El Salvador is known as the “Land of Volcanoes” and for good reason. Within it’s 8,100 square miles, there are 23 active volcanoes!
On our flight from Belize to Colombia, we had a layover in El Salvador that we decided to extend for a couple days and we are so glad that we did! Although we were only in El Salvador for two nights, we were amazed at how unique and diverse the landscape was.
Before planning a trip to El Salvador, the only thing I heard on the news was about violence. But after visiting the country, we got to see first hand how friendly the people are!
If you visit El Salvador, here are 7 great things to see and do within driving distance of San Salvador!
Top Things to Do in El Salvador
1. Santa Ana Volcano
You can’t visit the “Land of Volcanoes” and not hike one. Out of the 23 volcanoes in El Salvador, Santa Ana is one of the most popular. It is located in the beautiful Cerre Verde National Park and is about a 3 km hike to the top.
At the peak, we were rewarded with a beautiful 360 degree view of the national park. Down inside the volcano is a turquoise-colored, steaming lake! There is also a vendor at the top who sells popsicles! (Still amazed at how he passed us on the trail with a cooler full of popsicles!) This was an amazing experience getting to hike to the top of a volcano.
2. Historic Downtown San Salvador
There are many unique, historic sights in the capital’s downtown. Some of the highlights are El Palacio Nacional (former government building, current museum), San Salvador Cathedral (the primary catholic church), El Rosario Church (older church with beautiful stained glass windows), and the Teatro Nacional de San Salvador (National Theater).
Our favorite highlight of downtown was El Rosario Church. From the outside, the church doesn’t look like much, but the inside is designed with unique and beautiful stained glass windows. When the light hits these little slats of glass just right, it makes for one incredible view.
We also really enjoyed seeing the modern sculptures inside the church that depicted the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. The artist did an incredible job capturing the details of Jesus’ death in an incredible way!
Another highlight of downtown was walking around and seeing the vendors. This lady was the sweetest, she told me I was beautiful and it made my entire day! :)
3. Coatepeque Lake
This volcanic caldera is a beautiful lake in its own right. It reminded us a lot of Crater Lake in Oregon. But something that makes this lake truly unique is that for a few weeks every year, the lake changes to a turquoise color.
We’ve seen beautiful turquoise lakes in Banff (in Alberta, Canada), but I’ve never heard of a lake temporarily changing color that drastically! The color change occurs in the fall so we weren’t able to witness this phenomenon, but it was still an incredible view.
4. Pupusas
One might say that no trip to El Salvador is complete without tasting a pupusa. So on our last night, we ventured out to taste this El Salvador dish! It’s flat and round like a pancake, but tastes more like a quesadilla. They can be made with corn or rice tortillas and have anything from beans, cheese, chicken or ham. For scientific reasons, we tried a couple of each :)
5. Ruta de la Flores
This is a beautiful luscious valley that is painted with wild flowers. We unfortunately weren’t able to make it to this area, but it is at the top of our list if we are ever able to make it back to El Salvador!
6. Tazumal Ruins
This volcanic village is known as the Pompei of the Western Hemisphere. Just like Pompei, an entire village was covered from a volcanic eruption. There are still several inches of ashes there.
7. La Libertad Beaches
Located on the west coast of Central America, El Salvador has a variety of different beaches. Beaches like La Punta are known for their surfer vibes and sandy shores. La Libertad is the most popular region for El Salvador beaches.
How to Travel in El Salvador
Being a last minute addition to our Central & South America trip, we didn’t really have too many plans for how to get around El Salvador. Em and I aren’t usually fans of tours because they are often crowded and you don’t always go where you want to see.
But while in El Salvador we worked with the company EC Tours, and their tours were incredible! They offer personal tours and, although they have a list of amazing tour recommendations that include the best things to do in El Salvador, you can customize the tours based on what you want to see. Whether you only have time for a short El Salvador layover tour or are looking for an El Salvador tour company for a longer trip, they will help make your trip memorable!
From picking us up to the airport to giving us a historic downtown tour and hiking Santa Ana volcano, every detail was taken care of for us and we could just relax and enjoy our short time in El Salvador.
If you are wondering is El Salvador safe, the answer is that like anywhere it depends on where and when you go, and like anywhere you need to make wise decisions and be aware of your surroundings. We felt very safe while we were there, and a great way to safely travel in El Salvador is through a trusted tour company. We felt incredibly safe with our tour guide Eduardo and driver Carlos, and by the end of our time together they seemed like friends. Eduardo was an expert from El Salvador history, culture, volcanoes, and most importantly where to find the best papusas :)
If you are visiting El Salvador, I would highly recommend EC Tours! Their slogan is #dontskipelsalvador which made us sad because it’s such a beautiful country. We’re really glad we didn’t skip El Salvador. :)
