One Week in El Salvador

In 2023 it became my short-term goal to visit every Central American country, and so in December I set out to travel El Salvador, Guatemala, and Belize in one go. This post covers the week I spent in El Salvador, where I visited the colonial-era town of Suchitoto, followed by a region known as La Ruta de las Floras (the flower route), and lastly Lake Coatepeque & Cerro Verde National Park.

Arriving in the Salvadoran capital of San Salvador I had a bit of a fuss. First I couldn’t figure out the airport wifi, and then I couldn’t find an ATM. Leaving the airport I forked over $30 for an Uber into the the city, only to later find out there was actually a public bus, one that would’ve cost just a couple of dollars. (Side note: El Salvador uses the US dollar as its primary currency). From the capital I took two different public buses (known as “chicken buses“) to Suchitoto, taking just over an hour.

It was just after sunset when I jumped off the bus and onto the cobblestoned streets of Suchitoto. My immediate objective was to find my hotel – however I didn’t have a local SIM card, and my downloaded Google map wasn’t helping me. I approached a lady in the street for directions, but she was actually visiting from Los Angeles. Her family members had never heard of my hotel – but all of them followed me around for some 25 minutes until we eventually found the place. I guess you could call that Central American kindness!

Hotel Ixmati was right on the central square. I presumed it was new, considering Google Maps couldn’t locate it. To enter I walked through a public room with two ATM machines and then opened a sliding door to the hotel lobby. It was a little odd … but I was happy to have a quiet hotel room with free breakfast to start this trip. The town square was small, yet it was probably the cutest I would see during my entire time in Central America. I found it intriguing how there was an amusement park set up directly outside my hotel. I’ll never forget the second night when I walked outside and saw a bunch of nuns from the cathedral enjoying the rides together.

I spent the one full day I had in Suchitoto with some simple wandering. Aside from the well-preserved colonial architecture, the other major draw here is Lake Suchitlán. This striking man-made lake had me reminiscing on the scenic reservoir surrounding Guatapé in Colombia. A walk down to the waterfront was nice, but it was more-so the views from up in town that showed the lake in all its glory. Casa 1800 restaurant has a famous Instagram spot with a rocking chair overlooking the lake, and the Casa de Alejandro has a secluded vista view (in addition to a museum).

Before I dive too deep in this post I’d like to speak on how surprisingly *safe* El Salvador felt. Part of why I’m visiting every Central American country is so that I can debunk my own Americanized notion that these countries are all terribly unsafe. In recent years the new president Nayib Bukele “rounded up” all the criminals, to a somewhat controversial extent, resulting in a changed country that feels safer than all of its neighbors (including the “haven” of Costa Rica).

En route to the second stop of my trip I took the chicken buses back to the capital, where I had a quick gander around the central square before catching two more buses to the town of Juayua in the coffee region known as La Ruta de las Floras. The chicken buses in El Salvador often require transfers, but it’s no bother – the country is so small that any given route (including a transfer or two) is unlikely to take more than four hours.

La Ruta de las Floras was ideal to spend 2-3 nights. The town of Juayua is very centralized, and it seemed to be the most happening spot. From here you can easily take a quick 10-20 minute chicken bus ride to other nearby towns, each with their own charm. As for my accommodation, Samay Hostel had a delightful balcony overlooking the town and a row of volcanoes. It was cool to see the Santa Ana and Izalco volcanoes in the distance knowing that I’d be heading there later to end my time in the country.

My first full day in Juayua was on a Saturday, which was ideal as I could check out the weekend food festival. But first, I filled the morning with easily the most popular tour in the area – a hike to the Seven Waterfalls. $10 covered a short jeep ride and a local guide for the whole morning. The tour takes you deep into the lush jungle between Juayua and the nearby volcanos, passing by seven distinct waterfalls. This was a surprisingly athletic hike, with steep paths and even a couple moments where we climbed a rope directly up a waterfall.

I hadn’t made time for a proper breakfast that morning, so after the tour I headed straight to the food festival. It comprised of a single narrow street shut off to traffic and covered by long tents. Each vendor had an idealized display of their meal options, each accompanied by candlelight. It was amusing to see vendors spray the examples to keep them looking as fresh as possible. As a Wisconsinite I naturally gravitated to a meal with cheese (pictured above). It was massive, and it was my only meal of the day. That said, I came back later with some friends from the hostel to sample the rum-loaded pineapples. I must have been feeling boozy … as we proceeded to drink Nicaraguan beer all evening back at the rooftop.

