A Full Week Itinerary in El Salvador and Why it Should be on Your Travel List for 2024 and Beyond

About the Trip

Tara and I traveled to El Salvador in 2017. At the time the murder (or homicide) rate was approximately 60 per 100,000 people or roughly 4,000 murders annually for the country of 6.5 million people. Fast forward to 2024, and it is estimated that the rate is now 1 murder per 100,000 people or only 60 or so murders in the country the entire year. That is safer than Canada or the United States. From 4,000 to 60 is a dramatic change in only 7 years, but the President Nayib Bukele has delivered on his promises. Even when we traveled through the country in 2017 we felt perfectly safe, but there was still the lingering thought knowing you were in the murder capital of the world. Now that is long gone and what remains is a paradise for foreign travelers without worry.

El Salvador is small in size, but it packs in a plethora of dazzling volcanoes, spectacular hot springs waterfalls, Mayan ruins, historic cities, and some of the best beaches we have ever been too. The beauty of El Salvador compared to many other countries we have backpacked through is that all of the main sites are all close to one another, which means for an entire week-long itinerary you would only be traveling 7-8 hours in between locations in total depending on your route. That means more time exploring and relaxing.

This is also a budget friendly location as food, accommodations, and transportation is about as cheap as you will find for international travel and flying here from the U.S. at least is convenient. Keep reading and see the pictures that will convince you to book a trip to El Salvador and make all of your hesitant friends and family jealous. El Salvador is one of our top 5 international countries out of the almost 40 we have been too. The people are incredibly friendly, the scenery is different than anywhere else in Central America, and the cheapness of the trip for the quality of the experience makes for an amazing trip.

Housekeeping Items for El Salvador – Our Best Tips

You will probably see this on every itinerary and blog post we do on traveling with children but our Osprey Poco backpack carrier for Atlas was crucial for Iceland. There is so much hiking and the weather and wind does not always make it enjoyable for a toddler to hike. Luckily, the Poco has a rain/sun shield that goes over your child and you can bundle them up cozily with layers and they are more than happy to ride on your back. There are very few paved trails in Iceland and Reykjavik has many cobblestone streets that would make a stroller a nightmare, not to mention the size of lugging one on a plane.

If you aren’t traveling with a baby, then just bring a Osprey 40L Backpack or comparable backpack. El Salvador is very warm even in the mountains, you do not need many layers. Pack light and travel with ease. Even if you are traveling with an infant or child, we always only bring out 40-liter packs, no wheeled bags.

El Salvador uses U.S. dollars, so it is good to have a couple hundred dollars with you in U.S. currency as many of the markets, attractions, and even restaurants are cash only still.

The dry season is between November and March and a great time to escape winter in North America and Europe.

We found the public transportation (buses) to be actually pretty decent here and an easy way to get around. They do get crowded and hot, but the fares are incredibly cheap, you will pay less than a dollar for an hour-long trip, that’s right it was 70 cents per person from El Zonte to Santa Ana. There are also air conditioned buses available on longer routes that are cheap at only just over a dollar per person fare.

Itinerary Overview and Download

Odyssey Inspired - El Salvador Trips Log.xlsx

Download XLSX • 10KB

On every blog we will include Word Documents version of an itinerary. We have a short version which is meant to be a shell that you can edit or add to depending on the level of detail you want. Our long version has copy and pasted this entire detailed writeup below without the pictures to condense the length. Take your pick or download both!

We also include a Trips Log with every trip, this is a fun way in Excel to track where you go and make your own makeshift journal of the trip in the notes section. You can take this exact template, add to it over time, and upload it to make your own Google Maps of your trips you’ve done. Yes, you can do something similar by pinning locations on Google Maps, but this spreadsheet allows you to log your distance hiked, elevation gain, sort different trips in different colors in Google easily, you can also sort by category i.e. breweries, vineyards, hikes, city attractions, etc. In essence, this gives you an offline document that is safe if you ever lose your Google Account and gives you infinitely more freedom in how you log, categorize, sort, and note what you do.

The Detailed Itinerary

Where to Fly:

·        You can fly to San Salvador (SAL) directly from many international airports in the United States and the airport is similar to any you’d find in the states in terms of size and design. It is fairly cheap to rent a car here, around $25-30 a day for economy deals or $150-200 for a week trip, or you might spend $20 per person in bus fares and Ubers through the entire trip, so proceed according to your budget.

Day 1 and 2:

Fly into San Salvador and head to El Tunco

Where to Stay:

·        Hotel Zelen – At $75 per night these spacious private suites have access to a pool and the beach is about 20 feet from the property. We loved staying here for the price and it is a quick walk over to the more populated town of Playa San Blas that has more restaurants.

·        Boca Olas Resort Villas – For more of a luxurious and resort feel these villas at $200 will have you feeling like you are in Hawaii. The property is gorgeous and the same quick walk over to Playa San Blas if you want a little night life.

Where to Eat:

·        You really can’t go wrong anywhere on this stretch of beach from El Zonte to Playa San Blas.

