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If you’re planning a trip to El Salvador, you no doubt have a list of all the things you want to do there – hike the volcano, surf on the coast, ride the rainbow slide. What you might not know is where all these attractions are, where you should stay and how to get around the country.
Enter my El Salvador itinerary!
El Salvador is the smallest country in Central America, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t tons of great things to see and do here. While most people only visit El Salvador for a few days, I think two weeks is the perfect amount of time to experience a range of different destinations properly, without rushing.
Despite its size, El Salvador is so diverse and with two weeks here, you can soak up the indigenous culture of the highlands in the Ruta de las Flores, hike volcanoes and swim in crater lakes in the Santa Ana region, and of course soak up the sun, sea and sand on the popular Pacific Coast.
This is our exact 2 week El Salvador itinerary, covering the top things to do, places to eat and where to stay in each destination. I also include comprehensive transport details to travel between each spot.
2 Week El Salvador itinerary summary
📍 DESTINATIONS
- Lago de Coatepeque or Santa Ana: 2 nights
- Ruta de las Flores: 4 nights
- El Zonte: 3 nights
- El Tunco: 5 nights
*This route is based on flying in and out of El Salvador OR travelling southbound through Central America from Guatemala or Honduras. If you’re travelling north from Nicaragua, reverse this route.
📆 DAYS
- Day 1: travel to El Salvador, Lago de Coatepeque or Santa Ana
- Day 2: Lago de Coatepeque or Santa Ana
- Day 3: travel to Ruta de las Flores
- Day 4: Ruta de las Flores
- Day 5: Ruta de las Flores
- Day 6: Ruta de las Flores
- Day 7: travel to El Zonte
- Day 8: El Zonte
- Day 9: El Zonte
- Day 10: travel to El Tunco
- Day 11: El Tunco
- Day 12: El Tunco
- Day 13: El Tunco
- Day 14: El Tunco
- Day 15: depart from El Salvador
⏰ Don’t have 2 weeks? Jump to my 1 week El Salvador itinerary options
El Salvador travel information
I’m sure you have lots of other questions like when is the best time to visit El Salvador? What’s the currency and money situation? How do I get there and around? I answer all these questions and more in my El Salvador travel guide.
Is El Salvador safe to travel?
El Salvador is experiencing a positive change when it comes to safety, and the country is now one of the safest in the region. I’ve explained this and shared our experiences around safety in our detailed safety guide.
What does it cost to travel to El Salvador?
We found El Salvador to be a very affordable country. I’ve got a dedicated El Salvador trip cost post sharing typical costs for a range of common travel categories, like accommodation, eating out, tours and activities and transport. We also kept a tally of everything we spent, and have a detailed breakdown of our budget, so you can work out what this El Salvador itinerary will roughly cost you.
How to get to El Salvador
The first stop on your 2 week El Salvador itinerary is Lago de Coatepeque or Santa Ana, both are in a similar location. First, you’ll need to work out how you’re getting to El Salvador.
✈️ FLYING IN
If you’re not already in the Central America region, you can fly into El Salvador.
There is one international airport, SAL El Salvador International Airport, that has flights to a handful of cities in the USA and surrounding countries.
From the airport, the journey to the lake or Santa Ana is 1.5 – 2 hours. By doing the bigger journey when you arrive, you’ll be closer to the airport at the end, and you can finish off your time relaxing by the beach, which I think is the best option.
If you’re planning to rent a car for your trip, pick up one at the airport and drive yourself.
Otherwise, I’d recommend getting an Uber or taxi when you arrive or pre-organising a shuttle with your accommodation.
It will be expensive, but this is probably the biggest journey you have and it would involve a lot of changing buses if you went for the public transport option. You don’t really want to navigate buses as soon as you step off the plane.
🚐 OVERLAND TRANSPORT
If you’re travelling southbound through Central America, you’ll most likely enter El Salvador from Guatemala (Antigua or El Paredon) or Honduras (Copan Ruinas).
