Six Amazing Things To Do In El Salvador

It had really never occurred to us to visit El Salvador until Trump referred to it as a "sh*thole". But the outpouring of stunning photographs and heartbreaking anecdotes from those who had visited the little Central American nation (combined with the potential to prove Trump wrong) encouraged us to arrange a trip there on a whim. We weren’t disappointed!

From quaint colonial villages, to tasty local foods, to ancient Mayan ruins, El Salvador has something to offer any tourist.

Take In These Six Amazing Activities In El Salvador

1. Motivated Drive The Road Of Beautiful Flowers

• Driven 23 km throughout numerous small communities in Western El Salvador, the "flower route" winds You’ll only find wildflowers dotting the roadways during specific seasons, but it’s certainly worth the trek at any time of year.

• Try to go on the weekend when a local food festival takes over Juayua and Nahuizalco's wood-craft market is fully running. Further on, tour the town of Ataco to absorb in the bright murals covering the streets, and get a flavor of local life. If you have time, take an all-day climb through Los Chorros de la Calera and cool down in some gorgeous waterfalls.

• You could easily spend days enjoying La Ruta de Las Flores, while it can surely be viewed in a day trip if you don’t want to stay in each hamlet.

2. Take A Coffee Tour

• Our favorite area was Entre Nubes, which translates to “Among the Clouds” - which is precisely how it feels to sit inside this restaurant. Flowers actually poured from a canopy constructed of interweaving leaves and branches, and hummingbirds flew overhead to take their food from the petals while we had our lunch.

• Aside from being a lovely site to stop and dine along La Ruta de Las Flores, Entre Nubes is also a coffee farm. Daniel, who owns the business with his family, speaks fluent English and was kind enough to take us on a tour of the grounds. As we toured through his beautifully manicured gardens, he talked us through the technique his family utilizes to cultivate coffee. And when we returned back at the restaurant, he prepared us a fresh cup personally!

• Daniel was the ultimate embodiment of Salvadoran warmth. When we explained to him that Trump’s rude statement had spurred us to visit (and apologized on his behalf), Daniel merely shrugged and added, “We understand. You should see some of our politicians!”

3. Surf In El Tunco

• One look around at the oddly-shaped luggage as we waited in line at customs reminded us that El Salvador is a world-famous surfing destination! Most of our other passengers were traveling to El Tunco, where the waves on the point lure surfers from across the globe.

• Despite its popularity with surfers, the little town is still beautifully underdeveloped, with a laid-back attitude and plenty of little cafes lining the narrow streets to the beach. (You may also arrange for surfing lessons here if you decide that now’s the time to start!)

• If you’re not a surfer, don’t expect to spend your time at El Tunco relaxing on the coast. The black-sand beach is covered in fist-sized pebbles, which makes for a captivating sound as the waves shake them back and forth, but not for a pleasant spot to sunbathe.

4. Eat Pupusas. A Lot Of Pupusas

• Pupusas are the national cuisine of El Salvador: You just can’t visit here without experiencing them. The cuisine consists of a thick corn tortilla loaded with any variety of contents, from meat to veggies to beans and cheese. They aren’t hard to locate! You can’t travel a few minutes without passing a sign advertising “pupuseria!” or a woman flipping pupusas on the side of the road.

• And food in El Salvador is inexpensive. We stopped at a nice restaurant facing the seaside and enjoyed a fantastic seafood lunch for two, including beverages and tip for $24. Since pupusas will only set you back 50 cents per (and beer $2) you can have yourself a feast for next to nothing!

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5. Visit Mayan Ruins

• In contrast to more recognized archeological attractions like Tikal in Guatemala, you won’t fight crowds in El Salvador’s ancient ruins. The nation provides various sights to explore, but Tazumal is undoubtedly the most stunning. Archaeologists believe this Mayan settlement’s heyday was between 100 and 1200 AD, but the pyramids were only unearthed and renovated during the 1940s and ‘50s.

• Tazumal erupts directly out of the heart of the village of Chalchuapa, some 50 miles northwest of the capital. Entrance costs just $3, and there is a tiny museum on site showing objects discovered from the site. (Be careful, the signage are entirely in Spanish.) Despite arriving on a bright Saturday, we shared Tazumal with only a handful of other tourists, allowing us to ascend the stairs of this ancient wonder at our own speed.

• If Tazumal doesn’t fill your hunger for ancient ruins, you can make a day out of road traveling this area - the archeological sites of San Andres and Joya de Ceren (known as the “Pompeii of the Americas”) are both within driving distance.

6. Explore Suchitoto

• A historic colonial city, Suchitoto has kept a charm that makes you feel like you’ve gone back in time. We explored the cobblestone lanes, enjoying the brilliantly painted cottages, until we arrived to the center plaza. On a Sunday morning the site was crowded with street food sellers, craftsmen peddling their products, and couples posing around the center fountain.

• Just off the plaza you’ll discover Arte Anil, a boutique manufacturing hand-dyed indigo goods. They were closed when we came on a Sunday, but we’ve heard that they’re eager to offer a demonstration of traditional indigo dying and even allow guests lend a hand.

• Not far from town, you may also locate a lovely waterfall named Cascadas Los Tercios. The water was low when we arrived so the swimming hole wasn’t much to speak about, but the strange rock formations (resembling Ireland’s Giant’s Causeway) were worth the visit.

• Be prepared to descend down a hillside of boulders to obtain a decent photo! Brave guests with a good sense of balance can join a trip that allows you to rappel down the face of the waterfall. And a few minutes’ walk from Los Tercios will take you to an outstanding vista overlooking Lago Suchitlan, the largest man-made lake in the country.

Is El Salvador safe?

• In one word: Yes. We drove all throughout the nation, walked through little villages, ended up accidently off-roading in the middle of nowhere, and never once felt afraid or observed violence of any kind.

• So why does El Salvador have such a horrible image when it comes to safety? The statistic most commonly tossed around is that El Salvador has the highest murder rate in the world — but if you unpack that a bit, you’ll discover that majority of the problem is due to gang violence, which has virtually no effect on tourism.

• Just as in large US cities, violence is restricted to particular places and certain individuals — nobody’s the least bit interested in injuring visitors. And let me dispute that number with another one: El Salvador stands exactly behind the United States on the Global Peace Index.

• Yes, El Salvador is recovering from a pretty recent, devastating civil war (though you’d never know it to stroll the streets there now). But context is key: Before we blame Salvadorans for being violent, let’s recall that their civil war was supported by the United States.

• But let’s be clear: None of that history spoils the experience of visiting El Salvador. Locals inquired where we were from, welcomed us with smiles when we told them we were American, and often made a point to thank us for visiting their country!