific”) for its regular eruptions. 

The authorities closely monitor volcanic activity, so seek local advice before setting off on a volcano hike and always trek with a local guide. If you hike near any of the country’s sulfurous lakes, keep a safe distance from the water (and water vapor) as it can be highly acidic.

This article was adapted from Lonely Planet’s Central America guidebook, published in October 2025.