*If you’re travelling north from Nicaragua, you’ll want to reverse this route
There are daily shuttles to Santa Ana from Antigua or from El Paredon in Guatemala, and from Copan Ruinas in Honduras.
If you decide you want to stay at the lake instead of in Santa Ana city, you can ask to get dropped at the bus terminal and get on bus #242 or #220 (depending on where you are staying at the lake), or take an Uber. It shouldn’t take you more than an hour.
However, if you decide to stay at the lake first, you’ll have to backtrack to Santa Ana city to travel onwards to the Ruta de Las Flores, so be aware of that.
I think it’s worth it as the lake is nicer than the city, and you’ll probably go there for the day anyway, but it’s something to consider.
Stop 1: Lago de Coatepeque or Santa Ana
🌜 2 NIGHTS
For the first stop of your El Salvador itinerary, you’ve got two choices on where to base yourself: Santa Ana city or Lake Coatepeque.
This first section is a little confusing, but bear with me, it gets simpler!
The Santa Ana region is best known for two things:
- Santa Ana Volcano
- Lago de Coatepeque
Both of these natural attractions are easily accessible as day trips from Santa Ana city. The city is nice enough, with a lovely cathedral and some colonial buildings, but the attraction pretty much stops there. It’s not necessarily unsafe, but it didn’t seem that appealing to us.
Instead, some clever travellers (like us!) bypass the city altogether and stay at Lake Coatepeque. Given that seeing the lake is one of the best things to do from Santa Ana, you might as well stay there! It’s a much more relaxing, natural choice, and you can just as easily get to the volcano for the hike.
So you decide where you’d like your first stop to be! The city is a more convenient choice if you need amenities like ATMs, phone stores, a variety of restaurants etc. But if you can organise yourself to go straight to the lake, you’ll have a more relaxed beginning to your El Salvador itinerary.
🏖️ TOP THINGS TO DO IN LAGO DE COATEPEQUE OR SANTA ANA
- Hike the Santa Ana Volcano, an active volcano with an incredible sulphur crater lake at the summit
- Relax at Lake Coatepeque, a volcanic crater lake where you can swim, take a boat cruise, rent jet skis, kayaks or paddleboards and enjoy beautiful sunrises and sunsets
- Explore the city of Santa Ana, don’t miss the famous white cathedral
🍛 BEST PLACES TO EAT IN LAGO DE COATEPEQUE OR SANTA ANA
Lago de Coatepeque
Most of your meals at Lake Coatepeque will be at your accommodation, as there aren’t a lot of options around the lake. Getting around is tricky without a car.
Santa Ana
- Simmer Down
- Pupuseria La Ceiba
- VKoffee
- Cafe Tejas
- Street food in the plaza near the cathedral
🛏️ WHERE TO STAY IN LAGO DE COATEPEQUE OR SANTA ANA
Lago de Coatepeque
- Budget: Captain Morgan Hostel
- Mid-range: Equinoccio Hotel
- Boutique: Cardedeu Residence
Santa Ana
- Budget: Hostel Casa Verde
- Mid-range: Hostal Tia Mema
- Boutique: Remfort Hotel
📆 HOW I WOULD SPEND 2 NIGHTS IN LAGO DE COATEPEQUE OR SANTA ANA
- DAY 1: spend most of your day travelling, and arrive at your accommodation in the location of your choice. If you’re at the lake, catch a sunset and spend the evening relaxing with a beer in hand. If you’re in Santa Ana, wander around and find some good pupusas for dinner.
- DAY 2: no matter where you’re staying, today is for hiking the Santa Ana Volcano! This will no doubt be one of the most memorable days on your El Salvador itinerary, so be sure to follow our exact instructions for the hike as it’s a bit complex.
- DAY 3: enjoy a slow morning this morning, either relaxing by the lake or wandering around the city. Travel to the Ruta de las Flores.
How to get from Lago de Coatepeque or Santa Ana to the Ruta de las Flores
BY CAR 🚗
If you’ve rented a car, the drive from Lago de Coatepeque will be about 1.5 hours. From Santa Ana, it will be under an hour.
