Essential El Salvador: Nine Days In The Land Of Volcanoes

Welcome to El Salvador, Central-America’s hidden gem, home to not less than 22 volcanoes, deep green hills, countless coffee plantations, charming little villages and a long coastline with unique black volcanic sand! With so many options to choose from, it can be a little difficult to make a choice as there are several national parks, beaches, historical sites and towns to choose from. We have made a great travel itinerary for nine days in El Salvador in which you get to taste some of the highlights the country has to offer.

We will start our tour in the thriving capital of San Salvador in which we’ll not only explore the city center with its monuments and markets, but also the nearby El Boqueron Volcano, from where we’ll have a great view over San Salvador. From there we will go to Santa Ana with its neo-gothic cathedral and we’ll visit the Tazumal Mayan ruins. We’ll then travel along the famous flower road along charming little colonial towns such as Juayúa, Nahuizalica, Salcoatitán and will makes stops at handicraft workshops, markets, waterfalls and even have a relaxing stop at the  Santa Teresa thermal baths famous for its hot springs.

A visit to San Salvador is incomplete without visiting the Volcanoes National Park, so we’ll go on top of the summit from where we’ll have a great view over the region and we’ll also see Joya de Ceren, El Salvador’s Pompeii as well as the San Andres Mayan City.  From Suchitoto we’ll see Lake Suchitlan and visit a few small village on the edge of the lake before we go to the border with Honduras to see Cihuatán, after which we finally go to the coast and see the black beaches of Tunco and nearby beaches such as El Zonte. 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.

Your tour can be done in either Spanish or English and will be done in a comfortable well-maintained vehicle adapted to the size of your group. We choose midrange to upper midrange accommodation for our tour to maintain quality and if possible you can of course always 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: San Salvador: Arrival
Day 2: San Salvador: City tour and El Boqueron volcano visit
Day 3: Santa Ana and Tazumal Mayan ruins visit
Day 4: Ruta de Las Flores: Juayúa - Nahuizalica - Salcoatitán - Santa Teresa thermal baths
Day 5: Los Volcanes National Park - Joya de Cerén - San Andrés Mayan City - Suchitoto
Day 6: Suchitoto - Lake Suchitlan - San Luis del Carmen - San Francisco Lempa 

Day 7: Chalatenango region - Cihuatán -  La Palma
Day 8: El Zonte - Tunco
Day 9: Departure

Tour in depth

Day 1: San Salvador: Arrival

Meet and greet at the airport and transfer to your hotel in San Salvador.


Day 2: San Salvador: City Tour And El Boqueron Volcano Visit

 
San Salvador is the heart of El Salvador from which every destination in the country can be reached in less than four hours. The city is home to over 1,1 million people and is a colorful collection of parks, striking architecture, historical buildings and hypermodern malls. The city is home to countless markets where you can find anything and has many great options for those who love to explore nightlife, although one should be vigilant and only use trusted taxis.

El Centro, Zona Rosa and Boulevard de los Héroes are the most important areas. El Centro is the hectic center of San Salvador, similar to other Latin-American cities with beautiful historical buildings and churches mixed with modern buildings. In Zona Rosa, we find a colorful collection of parks, museums, embassies, resident buildings, malls, bars and restaurants. The Boulevard de los Héroes is named after the fallen soldiers in the war with Honduras. Here we find the university, several museums, entertainment venues and a huge shopping center.  

We’ll start by visiting the main avenues and monuments, the historical center,  the Metropolitan Cathedral, the National Palace, the National Theatre, El Rosario Church,  Plaza Libertad, artisanal markets and the Antiguo Cuscatlán market. At noon we’ll have our first pupusas, the national dish of El Salvador! After a hearty lunch we’ll head to the El Boqueron Volcano, located 25 km outside of San Salvador. We’ll have a nice hike to the crater where we’ll have a great panoramic view and then we’ll head back to the city. 

