Things to do in El Salvador
From Thermal Springs to Colonial Charm
We’ve compiled the best things to do in El Salvador and put them all into one itinerary for you. Enjoy hiking through tropical and cloud forests, see some of the most beautiful volcanoes in the country, and explore caves where you’ll find ancient petroglyphs. You can also immerse yourself in thermal hot springs, heated by a volcano, visit quaint villages where you can taste test local specialties and even hit the beach on this trip.
We’ve put together the perfect list of things to do in El Salvador and arranged for you to enjoy unique experiences at every turn. From visiting Cerro Verde to taking a boat tour of Lake Suchitlan, there’s something fun and new each day of the tour. Join us now!
San Salvador
A tapestry of beauty and culture
Volcano Santa Ana
Enjoy every moment of your walk
The Flowers Route
El Salvador’s explosion of colors
The Pacific Coast
Salty air and not a care
Highlights
Looking for things to do in El Salvador? You have so many options, from enjoying historical sights to immersing yourself in the culture or hiking through nature. Here are a few things we suggest if you’re looking for something to do:
Visit colonial towns: The Flowers Route (Ruta de las Flores) takes you through several small villages like Concepcion de Ataco, Juayua, and Salcoatitan. Suchitoto is another great colonial town to visit and the oldest in El Salvador.
Hike a volcano: El Boqueron in San Salvador is a good place to start hiking, but you can also visit Cerro Verde with its beautiful cloud forest.
Visit ruins: El Salvador holds some fascinating Mayan and Pibil ruins, including Joya de Ceren and San Andres. You can read more about these activities and locations below.
Eat local food: While in Juayua, try to visit on the weekend when they offer a food festival. Taste delicious local dishes ranging from soup and seafood to grilled meat and desserts. You can also learn to make traditional foods like pupusas in cooking classes.
Itinerary
Welcome to the capital city of El Salvador! Our driver will meet you at the airport and you’ll enjoy a pleasant tour of San Salvador. The extent of the tour will depend on when you arrive, but you can expect to see a few parts of the historical center of the city, the National Palace, Cathedral, Plaza Futura, El Rosario Church, and the National Theater. If you have any requests, let us know and we’ll tailor your tour to your particular interests.
You’ll be taken to your hotel and have the rest of the afternoon or evening to rest or explore.
- Two nights in San Salvador.
Today is a more extensive tour of the city. Before we head into the sightseeing, we’ll do a coffee tasting tour where you’ll learn how coffee is cultivated and prepared before tasting some of the freshest brews in the country.
We’ll venture out of the historical section and head to El Boquerón, a nature park in the center of San Salvador. The name “El Boquerón” means “big mouth” in Spanish, referring to the huge crater left after this volcano exploded around 1,000 years ago. There’s a “little mouth” or Boqueroncito inside the big crater. This was formed in 1917, during a volcanic eruption that completely evaporated the lake that had formed in the crater.
As you walk up to the rim of the crater, you’re likely to spot some animals . . . deer, raccoons, armadillos and others. There are plenty of birds around for those interested in birdwatching, as well.
Other stops include:
The National Palace – This historical landmark is an impressive piece of architecture built in the early 1900s, with a mix of Renaissance, Baroque, and neoclassical architecture style. Over 100 rooms once served the government, but today it’s open to public tours.
Anthropology National Museum – The Dr. David J. Guzman National Museum of Anthropology is impressive in how many exhibitions it has. Here, you’ll find displays of items dating from as far back as pre-Hispanic times right up to the modern day, including Maya, Olmec, and Lenca artifacts.
The Metropolitan Cathedral – Originally the site of the Temple of Santo Domingo, this cathedral has been through a lot. The first two were destroyed by a quake and a fire respectively, and later rebuilt to the modern version by Dominikus Bohm.
Plaza Futura – Stepping away from history for a moment, you’ll visit this bustling commercial plaza that forms part of the World Trade Center complex. It’s essentially a mall, but you can get some amazing views of the city from the plaza, too.