BY BUS 🚌
If you’re at the lake, you first need to get yourself to Santa Ana. You can do so by taking bus #242 or #220 from your accommodation, depending on where you are staying. Check with the staff as they will be able to tell you which bus, what time and where to wait.
Once you’re in Santa Ana, you should get dropped off near the Terminal Francisco Lara Pineda. From here, catch bus #238 to Juayua. If you’re already in the city, follow these instructions.
If you’re staying in a different town on the Ruta de las Flores (we do recommend Juayua but Ataco is another option), you can switch to bus #249 from Juayua. If you need to go north, take the route towards Ahuachupan. If you need to go south, take the route towards Sonsonate.
Stop 2: Ruta de las Flores
🌜 4 NIGHTS
The next stop on your El Salvador itinerary is the charming Ruta de las Flores region. Translating as ‘Route of the Flowers’ the ruta is a road in the Western Highlands, that connects five small quaint colonial towns.
The region is known for its coffee plantations, waterfalls, hot springs, local food markets and colourful towns decorated with murals. The higher altitude gives this region a cool climate, with a sea of green forest and coffee. It’s beautiful and there is so much to see and do.
The five towns along the route are Nahuizalco, Salcoatitan, Juayua, Apaneca and Concepcion de Ataco. Juayua and Ataco are the biggest towns, and where most travellers choose to base themselves. We opted for Juayua and were happy with our choice.
You’ve got three full days to explore this route up and down, hitting all the natural sights, exploring each of the towns and soaking up the indigenous culture and cuisine.
🏖️ TOP THINGS TO DO IN RUTA DE LAS FLORES
- Do the Seven Waterfalls Hike, a challenging hike that involves rock scrambling, river wading and waterfall climbing in some gorgeous scenery!
- Explore all five towns along the Ruta de las Flores. Each town is unique, but they all have lovely colonial architecture, cobblestone streets, some amazing murals and good food!
- Visit Cafe Albania, an outdoor adventure park where you can slide down El Salvador’s famous rainbow slide, go ziplining, ride a sky bike or navigate the country’s biggest maze.
- Sample tons of tasty food at the Juayua Food Festival. Every weekend the streets of this small town fill up with stalls serving all kinds of local goodies. It’s worth planning your visit for a weekend to make sure you can experience it.
- Soak in volcanic thermal waters at a unique hot springs waterfall, Salto de Malacatiupan or relax at a hot springs spa, Termales de Alicante or Termales de Santa Teresa.
🍛 BEST PLACES TO EAT IN RUTA DE LAS FLORES
- Axul Cafe, Apaneca & Ataco
- Pupusería Y Taquería Doña Cony, Juayua
- Bourbon Hostal Rooftop Cafe, Juayua
- Plaza Turistica, Apaneca
- Pastelería y Cafeteria Festival, Juayua
🛏️ WHERE TO STAY IN RUTA DE LAS FLORES
- Budget: Samay Hostel, Juayua
- Mid-range: Hotel Anahuac, Juayua
- Boutique: Casa 1800 Hotel Boutique, Ataco
📆 HOW I WOULD SPEND 4 NIGHTS IN RUTA DE LAS FLORES
- DAY 1: arrive in Juayua, check into your accommodation and explore the town if you have time this afternoon. If you arrive early enough, organise transport with your accommodation to the night market in Nahuizalco tonight.
- DAY 2: jump straight into the best thing to do in the region, the Seven Waterfalls Hike. Organise a guide with your accommodation and spend the morning hiking, wading and climbing to multiple beautiful waterfalls. Head back to Juayua with an empty stomach and spend the afternoon eating at the food festival.
- DAY 3: get an early start this morning to be at Cafe Albania when it opens. Spend a few fun hours sliding down the slide and getting some adrenaline on the swing and sky bike. Explore the town of Apaneca while you’re there, before heading to Ataco for a late lunch and a wander around this very colourful town. Organise a coffee tour at El Carmen Estate in Ataco.