Day 3. Santa Ana & Tazumal Mayan Ruins visit 

After breakfast we’ll head towards the colonial city of Santa Ana where we’ll explore colonial buildings on the main square and visit highlights such as the neo-gothic cathedral, theater and palace. Also on the menu is Mayan city of Tazumal, which means ‘pyramid where victims are burned’. This Mayan site indeed has a pyramid next to tombs, palaces and a collection of excavated ceremonial objects. Tazumal is the most important archaeological site in El Salvador and covers a total area of ten sq km, but most of the ruins are still buried under the nearby village of Chalchuapa. On the site is also a ball court where ball games were played and the losers were often sacrificed afterwards! 

Day 4. Ruta de Las Flores: Juayúa - Nahuizalica - Salcoatitán - Santa Teresa thermal baths

Today we will tour the Ruta de Las Flores (Flower Route), named after the many flowers which grow in the area. We will start with a visit to Juayúa and the nearby waterfalls of Don Juan where you can take a swim if you want. Our road then leads to Nahuizalco, one of the most traditional villages in the region. You can see how the locals make handicrafts and furniture from wood such as willow. Also on the menu is
Salcoatitán, famous for being the first village in El Salvador where coffee was planted in the 1860s and we will make time to have a short visit to a coffee plantation as well as visiting some craft workshops. We will end our day with a visit to the  thermal baths of Santa Teresa. The Santa Teresa hot springs are the perfect place to relax after a busy, but rewarding day. 

Day 5. Los Volcanes National Park - Joya de Cerén- San Andres Mayan City - Suchitoto

Today we go on a tour to Los Volcanes National Park where we will see the Izalco, Santa Ana and Cerro Verde volcanoes, located in a gorgeous landscape  with a rich biodiversity where we will see many exotic birds during our trip such as toucans and hummingbirds. We will hike to the summit from where we will have great views  over Lake Coatepeque and the Izalco volcano. We’ll then visit Joya de Ceren; an important UNESCO site which gives us a great insight in the everyday life of the ancient Mayans as the city was covered with lava during an explosion giving us now the chance to see how life was back in the days. We will combine our visit to Joya de Ceren with a tour to San Andres, an ancient Mayan city. We will then go to Suchitoto and check in at our hotel. 

Day 6. Suchitoto - Lake Suchitlan - San Luis del Carmen - San Francisco Lempa

Suchitoto is called the cultural capital of El Salvador. This charming town is famous for its narrow streets, colored houses and beautiful squares. We will explore the center and visit the city center, central park, Parque Centenario, Iglesia Santa Lucia and more. We will also go for a hike near Lake Suchitlan, the largest lake in El Salvador. From there we will take a ferry to the authentic villages of  San Luis del Carmen and San Francisco Lempa. These authentic and quiet villages are definitely worth a visit. 

Day 7. Chalatenango region - Cihuatán -  La Palma 

Today we’ll explore the Chalatenango Region and visit the archaeological pre-Hispanic site of Cihuatán, one of the best historical sites in El Salvador and once an important trading post on the trading route with the coast of Honduras. We’ll visit villages such as La Palma where we will admire unique murals and visit handicraft workshops and stores. After our tour we’ll go back to Suchitoto. 

Day 8. El Zonte - El Tunco

El Zonte was the first town where the Bitcoin project was launched, so we’ll definitely have a stop here to get to know more about this grassroot movement, before we’ll go to El Tunco, Libertad and surroundings. El Tunco is famous for its surfing and has a very relaxing atmosphere. Try one of the many great seafood dishes while you’re here. In the afternoon you’ll have some free time at the beach. We'll stay overnight at El Tunco, unless you’ll have an early flight tomorrow, then we’ll leave in the late afternoon to San Salvador.

Day 9: Departure

Today we’ll bring you to the airport. We can also transport you to the border between El Salvador and Guatemala or Honduras and arrange your 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