12 fabulous things not to miss in El Salvador – a great place for nature lovers!
Last updated on August 2nd, 2026 at 06:04 am
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I was asked by a friend “what are the absolutely un-missable best things to do in El Salvador?” And this is the list I gave them.
El Salvador is Central America’s smallest country – but it is loaded up with volcanoes, surf beaches, colorful towns, waterfalls, and, in my opinion, the friendliest people in the region.
You can hike a volcano in the morning, eat fresh pupusas for lunch, and watch the sunset over the Pacific Ocean the same day. You can surf the seas, kayak the lagoons, visit the coffee hills and flowers of Ruta de las Flores, learn Spanish, and visit a number of historical sites. Overall, El Salvador gives you a relaxed, affordable, and quite diverse travel experience.
But whatever you are planning to do, to me El Salvador is the most exciting destination in Latin America right now – I love it!! I hope you do too!
Contents
The 12 best things to do in El Salvador!
Mini 1 week itinerary for El Salvador
Important note: Getting from the San Salvador Airport to the city or beaches
Frequently asked questions about El Salvador
Trip Planning Checklist
These are the booking platforms I personally use for all my travels. If you book through these affiliate links, it helps support this site and keeps me producing free travel guides – at absolutely no extra cost to you. Thanks so much for the support! Cheers!
All in one – if you want to book flights and accommodation as a package, use expedia
Flights – use skyscanner or booking.com to find and book your flight – I often find the same flight cheaper than booking direct with the airline!
Accommodation – I use booking.com for hotels, Hostelworld for a hostel, and Vrbo for holiday houses.
Internet – buy a yesim eSim or Airalo before you go. I use both depending on where I am going.
Tours and Activities – book with Viator or GetYourGuide. My top picks in El Salvador:
- The Best of El Salvador: Santa Ana Volcano & Lake Coatepeque Tour
- Ruta de Las Flores, Visit 4 Colonial Towns and Coffee Farm
- Scars of San Salvador or Fun Walking Tour of San Salvador’s Historic Center
- Juayua: Incredibles Juayua 7 Waterfalls
- City Tour and El Boquerón National Park with Pupusa Tasting
- Archeological Route Full-Day Tour
Car rental – I usually use DiscoverCars
Insurance – I usually use EKTA , but another good option, especially if you are from the US is SafetyWing. EKTA works well as they accept any nationality, any age and its ok if you are already traveling – which is perfect for me!
Buses, trains, ferries – 12Go is often my first option for buses, ferries and trains – they are expanding worldwide but are very strong in Asia. They cover parts of Europe like Germany and France, and Australia and Latin America – especially Argentina.
Hiking – I use AllTrails for online and offline hiking trails – it means you know exactly where you are on the trail and makes getting lost a lot harder!!
Thanks so much if you used one of these links – it costs you nothing but helps me keep writing!
The 12 best things to do in El Salvador!
These are the 12 things I believe you really should have on your itinerary in El Salvador.
Note that I have written in much more detail about most of these things in my El Salvador: detailed 2, 3 and 4 week itineraries and The 8 best things to do in San Salvador posts (so do check them out), but for simplicities sake this is what I think you should include on your itinerary.
1. Tour around Ruta de las Flores – including a weekend
The Ruta de las Flores is essentially a group of smaller towns joined by a very picturesque road laden with flowers in the season! This is probably the most developed ‘tourist trail’ in the country (along with the popular beaches) and its got plenty to offer. The towns on the Ruta de las Flores are: Juayua, Apaneca, Nahuizalco, Salcoatitán and Concepción de Ataco
There is a lot to do on the Ruta de las Flores – not least just trip around on the buses to enjoy the flowers that it is famous for. (Although you need to be here from around November to January or February to see the flowers.) Even if the flowers are over it doesn’t matter – it is a lovely area with plenty to do.
All the watery things in the next must do (2 below) are in this area. You can also while away time in the cafes in the very cute Ataco with its incredible murals – or go on a coffee tour. You can go on the rainbow slide or zip lines, or get lost in the maze in the Apeneca adventure park, drink more coffee in any of the towns and generally chill.
But whatever you do, make sure you are in Juayua or Ataco in the weekend when the towns are taken over by the weekly food festivals. There is sooooo much food -yum!