- DAY 4: today is all about the volcanic thermal waters. Take a combination of chicken buses and taxis, or drive yourself to Salto de Malacatuipan, a very unique hot springs waterfall! Head back towards the ruta, stopping at one of the hot springs spas on the way, Termales de Alicante or Termales de Santa Teresa where you can treat yourself to some more steamy waters, massages and mud baths.
- DAY 5: say goodbye to the highlands as you head for the coast today.
How to get from Ruta de las Flores to El Zonte
BY CAR 🚗
If you’ve rented a car, the drive from the Ruta de las Flores to El Zonte should take about 1.5 – 2 hours. Hop along the coast slowly and stop at any nice lookouts, beaches or restaurants you see.
BY BUS 🚌
Today involves two buses, which isn’t too complicated, however, it’s crucial you get the timing right.
You first need to get yourself to Sonsonate. From any town along the Ruta de las Flores, catch bus #249 which runs every 15 – 20 minutes.
From Sonsante, you need to take #287 to La Libertad. This bus will pass El Zonte. However, it only runs twice per day, once very early in the morning (you won’t make this) and once in the afternoon. It currently departs at 3:30 pm, but you should triple-check this with your accommodation. The bus will be very busy, so arrive at Sonsonate no later than 3:00 pm to get in line!
Stop 3: El Zonte
🌜 3 NIGHTS
After a very busy week of hiking volcanoes, scaling waterfalls and exploring towns, it’s time to slow down. El Zonte is CHILL and you’ve earned a few days to relax and take it easy.
Neighbouring El Tunco is the centre of the action on the Pacific Coast and is where most activities occur or depart from. You’ll get there in a couple of days, but for now, I’d encourage you to stay in El Zonte and soak up the slow vibes.
This tiny town consists of a few sandy streets, some surprisingly great accommodations and restaurants, good surf and a gorgeous black sand beach with amazing sunsets. Life runs to a pretty basic schedule here, so adapt and enjoy the surf-eat-chill-beach-sleep routine.
🏖️ TOP THINGS TO DO IN EL ZONTE
- Go surfing! El Zonte has one of the best point breaks in the area. Most accommodations rent boards, otherwise check out Los 3 Hermanos for rentals and lessons.
- Explore the sea caves at low tide. There is a huge cave at the western end of the beach, but a network of smaller ones that are lesser known at the eastern end were our favourites.
- Take a yoga class with Zonte Yoga. Yoga is second only to surfing in this town!
- Hang out on the sandy western beach. Not all the beaches in this area have sand you can lay a towel down on, but El Zonte has a gorgeous stretch of black, volcanic sand with slightly calmer waves.
- End the day with a sunset on the beach, with a beer in hand!
🍛 BEST PLACES TO EAT IN EL ZONTE
- Pupuseria Geisy
- Canegue Cafe
- El Vikingo
- AWILDA
- Bao House
🛏️ WHERE TO STAY IN EL ZONTE
- Budget: Lote 44 Guesthouse
- Mid-range: La Canasta
- Boutique: Palo Verde
📆 HOW I WOULD SPEND 3 NIGHTS IN EL ZONTE
- DAY 1: if you’re taking the bus, you won’t arrive in El Zonte until late afternoon. Catch the sunset if you’ve got time, and treat yourself to a delicious Asian meal at El Vikingo for dinner.
- DAY 2: spend today exploring and relaxing in El Zonte. It won’t take you more than a couple of hours to stroll the beach and sandy streets. Rent a surfboard or organise a lesson if you’re interested, otherwise lay out a towel on the western beach and chill! Don’t miss the sunset.
- DAY 3: Enjoy another tough day of relaxing. Schedule a surf lesson or yoga class, explore the sea caves at low tide and enjoy taking it easy after a busy first week. Make the most of the delicious food options around town, and change it up from pupusas!
- DAY 4: your journey to El Tunco is a short one, so you can choose whether you’d like to leave first thing or spend the morning in El Zonte.
How to get from El Zonte to El Tunco
BY CAR 🚗
You’ve got an easy 15-minute drive to El Tunco. The town has two official entry gates, and if you’re driving in, you’ll need to pay a small fee ($1) that goes to a community fund. Parking is tricky in El Tunco, and unless your accommodation has specified they have parking, you’ll need to leave your car in one of the paid public lots.