On my second morning I took the bus to the town of Concepción de Ataco (pronounced “attack-o”). I had only just sat down at a cute courtyard restaurant for breakfast when an English girl from my hostel walked in (which goes to show how small this region is), and I invited her to join. She had previously traveled in Guatemala, and with just days before I’d be there myself I made sure to ask for any last minute advice. Later after a quick hike up to a look out point we hopped on the bus together – she was headed to another part of El Salvador, and I got off in the nearby town of Apaneca.

During my days in La Ruta de las Floras I visited nearly all the local towns, but I came to Apaneca primarily to hike in the surroundings. A visit to the Laguna Verde crater lake is a more off the beaten path activity around here, as the trail isn’t very straight forward and I didn’t encounter any other hikers. Using the AllTrails app I found myself walking along a quiet and picturesque ridge overlooking the scenic Juayua valley to the east, and the town of Ahuachapan with the Coajusto crater in the foreground to the west.

Approaching Laguna Verde it became apparent that this was a very local spot. Families cooked by the lake as children roamed around and played fútbol. The pine trees at the higher elevation had me feeling like I could have been somewhere else, perhaps Wisconsin. After a quick walk around the upper rim I sat down by the water to rest and reflect. Despite the remoteness of this lake there were armed police with rather large guns patrolling the area – this is common outside of banks and in cities, but it seemed odd and unnecessary here.

After a long day out in El Salvador there’s nothing better than a plate of greasy pupusas. I had tried them in Honduras a month prior, but I hadn’t yet found a liking for them. They’re a food that can take on a fair bit of variation, both in their contents and how the dough is prepared. During the course of my week in El Salvador I warmed up to them, thanks largely in part to those I had in Juayua. My favorite type are definitely the ajo con queso (garlic and cheese) – they’re practically a garlic pizza. I constantly craved pupusas even after I left El Salvador – but I rarely trusted their quality elsewhere.

My final days in the country were the only ones that I would have arranged differently, but they were still nice. From Juayua I took a couple of buses to the city of Santa Ana, where I stayed one night. As the country’s second largest city, Santa Ana is primarily a stop on the way to the Santa Ana Volcano or to the Guatemalan border crossing. After a rather uneventful evening in town I took a bus to the village of El Congo, and onward to the Captain Morgan hostel on Lake Coatepeque.

Lake Coatepeque is a crater lake and it sits directly in the shadow of the Cerro Verde National Park and the Santa Ana Volcano. The lake is quite a spectacle, particularly when taking the bus down from El Congo. A lot of people pass on the opportunity to stay at the lake, and some are surprised it exists when seen from the Santa Ana volcano. Captain Morgan hostel had all the makings of a wild party hostel, but it was rather quiet when I was there. There isn’t a ton to do except bask by the lake in a hammock or sip a beverage from the bar. There aren’t any restaurants nearby aside from a shack-like pupuseria open at night (I absolutely went there).

Maybe it was because there wasn’t much to do that I decided to try and walk the full circumference of the lake on the day I arrived. I don’t advise this, as much of the crater rim is a busy road with little shoulder room. Besides that afternoon being a total pain there were actually nice moments overlooking the lake and the valley facing down east. After a late lunch at nearly 2/3’s of the way around I waited to catch a bus to El Congo and back to the hostel. I barely had any time to enjoy the sunset that evening.

The next morning I returned yet again to the village of El Congo, where I waited for a bus to the trailhead of the Santa Ana Volcano. You are supposedly not allowed to do this hike yourself. Instead, guides group people together and each person pays $3 before everyone begins their ascent. While in El Salvador I hadn’t noticed a large tourist presence, but on this hike it felt like every traveler in the country could’ve been there.

Guides tried really hard to control the tourist flow going up, but it was futile as the summit wound up being congested anyway. I still managed to get in my self-timer shots before it got too crazy, and I was actually able to spend some quality time up there. I felt appreciative to be here in the dry season, the weather was absolutely perfect. That afternoon I very slowly made my way back to the lake hostel, and then to the city of Santa Ana – where I stayed one more night and booked an early morning shuttle to Guatemala.

All things considered, El Salvador was a total surprise. It didn’t compare to the adventure I would have traveling in Guatemala, but it fit so many of my criteria for an enjoyable stay – the public transit is cheap and safe – The food is delicious and customizable – The small towns are cute and friendly – The land is scenic but not overwhelming – The country is less touristed – And finally, it never takes too long to get anywhere.

If I could have a do-over of the end of my itinerary I would have gone from Juayua directly to Lake Coatepeque to spend one night, getting there early enough to enjoy sunset. I would then spend the bulk of the next day lounging around the hostel by the lake before making my way to the city of Santa Ana in the afternoon (where I’d reserve two nights). The next morning I would take the first bus of the day to the trailhead of the Santa Ana volcano, and return to Santa Ana in the afternoon to relax at the hostel.

Next post: Xela/Quetzaltenango, Guatemala