El Rosario Church – Built in 1971 by sculptor/architect Ruben Martinez, this modern style church is built of concrete with an array of stained glass windows. These fill the entire interior, which is devoid of pillars, with rainbow light. It’s quite the unique place to visit!
National Theater – As the oldest theater in Central America, the National Theater in San Salvador stands as an architectural landmark in the city, designed with a French Renaissance style. Massive columns make it look quite regal and it includes a 230 square meter fresco mural by Carlos Cañas.
Museum of Art of El Salvador – When it comes to art, this is the main art museum for El Salvador. More than 300 works are permanently on display and are almost entirely Salvadoran artists. Temporary international art exhibitions come and go, adding to the complexity of the museum and ensuring there is always something interesting to see.
And we’ll finish up the tour with a traditional food in El Salvador, pupusas. These delicious corn tortillas with various fillings are a staple here and you can try several options. The basic pupusas come with a cheese filling, but you can also get pork rind, beans, herbs, and many other fillings for a variety of flavors.
After breakfast, we’ll travel to La Libertad Department, where you can explore two archeological sites. The first, San Andres, was a city built by the Pipil people, who were greatly influenced by the Maya people. Originally, the city was a political center for the area, but it was also an important space for ceremonies. You can still see several of the structures dating back to 900 BC.
Next, we’ll head over to the “Pompeii of Central America,” Joya de Ceren. Like Pompeii, this city was destroyed by a volcanic eruption with ash preserving the city almost perfectly. It’s one of the best examples we have of what Mayan life looked like in 650 DC. It consists of an acropolis or raised plaza with houses and pyramids set along it. You can look inside the homes, where every day items were preserved by the ash.
It’s fascinating to see just what people did and how they lived back then. Take your time exploring before we get back on the road and head to the hotel in Suchitoto.
- Two nights in Suchitoto.
Founded in 1528, Suchitoto is a charming colonial town and the first major Spanish settlement in El Salvador. It was the original site of San Salvador, before the capital city was moved to the current location. Visiting Suchitoto is like stepping back through time as you walk the cobbled streets with white adobe buildings lining them. Not much has changed over the years, except for the vehicles that travel the streets.
Stop by the central plaza where you can see the original church standing tall and beautiful, providing the perfect backdrop for a photo. We’ll visit the theater, Church of Santa Lucia, and stop by some of the local artisan shops so you can enjoy some shopping.
Near Suchitoto is Lake Suchitlan, which is actually a huge man-made lake created by the Cerron Grande hydroelectric power plant. It’s the largest freshwater lake in El Salvador and has become an important ecological habitat to plants, birds, and fish. We’ll get on a boat and take a little tour of the lake, giving you the best view of some of the beautiful birds that live here, as well as the lovely shoreline. Then it’s back to the hotel to relax a little for tomorrow’s adventure.
This morning, we’ll leave the charming town of Suchitoto behind and drive to Cerro Verde National Park. This hidden gem is part of the Apaneca mountain range and the extinct volcano that forms part of the park is 6,660 feet above sea level. What makes the volcano so unique is that the crater holds a whole ecosystem of its own. A cloud forest has grown up there and you can expect to find it cool and misty when you reach the top. Cerro Verde is part of the National Park of Volcanoes, which includes Izalco, an active volcano, and Santa Ana, which is the tallest volcano in the country.
Take a hike on one of the stunningly gorgeous trails through the forest or visit the orchid garden at the visitors center. There are viewing platforms, too, where you can overlook the forest and hopefully see some of the more than 125 bird species that make the Cerro their home.
After Cerro Verde, we’ll head to Lake Coatepeque, best known for how pristine and colorful it is. The water changes from blue to turquoise, depending on several factors. These gorgeous waters are the perfect place for a variety of water sports, which both locals and tourists enjoy.
Now it’s time to relax those tired muscles at the Santa Teresa Hot Springs. The volcanic heated pools at the springs are rich in minerals that will help ease any aches and pains you’ve picked up over the past few days. You can explore the jungle around the spa, relax in the hot spring pools, or even enjoy a spa treatment here, like a thermal mud facial.