There are plenty of tour options too:
- Ruta de Las Flores, Visit 4 Colonial Towns and Coffee Farm
- San Salvador: Full Day Ruta de Las Flores and Coffee Farm
- Ruta de Las Flores: Charming Towns and Rainbow Slide Tour
- Ruta de Flores Bike Zipline, Slide, Wings Swing, Hotsprings
(More info in in my El Salvador: detailed 2, 3 and 4 week itineraries.)
2. Hit at least one of the river or waterfall spots
There are plenty of options in El Salvador but these are three very popular ones:
Salto de Malacatiupan is a natural mineral hot waterfall and river. Sound good? It is – its pretty and you can swim under the falls, in the pools, jump from rocks (carefully!) and generally have a great time. And if you keep following the path from the waterfalls to down the river for about 600 meters you can have a peaceful warm soak in shallower water and likely to yourself or just with a few others. The water is like a nice warm bath – you wont get cold.
The Santa Teresa Thermal Pools are formal hot pools – its natural hot mineral water but not au-naturel in the river like Salto de Malacatiupan. You cansoak it all up and have extra treatments like massages and saunas.
Get wet on the day long adventure of the Seven Waterfalls Hike. You leave from Juayua, and you will get wet! Climbing waterfalls, jumping waterfalls and generally bashing around in the bush – with some swimming of course – makes this a fun day out. You do need a guide.
This is an absolute go-to tour from Juayua – Juayua: Incredibles Juayua 7 Waterfalls.
This is another popular coastal waterfall – Tamanique Waterfalls Guided Hike.
And another very popular one is the Hidden Waterfalls Eco Tour in El Imposible National Park
3. Make your own pupusas and eat them
Lets talk about the national dish of El Salvador – the pupusa!
They are cheap, they are delicious, and a couple will keep you going for quite a few hours. What’s more – they are a lot of fun to make.
It is said that pupusas were created by the indigenous Pipil tribe, who resided in El Salvador almost 2,000 years ago. They are a corn-based home-made tortilla / dough cake stuffed with almost anything but usually a mix of any of cheese, refried beans, meats, vegetables and herbs.
You order your filling, then they are made in front of you, and served up with spicy coleslaw / kimchi type condiments, called curtido, which are placed in big jars on your table if you are eating in. My absolute favorite pupusa is herb and cheese. Delicious!
The absolutely great thing about it is in El Salvador they still handmake them all – no mechanical processing and you can always watch your pupusas being made in front of you before you eat them. Some cafes do nothing but pupusas, but all will have them. Street stalls are common and just as good.
I had a pupusa-making lesson one afternoon which was great fun and very yummy. See if you can arrange a class wherever you are going in El Salvador. I did mine through my excellent language school in Suchitoto, but ask at your accommodation – they may even teach you themselves.
An easy option is this Private Traditional Pupusa Cooking Class in San Salvador.
4. Go surfing – or just enjoy the beach scene
El Salvador is one of “the” surf destinations in Central America, so if you haven’t tried it before, this is a good place to give it a go! The beaches are all different and have a different vibe:
- El Tunco – the one place that has been visited for a long time with one-night stopovers for people en-route to Honduras. It has a good nightlife / backpacker / social vibe. (Good for all levels of surfer.)
- El Zonte – is also another more visited location but it is quieter than El Tunco and has a more local tourist and digital nomad type crowd. (Good for beginner to intermediate surfers.)
- Las Flores – is really a surf spot – sandy bottom and long right waves. (Good for all levels of surfer.)
- El Palmarcito – this was by far my personal favorite! Quiet, strong surf, a very cool rock pool in the cliffs and bypassed by the majority of tourists / backpackers. This is more for a beach break than for surfing!
- Other surf spots are El Sunzal, K59/K61, and for advanced surfers, Punta Mango, La Bocana, and Punta Roca which is often considered the best wave (right point break) in CA!
Take a surf lesson at Playa El Tunco Surfing Experience! Or stay with other surfers at Pelicano Surf Camp.