·        JungleSv – Amazing seafood tacos and bowls

·        Coyote – Great burgers and sandwiches, a nice spot for lunch on the main strip

·        Capt. Cook Restaurant – If you love seafood, this is your place. Everything is freshly caught and delicious.

Main Attractions:

·        Turtle hatching season is between September and November; however, as we roamed down El Zonte a day before New Years there was a big turtle release going on that we were able to join in

Hikes/Beaches:

·        The Sea Caves and Arches of El Zonte – 2 mile walk, this is one of the better surfing beaches

·        El Sunzal is very laid back and a quiet beach, nice for snorkeling

·        El Tunco has more of a Mexico resort vibe to its beaches and is a bit more lively

Our Odyssey

After arriving in San Salvador we recommend heading straight to the beach. Get the bus to El Tunco or Sunzal using the air conditioned microbus (102A). The microbus goes between Sunzal and San Salvador and passes El Tunco and La Libertad as well. This runs from 6 am until 7 pm daily.  The cost is $1.50 and the trip takes about 1 hour. In San Salvador they leave from the Punto de microbuses ruta 102 station.

El Zonte was a nice long beach perfect for a romantic walk. Along the beach you will find sea caves and arches with nice rock that made for some fun bouldering. The break on this beach is really good so whether you’re body surfing, boogie boarding, or surfing this is a fun beach to get active in the water. We were lucky enough to walk into a turtle release and were able to each release a half dozen or so baby sea turtles. It was an incredible experience and I can’t believe we just stumbled upon this free event. The turtles are adorable waddling their way to the ocean and we did everything we could to encourage them.

Left: One of our little sea turtles making its way amongst the crowd to the ocean. Right: Tara bouldering in the arch on El Zonte beach.

This whole area of the coast in El Salvador is laid back and you get a little of that hippie/surfer vibe to the place. El Sunzal was a nice beach to spend time during the day. The snorkeling wasn’t overly fantastic, but we still saw plenty of different fish and a sting ray. We felt like we had this beach completely to ourselves both days we went here.

Left: Body surfing on El Sunzal. Right the most perfect sunset over the wide-open beach.

El Tunco and Playa San Blas is where the parties at. We stayed here during New Years Eve and it didn’t disappoint, but also felt very safe. People drink casually in the street, but it didn’t feel like anyone was over doing it. Again just laid back vibes all around. There are not a lot of uber drivers in the area, but your hotel should be able to help you get a driver if you would like one to go between beaches rather than waiting for the bus.

Day 3 Beach to Santa Ana

Where to Stay:

·        For the next 3 nights we would recommend basing yourself in Santa Ana’s downtown. This is a convenient middle ground for all of the attractions and hikes in the area and the best food in the area is all within walking distance.

·        Remfort Hotel – At $79 per night this is on the pricier side for El Salvador, but it has a pool, breakfast is included, and feels like an upscale marriot in America.

·        Casa Vieja Guest House – Is a good budget option at around $35 per night, breakfast is a small charge of $2.50 per person and the location is excellent. This is popular for backpackers with a little more too spend and who don’t want to be in a $15 per night hostel.

Where to Eat:

·        Comedor y Pupuseria Claudia – Unbelievable papusas, the staple food of El Salvador. We ate here several times. For reference we had dinner here with two expats we met at the hot springs and we treated. Dinner for 4 with drinks was $12…. With a $4 tip, for some of the most incredible food freshly made right in front of you. It almost felt wrong it was so cheap.

·        Artisant – American upscale bistro food

·        Simmer Down – Fantastic Pizza

·        Tacos y tortas el grillo – As authentic and good as it gets taco wise.

Main Attractions:

·        Catedral de Nuestra Señora Santa Ana

·        Plaza Libertad and all the surrounding markets

Our Odyssey

If you have a rental car you can drive West down the coast and head North to Santa Ana. If this is your route we would stop and do the Santa Ana volcano on the route. For the bus route, take the 102A microbus again to an interchange station at the Estación Ceiba de Guadalupe, then switch to the Red TUDO bus heading to the Metrocentro in Santa Ana.

This will cost you roughly $1.50 per person and is not too bad to navigate. You will cross the highway using the land bridge at the interchange, but everyone in the area will be more than willing to help if you’re lost or unsure.

This is a nice day to get into your accommodation and explore around the city of Santa Ana. The Cathedral is the main attraction in the city in a magnificent square. The whole city is safe and easy to roam around. We ended the night in Santa Ana having dinner on the rooftop of Simmer Down looking out to the beautiful Cathedral that is lit up spectacularly at night.

Left: The Santa Ana Cathedral. Right: Enjoying the view from the upper balcony of Simmer Down.

Day 4 Santa Ana Volcano and Coatepeque Lake

Where to Eat:

·        Ice Cream at the top of the Santa Ana Volcano!!!

