Discover El Salvador

Santa Ana is a great place geographically to start your El Salvador adventures! It’s a cute and safe little town in the West of the country. If you’re travelling through Central from Guatemala then the bus will drop you here, but if you’re landing in San Salvador it’s only a 45 minute Uber journey over! This is a great town to just wander around in and get your bearings for the first day after checking in, there’s several churches to see and spending time in the main square getting street foods and enjoying the atmosphere is the perfect way to spend the day. Velvet Hotel is run by a young Salvadorian couple who were so warm & helpful and even took us for dinner our first night!

Your second day in Santa Ana should be used to head out to El Tazumal Mayan ruins in the town of Chalchuapa. They’re around a 20 minute drive outside of town but you can take a public bus or Uber there. They’re El Salvador’s most important archeological site so not to be missed! You’ll need a good half a day for the full experience there and back.

Wake up early today and take a day trip up to the top of the Santa Ana volcano! You’ll need a guide as entrance to the volcano is monitored and restricted. This is one of El Salvador’s famous attractions and must do hikes as the crater lake is sulphurous so is a unique volcano. On your hike up and down you’ll also enjoy views over the surrounding volcanoes. Captain Morgan Hostel on the side of the lake was a great place to relax after a day exploring

From the lake you can take public buses all the way down to Surf City on the coast. You’ll need to change in San Salvador to take a shuttle bus or an Uber the last bit down to the coast but it’s an easy switch. Surf City is made up of several little towns along the coast - predominantly from La Libertad through to El Zonte, with El Tunco being the most famous of them all. We recommend just finding accommodation that suits your needs and staying in that area - the surfing is good throughout! Your time here will be spent on the beach and in the waves!

Spend the day on the beach, surfing or wandering the small fishing town of La Libertad.

This really is an unforgettable day & night but something you need to have booked in advance. From Surf City make your way over to the small town of La Union in the East. You can make it here by public buses or take an Uber. Once you’re in La Union find the company you’ve booked your Volcán Conchagua experience with to collect your tent and store your bags for the night. They’ll direct you to where the 4x4 vehicle will collect you to take you up the side of the volcano to the camp base. You’ll reach the top shortly before sunset to give you time to put your tent up. Grab a spot right on the edge of the platform! Once you’re set up it’s time to watch the sunset and have some dinner in the restaurant up there.

It’s an early and cold morning start to watch the sunrise over the Gulf of Fonseca. You can see El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua from your viewpoint! Once the sun is up there’s time for breakfast and coffees before the 4x4 vehicle takes you back down the side of the volcano and drops you back off in La Union centre.

From La Union take a direct bus back to San Salvador and check in to a hotel in the San Benito or La Sultana neighbourhoods. These are the safe, modern and fun areas of the city! We can recommend Zona Hostel.

Have an early start this morning, call an Uber and ask them to drive you to the El Boquerón entrance - ask the Uber driver to wait for 1 hour for you to take you back down after as there’s no service an infrequent taxis at the top! Pay the entrance fee and follow the paths up to the top so you can look down into the crater of the dormant volcano!

Ask the Uber to drop you off by the Palacio Nacional in the historic area of San Salvador and spend the afternoon wandering the old streets, admiring the architecture and seeing ‘real’ San Salvador! Be careful in this area, pick-pockets are much more common.

Spend the evening at San Salvador’s best known rooftop bar up in the north of the city. The Rooftop has amazing views over the whole city! Take an Uber home at the end of the night.

From San Salvador take an Uber back down to Surf City into El Zonte. This area is full of nice hotels on the beach with great pools - we chose Palo Verde Sustainable Hotel ans can highly recommend! This is a great way to round out your time in the country, especially after your likely sleepless night on Volcan Conchagua and busy days in the city! Palo Verde is an amazing place to spend a few days chilling by the pool with great service, views and food!

Spend the day wandering the beaches, surfing and relaxing in your infinity pool! Dinner overlooking the ocean and setting sun is pretty amazing here so don’t miss out! We recommend 2-3 nights to round up your trip, but whenever you’re ready it’s just a quick Uber back to San Salvador airport or bus station to continue your travels!