5. Hike to the top of Santa Ana volcano
Take a day trip and hike up the Santa Ana Volcano in Cerro Verde National Park from Santa Ana. The views across the country and Lake Coatepeque below are fabulous. The finale is reaching the crater rim and looking down into the turquoise crater lake. The walk is not hard – but a steady upward climb. There are some lovely people at the top with ice-creams and ice-blocks – how can you walk past that? Take a tour from Santa Ana:
- The Best of El Salvador: Santa Ana Volcano & Lake Coatepeque Tour
- Santa Ana Volcano Tour & the Volcanic Lake of Coatepeque
- El Salvador: Santa Ana Volcano Hike and Coatepeque Lake Stop
6. Soak up the light in El Rosario Church
You might know me, but if not, I focus on wildlife, hiking, sailing and all things outdoor – and not architecture (although I do enjoy it somewhat). Well this is an absolute must in my books. El Rosario is an architectural marvel. Built in the 1960s it was so avant-garde then that the Pope himself oversaw the construction. When you walk in you will be absolutely in awe of the ‘divine’ light from the ‘Stairway to Heaven’ that crosses from one side of the church to the other. Modernistic sculptures depicting the life of Jesus are also very cool. Go and sit and soak it in. More details are in my San Salvador post.
Take a tour like this one Scars of San Salvador or this one City Tour San Salvador – it is really worth it!
Other good options are: I am Dave and discover the best of San Salvador in a fun way, or, this Historic Downtown Walking Tour Day and Night life.
7. Chill in the colonial gem of Suchitoto
Spend some time in this cobblestoned colonial town. It is about 90% untouched from the time it was built, and is a gorgeous example of a true colonial town.
It is colourful and cute, but also has stunning views over the lake below, an incredible basalt column waterfall, a lot of indigo dyeing (and you can take a workshop if you stay here), great food and a very relaxed and happy vibe. I had to force myself to leave in the end or I might still be there!
While you are there you can also visit nearby Cinquera, a former guerilla stronghold from the war and take a fascinating tour with an ex-guerilla member.
I highly recommend this Fun Walking Tour of San Salvador’s Historic Center when you are there.
Its easy to get a bus to Suchitoto from San Salvador. But if you are short of time you can do a day trip from San Salvador by taking a:
Combo Tour: Archeology in Cihuatan + Suchitoto Best Preserved Colonial Town or this
San Salvador: TOUR PUEBLO COLONIAL SUCHITOTO Y LAGO ILOPANGO.
8. Kayak on the Bahia de Jiquilisco
Bahia de Jiquilisco is a Biosphere Reserve and just beautiful to spend some time in kayaking and relaxing. Birds, crocodiles, dolphins, turtles…..and almost no other tourists so very authentic.
- Reserva del Santuario de los Monos y Kayak en Bahía Jiquilisco – from San Salvador and in many languages
- Kayak Experience at Jiquilisco Bay & Puerto Barillas Lodge – stay a night!
You can take a tour from San Salvador or the beaches – that will save masses of time and hassle:
A similar experience in a different mangrove area is this
Read about my time there as I think the Bahia de Jiquilisco and its surrounds will soon be very discovered!
9. See a crater in a crater at El Boquerón National Park!
While in San Salvador take the time to get to the Volcan San Salvador crater rim in El Boquerón National Park. There you will see a crater in a crater!
You walk around the rim of the crater with a second small crater way below you – known as Boqueron (Big Mouth) which is the result of an eruption in 1917. These pics just don’t do it justice. I needed a drone 🙁
There are also great views over the city to the huge lake – Lago de Ilopango, and to more volcanoes in the distance.
A combo tour is a good idea. It covers a lot in one day and saves you a ton of time! Consider these:
- City Tour and El Boquerón National Park with Pupusa Tasting
- Full day – San Salvador City Tour Boquerón Park and Rainbow Slide
- Volcán de San Salvador y centro histórico de San Salvador (English and Spanish).
Or you can take a transfer to the park – useful as there is no signal to call uber at the park!
And if you are on a layover at the airport then definitely take this Layover tour of San Salvador city and Volcano tour El Boqueron National Park!
10. Camp for sunrise on Conchagua Volcano
Not far from the border with Honduras / Nicaragua is the town of La Union. From here you can take a 4×4 up the local volcano – Conchagua. Not only can you go up there, but you can choose to camp for the night and enjoy a spectacular sunrise over the Gulf of Fonseca and all its islands – belonging to all three countries.