·        Great Papusas at the Lake

·        There are plenty of food vendors serving up delicious tacos and treats at the Santa Ana trailhead

Hikes:

·        Santa Ana Lamatepec Volcano Touristic Route – 4.7 miles and 1,486 feet of gain

·        Roam as far as you want around Coatepeque Lake

Our Odyssey

We took an uber to the Santa Ana trailhead and the lake and the fare was reasonable, maybe $15 each way. We got to the Santa Ana volcano right when it opened at 8 AM. The entrance fee here is $3 per person. This hike did require an armed guard in a large group, but with the country now returned to safety that may have changed. Either way the police officer was pretty out of breath and well behind us after a mile. This was such a fun hike up to the summit and seeing the crater filled with lime green minerals makes this one of the best volcanoes we have ever seen. There are multiple vendors that sherpa massive coolers filled with the most delicious homemade ice cream popsicles to the top. This hike was pretty steep, so we were amazed by these guys that were almost running up hill with a 50 pound cooler on their backs. We hung out at the crater rim for over an hour and enjoyed several $1 ice creams each.

Afterwards we deserved a swim down at Lago de Coatepeque. The lake is worth going to just for the drive down which goes through a lush forest and simultaneously has sweeping views. There are plenty of public accesses and nice beaches all around the lake. The papusas at Great Papusas did not disappoint and we headed back to our hotel that evening after sunset exhausted and pleasantly plump.

Lago de Coatepeque from the road coming down from the Santa Ana Volcano.

Day 5 – Hot Springs of Salto de Malacatiupan and Parque Arqueológico Tazumal Mayan Ruins

Where to Eat:

·        Pupusería Niña Dina – Can you tell we loved papusas?

·        Various street food vendors and taco carts all around Ahuachapan

Hikes:

·        Parque Arqueológico Tazumal ruins – 0.5 miles and 20 feet of elevation gain

·        Salto de Malacatiupan – 2 miles and 380 feet of elevation gain

Our Odyssey

We recommend going to Salto de Malacatiupan early as this is an entire river system that is a hot spring. That’s right for 20 or so miles this entire river and all of the waterfalls in it are around 100 degrees Fahrenheit in temperature. The hike is gorgeous and the main falls are about 15 and 25 feet tall, offering excellent cliff jumping. There are tuk tuks that will take you right down to the falls for something like $8 if you don’t want to do the hike. We went here in the afternoon and had so much fun we didn’t even mind the heat of the water. We played around for 2 hours and could have stayed here even longer.

Left: The falls may look small, but that's a 30-foot cliff jump, I am hidden in the alcove in the center of the two falls. Right: Enjoying one of the many pools on this hot spring river.

A half hour bus or drive back to Chalchuapa and Parque Arqueológico Tazumal, a relatively small Mayan ruin site compared to some of the mega sites in Mexico and Guatemala, but still spectacular, nonetheless. The ruins here are in good shape for their age and the museum had some great artifacts. A nice way to spend an hour. Afterwards we roamed through the town enjoying the artisan markets and the fresh fruit vendors that were on every corner.

Enjoy the papusas and tacos while you roam through various markets that seem to spring up all around the city.

Day 6 Travel back to San Salvador city and Parque Nacional El Boquerón $3

Where to Stay:

·        Hotel Abrego – You’re only in San Salvador for a day or two at most so stay as centrally as you possibly can. For $70 this hotel is a great value and the balconies have terrific views.

Where to Eat:

·        Carnitas San Francisco – for the meat lover

·        Moris Rooftop – A hidden gem with a great variety of Salvadorian dishes

Main Attractions:

·        Iglesia El Rosario – The gorgeous colorful stainglass of this temple is mesmerizing

·        Basilica Sagrado Corazon

·        National Palace of El Salvador

Hikes:

·        San Salvador Volcano Crater Rim – As far as you want or the full hike is 3.2 miles and 718 feet of gain

·         Boqueroncito Crater Descent – 2.7 miles and 1,643 feet of gain

Our Odyssey

Bus 201 will get you from Santa Ana from San Salvador. If you’re in the mood for more volcanoes the San Salvador Volcano is luscious and a complete contrast from the Santa Ana volcano. If you have hardy legs, brave the steep hike into the crater forest, it will absolutely make you work for the return, but it is fascinating to see a volcano with a crater this densely forested.

Most of the attractions of cathedrals, palaces, museums, and delicious eats are all within about three quarters of miles of each other. Spend your second to last day wandering through the various sites and don’t miss the stain glass temple of Iglesia El Rosario, which is even more dramatic on a sunny day which will make the church absolutely glow. The downtown felt safe, and the city had all of the normal amenities you would expect. Enjoy the hustle and bustle of San Salvador, here you can feel the lifeblood of the country working tirelessly.

The immaculate Iglesia El Rosario Stain Glass and Chapel. This was stunning and the significance of the church can really be felt through the colors.

Day 7 San Salvador and Fly Out

Depending on your flight or travel destination from here you can wander through San Salvador some more and have a nice breakfast if you have time. This itinerary packs a lot in for a week timeframe, but also feels quite relaxing by essentially basing yourself in just 2 main areas and enjoying the laid-back beaches. We hope you visit El Salvador, support their local economy, and feel the love we did from all of the amazing people that make this country so special.