Finally, we’ll finish up the day by driving to your hotel in Concepcion de Ataco, one of the stops along the Flowers Route.
- One night in Concepcion de Ataco.
Ruta de las Flores, or the Flowers Route, is a pleasant drive that winds through multiple colonial towns, each with its own charm and specialty. Today is your day, so you can choose what you prefer to do and which towns you want to visit, as it’s impossible to see everything in one go.
There are five main towns to visit on the route:
Concepcion de Ataco – this pretty little town is full of vibrant street art and galleries. It’s a good spot to find local artisan crafts and some boutique style coffee. Don’t forget to stop at the Mirador de la Cruz for an incredible view of the area.
Apaneca – This is where you’ll find some fun adventures, like the famous giant rainbow slide, a bike zipline and a huge hedge maze. There are also coffee plantation tours available.
Juayua – As the largest town on the route, Juayua is best known for weekend food festivals where you can enjoy live music and eat local food.
Salcoatitlan – This town is built around a very old Ceiba tree that is roughly 350 years old. The Ceiba holds special significance to the Mayan people and this quaint little town is the perfect example of how important it is.
Nahuizalco – If you want traditional Pipil culture, this is the place to be. Reed handicrafts, colorful streets and a bright, lively night market make this a great place to visit.
Of course, you may also want to take a look at the nearby attractions on the route. Not far from Ataco, you’ll find El Salto de Malacatiupán. These thermal waterfalls are a fun place to enjoy relaxing in the thermal pools above the heated waterfalls. Below, the hot water pours into a much cooler pool, giving a unique sensation if you’re swimming there. Take some time to discover this hidden treasure in the jungle before returning to your exploring of the Flowers Route.
If you’d like to spend a bit more time at the beach, you can add another day to your itinerary. Enjoy your time swimming, snorkeling, or sunbathing. If you prefer to be a bit more active, ATV tours, surfing lessons, coffee tours, chocolate experiences, and hiking options are also available.
Today, your guide will drive you from El Tunco to the international airport in San Salvador for your flight home. We hope to see you again soon.
map, expenses & price
Things to do in El Salvador
Expenses included:
-All private transportation.
-Six nights of hotel accommodations.
-Tours and excursions as listed.
-Professional certified guides.
-All park entrance fees.
-Daily breakfast.
Extensions
ADD-ON
El Impossible National Park is a stunning piece of nature in the Ahuachapan Department of El Savador. It covers 5,000 hectares and features many varied biomes, including tropical forests, mountains, and coastal mangroves. It’s also home to a huge number of plants and animals, including more than 500 plant species and over 100 mammals, as well as birds, insects, and reptiles. As you hike, you can often spot some of the creatures in the undergrowth and birds overhead. It’s the ideal spot for birdwatching.
The “Impossible” was so named because of how difficult it was for coffee farmers to get their products out of the deep canyons and mountains. What was once a challenge for these farmers is now a tourist paradise, with well-maintained hiking trails, stunning views from Cerro El Leon, and some lovely camping areas. It’s also home to several archeological sites where you can find petroglyphs left behind by the Pipil people. Enjoy your time exploring the parks and taking in some of El Salvador’s natural beauty.
add-on
If you’re still itching for some outdoor adventure, head to Puerta del Diablo Nature Park. The name means “Devil’s Door” and refers to a large arched rock formation with a crevice between two of the boulders. The story goes that the devil once courted the daughter of the Renderos family, but they found out who he was and chased him into the hills. The devil created a door through a crack in the rocks. It’s far more likely that a natural occurrence caused the crevice to form, but it’s still an interesting sight.
The rest of the park is also interesting, with plenty of beautiful hiking trails, areas to rock climb and even a natural amphitheater where events are frequently held. Full of lookouts and areas to take photos, this park is the perfect way to spend some extra time in El Salvador.