You can take the trip from a few locations including San Salvador on these tours:
La Unión: Golfo de Fonseca y camping en Conchagua
Acampada de una noche en el volcán Conchagua from San Salvador
Conchagua Volcano Overnight – Camp Experience
Note: They do advertise both English and Spanish guides. But check before you sign up. It was no problem for me, but things do change!
11. Understand pre-Columbian history at Joya de Cerén and Tazumal
While in El Salvador if you are interested in Maya history you will want to visit Tazumal. It is a great Mayan pyramid in Chalchuapa, near the border with Guatemala. Tazumal is considered the most important and best preserved ruin in El Salvador. The pyramid was used as a temple and consists of several platforms, connected by long staircases. (This is not Tikal or Mexico, but still worth seeing in El Salvador.)
Joya de Cerén was a pre-Columbian Mayan farming village that, like Pompeii, was buried under an eruption around AD 600. It is still being ‘dug’ and there is a long way to go so don’t expect to see miles of amazing ‘ruins.’ But because of the exceptional condition of the remains, they give historians a real an insight into the daily lives of the Central American populations who worked the land at that time. Notably this is not the wealthy populations, but the everyday man, and this is exceptional in itself.
For me though the coolest thing is that Joya de Cerén is a great place to see the national bird of El Salvador – the torogoz or Turquoise-Browed motmot!
Take a day tour from San Salavdor:
- Archeological Route Full-Day Tour
- Mayan Heritage Archaeological Tour
- Volcanoes Park & Two Mayan Sites Tour
12. Enjoy nature at Los Cóbanos
While nearly all beaches in El Salvador are volcanic black sand beaches, Los Cóbanos is the exception with a lovely whitey – brown sand beach! This beach is the place in the dry season (Nov-April) for snorkelling as it has the largest reef in the area and it is fully protected. You might can see plenty of tropical fish like angelfish, green sea turtles, eagle rays and manta rays, and maybe moray eels, lobsters and octopus.
Dolphins are often seen here too, and from Dec – Feb whales are here and you can take a whale watching trip. Finally you can also organise a fishing trip when you are here – for serious fishing!
You can try Loco Por La Pesca – dolphin and whale watching tours and for fishing tours. At low tide you can snorkel from the beach.
Mini 1 week itinerary for El Salvador
Things to pack when traveling to El Salvador
This is what I packed and needed / used!
- Lightweight clothes and layer – some that cover arms and legs as bug protection.
- Good walking or hiking shoes
- Waterproof jacket or poncho and or umbrella
- A very lightweight day pack as well – this one to be exact!
- A reusable water bottle with filter – like this LifeStraw one.
- High-SPF Sunscreen (SPF 50+) and cap or sunhat – the altitude is high and you can get burnt even on cloudy days
- Swimwear and Quick-Dry Microfiber Towel
- Your camera/phone and power bank for day trips! Plus a water-proof pouch for your phone.
- Secure wallet / travel pouch for money and cards
- Travel plug adapter if you are from outside North America – El Salvador uses the same plugs as the USA, Mexico, and Canada.
- Mosquito repellent (deet free)
- Wet wipes and hand sanitiser – for the less pleasant toilets etc
Where to stay in El Salvador
I use booking.com for hotels, Hostelworld for a hostel, and Vrbo for holiday houses.
The following options are all highly rated and give you a great starting point when booking for your trip. Note when you are looking that Hostal does not mean Hostel – a hostal is more like a guesthouse!
San Salvador
High End – the Hyatt Centric San Salvador or Barceló San Salvador
Mid Range – The Diamond Hotel San Benito or Kaleo Hotel Boutique
Budget – try the Hotel Armonia, or, Green life or Cinco Hotel B&B
Backpackers – I stayed in La Zona Hostel which was in a safe area with restaurants and street food all around, and an easy bus or uber ride into the city center. But check out other options!
Santa Ana
High End – Casa Luna Villa Verde
Mid Range – Remfort Hotel Antigua or Kali Hotel
Budget – Casa Centro Histórico Santa Ana – an apartment
Backpackers – I stayed in the lovely Casa Coco but also check Hostal Villa Marta and Urban Nest Hostel
Juayua and Concepción de Ataco – Ruta de Flores
These are the two places I recommend staying on the Ruta Flores – Juayua and Concepción de Ataco.
