El Salvador: Short And Sweet (Six Days)

Many people who visit El Salvador like to combine a tour to El Salvador with a visit to one of the neighboring countries or other countries in Central-America such as Honduras, Guatemala, Nicaragua, etc. We therefore have made a few short itineraries in El Salvador to see some of the highlights and get to taste Salvadoran culture, history and get to see some of its natural highlights such as the volcanoes.

Our tour starts in the vibrant capital of El Salvador: San Salvador where you’ll get to see countless markets, well-preserved colonial buildings, busy squares and more. We’ll also climb on the El Boqueron Volcano from where we’ll have a great view over the city of San Salvador. The day after is all about history and you’ll get to see the best archeological sites in San Salvador: the Mayan ruins of Tazumal and Joya de Cerén, a site similar to Pompeii, where you can see some well preserved remains from the Maya period. We’ll proceed to Ataco, located among the famous Ruta de las Flores, we’ll visit a coffee processing facility and will relax in the Santa Teresa hot springs. We will then also explore Izalco and then continue to the Pacific Coastline where we’ll visit some of the country’s best beaches. In the end we’ll bring you to the airport or we can also help you cross the border for your next destination. Please, let us know if you’d like us to arrange border crossing and transport to Honduras or Guatemala or help with the ferry from El Salvador to Nicaragua. 

You can choose to have your tour in El Salvador in Spanish or English. We  use good vehicles adapted to the size of your group and all of our accommodation is in midrange to upper midrange hotels and guesthouses. You can also upgrade your tour to more luxurious hotels. Don’t hesitate to contact our travel agency if you would like to book a customized tour to El Salvador as well and yes, as a true Salvadoran tour company we also accept payments in Bitcoin of course! 

Summary of the tour:

Day 1: Arrival in San Salvador
Day 2: City Tour Of San Salvador
Day 3: Joya de Cerén and Tazumal and Ataco
Day 4: Ataco - Coffee Tour - Santa Teresa Hot Springs
Day 5: Ruta de las Flores - Izalco - Cerro Verde National Park
Day 6: Departure


Tour in depth

Day 1: Arrival in San Salvador

Meet and greet at the airport, we’ll bring you to your hotel. If you arrive during the day we can already have some tour here.

Day 2: City Tour Of San Salvador

San Salvador, the beating heart of El Salvador, connected to every corner of the country and home to more than one million people! This busy city is a great place to start our tour and to get to meet the Salvadoran people. Most of the important attractions and points of interests are located around El Centro, Zona Rosa and the Boulevard de los Héroes. We’ll see the old center, Zona Rosa, Plaza Salvador del Mundo, Plaza Libertad, the architectural wonder Iglesia Rosario, the National Theatre, handicraft markets and the Antiguo Cuscatlán market. At lunchtime we’ll try the famous pupusas, the national food of El Salvador! During the afternoon we’ll visit the El Boqueron Volcano, around 25 km outside of San Salvador, from which we’ll have a splendid view over the city. 

Day 3: Joya de Cerén and Tazumal and Ataco

There are several Mayan ruins in Salvador, the most known are Tazuma and Joya de Cerén. Tazumal is ten square kilometers big, but most of the complex is still buried under the village of Chalchuapa. The most striking element is the great pyramid, the name Tazumal actually means ‘pyramid where victims are burned’. Under the pyramid we find tombs. This site was indeed home to some dark rituals. There is a ballcourt where games were played and at the end the losers were sacrificed. We can also find ballcourts in other Mayan sites.  The Maya from Tazumal traded with Maya in Panama and Mexico.

Also on the menu today is Joya de Cerén, a Mayan village which was submerged by a volcanic eruption some 1400 years ago. We can find several buildings which have been preserved by lava. After our visit we’ll proceed to the town of Concepción de Ataco.

Day 4: Ataco - Coffee Tour - Santa Teresa Hot Springs

If you want to understand El Salvador’s history, you need to understand the coffee trade and how the country was shaped by the coffee business and how it even led to bloody repressions by the land elite. In the town of Ataca we will learn more about coffee, its history and everything there is to know about its cultivation and processing. In this charming little town we’ll find many colorful murals, including images of coffee beans, one of the characteristics which makes this place so unique. We will visit one of the oldest beneficios (coffee processing facility) of El Salvador where you’ll get to witness the old, but effective machinery to grind and process the beans. If you’re interested we’ll also take a horseback riding tour of the town here. We’ll also visit the Don Juan Waterfalls (Cascades de Don Juan), before we’ll head to the Santa Teresa Hot Springs, the perfect way to end the day.


Day 5: Ruta de las Flores - Izalco - Cerro Verde National Park

In the morning we’ll cover the most important stops of the Ruta de las Flores, which is a 35 km long road which takes you along charming villages and coffee plantations. It passes through the towns of Sonsonate, Juayua, Nahuizalco, Salcoatitán, Apaneca and Concepción de Ataco. In the afternoon we’ll visit Cerro Verde National Park also known as Los Volcanes National Park. The park is 4,500 hectares and we can find three volcanoes here: Santa Ana, Izalco and Cerro Verde. We will hike on top of a volcano and will have outstanding views over the Izalco Volcano and Santa Ana Volcano, the latter being the third highest point in El Salvador with its 2,381 meters above sea level. After our hike, we’ll continue to San Salvador, where we’ll check in at our hotel. 

Day 6: Departure 

Today we’ll bring you to the airport, end of tour. If you are planning to continue your way overland to Guatemala or Honduras, please let us know if you need any assistance for border crossing and transport. 

Included: 

- Accommodation in midrange/upper midrange hotels/guesthouses
- All transport in private vehicles
- Professional, local English speaking guide  (or Spanish of course)

- All entrance fees and activities as describes 

Not included: 

- Visa and tourist pass 

- Flights 

- Meals and drinks 

- Tips and gratuities