High End – SimpleSerenity Country House or PROVENZA en Los Naranjas in Juayua, and in Ataco the Casa Degraciela – Hotel Boutique
Mid Range – Hostal DEYLUWIN in Juayua, and in Ataco the Casa Campana
Budget – Villa San Carlos in Juayua, and in Ataco the GuacamayaGuestHouse
Backpackers – I stayed at both Mixtepek and Hostal Doña Mercedes in Juayua at different times – both were worth the high ratings! In Ataco I stayed at Casa Bohemia – also a lovely place.
El Tunco
High End – Boca Olas Resort Villas or Mirasurf Hotel & Waves
Mid Range – Hostal Camila’s or VUE by The Cabins
Budget & Backpackers – The Salty Dogs Hostel – El Tunco or where I was and really enjoyed at Vibes Wellness House
El Zonte
High End – Puro Surf Hotel & Performance Academy or El Xalli Hotel
Mid Range – Jungle surf Villa or The Views Resort
Budget – Beach On The Rocks or Lote 44 Guesthouse
Backpackers – Hammock plantation (not in El Zonte but nearby and absolutely great!!) or in El Zonte Casa de Colores (which is pretty good too)
Suchitoto
I was here a month and stayed in a few places)
High End – El Tejado or Casa 1800 Suchitoto Boutique
Mid Range – El mangal B&B or Casa Lichis
Budget – El Mangal 2 B&B (really good place to stay) or Hostal Raíces de mi Pueblo (a good mix between budget and comfort)
Backpackers – Hostal Casa del Sol (a cool place to stay) or Hostal Delmy
La Union
High End – near to La Union are Casa Libre Guest House and Casa del Golfo El Salvador
Mid Range – Apartment Nazareth
Budget – Hotel Sweet Dreams
Backpackers – Hostal Charlotte (cheap and cheerful!)
Important note: Getting from the San Salvador Airport to the city or beaches
The San Salvador international airport is far from the city and probably closer to some of the beaches. I recommend booking a transfer for your arrival at least. There are public buses to San Salvador but they do not go to the city center – you have to change or get an uber from a drop off point. I would advise saving that for your return trip if you think its worth it!
Transfers like these are available and highly rated – I recommend booking one:
- El Salvador Airport to San Salvador City or vice-versa
- El Salvador Luxury Airport Transfer
- Transfer from El Salvador International Airport
- AIRPORT – PLAYA SUNZAL, EL ZONTE, EL TUNCO, ATAMI AND PALMARCITO
Travel Tips for El Salvador
- Don’t underestimate how much time you will want in El Salvador. I was there for 6 weeks and could have happily stayed longer. Many people allow a few days and regret it. There is plenty to see and its a good place for some chill time too! Don’t miss the volcano hikes or small towns!
- Don’t judge the country by old headlines – the murder capital of the world etc. That’s old news! In my mind its probably generally the safest place in Central America now – alongside Costa Rica. Of course normal precautions apply.
- In San Salvador use Uber. Public buses are fine on main routes or if they go exactly where you want to go – depending on how much traffic there is. But they can be very slow, so I tended to use uber as it was cheap and faster.
- Take some $USD with you (you can withdraw when you get there but its good to have some in your pocket on arrival) as its the local currency. Small shops and street stalls usually only take cash. Take small bills – $20 can be too much sometimes. You can withdraw at ATMs in key tourists towns.
- Travel times are generally longer than google maps tells you – bus or car! Don’t plan to pack too much in a day!
- Salvadorians are super friendly and really genuinely curious about you and your country, as well as so helpful. Its the people that make the country!
- Learn some Spanish before you go – even a few words will be met with big smiles and even better interactions with the locals. Key phrases:
Hola = hello
Gracias = thank you
Cuánto cuesta = how much (does it cost)
Dónde está = where is
Una pupusa, por favor = one pupusa please
Frequently asked questions about El Salvador
Related Posts
The 10 best things to do in San Salvador
El Salvador: detailed 2, 3 and 4 week itineraries
And if you are heading to Guatemala and Belize:
8 Highlights of Guatemala not to miss!
Visiting Tikal: A complete guide to Guatemala’s ancient Maya city!
A complete guide to the 10 towns of Lake Atitlan in Guatemala!