BY BUS 🚌
The wait for the bus might be longer than the ride itself today. Walk out of El Zonte town towards the highway, where you’ll find a bus shelter. Any bus driving past towards the east will be going to El Tunco, so hail it down. The trip shouldn’t take longer than 20 minutes and you’ll get dropped off on the highway in front of El Tunco town.
Stop 4: El Tunco
🌜 5 NIGHTS
El Tunco is the most popular tourist destination in El Salvador. A hub for surf, nightlife and all round good vibes. It has a reputation as a party town, which is true on the weekend, but avoidable during the week if you’re not into that.
Despite its popularity, it’s a very small town, so don’t be expecting Cancun, but you certainly won’t be bored here.
The town is packed with great cafes, cheap pupusas, amazing international food options (hello bao buns) and aesthetic beach bars. The sunsets are exceptional, the surf is consistent, there are sea caves, ocean pools and epic coastal views, and the vibe is fun and laidback.
There are plenty of places to explore along the surrounding coastline if you want to branch out further too.
🏖️ TOP THINGS TO DO IN EL TUNCO
- Explore El Tunco town. Find all the colourful street art, do some shopping at the surf shops, check out the beach, find the sea caves and go surfing. Enjoy the great cafes and restaurants, and have a few cheeky bevs at the beach bars.
- Spend the day at Atami Escape Resort with a day pass, where you can use their tidal ocean pools, restaurant, swimming pools and private huts with hammocks.
- Have lunch with a view at Cadejo Brewery, just outside of town and enjoy their epic ocean pool.
- Hike to the Tamanique Waterfalls, a tough walk but you’re rewarded with four waterfalls to cool off in and cliff jumping.
- Rent a scooter for the day and cruise along the coastal highway, seeing the tunnels, beautiful lookouts, deserted beaches, surf spots and small towns. (See our favourite spots pinned on our El Salvador map).
🌊 These are just some of the amazing things to do in El Tunco and the surrounding Pacific Coast!
🍛 BEST PLACES TO EAT IN EL TUNCO
- Day Cafe & Salad Bar
- Bao House
- Esquina Los Amigos
- Moo Frozen Yoghurt
- Jungle
🛏️ WHERE TO STAY IN EL TUNCO
- Budget: Papaya Lodge
- Mid-range: The Cabins
- Boutique: Boca Olas Resort & Villas
📆 HOW I WOULD SPEND 5 NIGHTS IN EL TUNCO
- DAY 1: you’ll have most of the day to explore El Tunco town. Wander around the few streets to find the murals, browse the shops, explore the beach and be sure to catch the sunset!
- DAY 2: buy a day pass to the Atami Escape Resort, just a short drive from town. You get a private palm-thatched hut for the day overlooking the beach, and you can rotate between the three tidal ocean pools, the swimming pools or the calmer waters of Playa El Palmarcito.
- DAY 3: rent a scooter today and go cruising along the coast! The highway hugs the coastline all the way to Mizata, passing through a series of really cool tunnels, gorgeous miradors overlooking the ocean, small towns, completely deserted beaches and some great surf spots. Stop at Cadejo Brewery on the way back into town to try their craft beer and tasty food, and enjoy a swim in their amazing ocean pool.
- DAY 4: take the local bus to Tamanique or coordinate a tour from town to visit the Tamanique Waterfalls. This hike is a tough one, but you’ll be rewarded with four beautiful waterfalls, a refreshing river to swim in and cliff-jumping if you’re up for it! Enjoy the sunset at Cerveceria Chapultepec tonight, perched on a cliff with the perfect vantage point, all food and drinks are $1.50!
- DAY 5: spend your final day in El Tunco however you’d like. Surfing, chilling on the beach, taking a yoga class or lazing by the pool. Wind down before you move on!
- DAY 6: the final day of your El Salvador itinerary. Hopefully, you have a few hours in the morning pending your flight or shuttle time to soak up the last of this beautiful beach town. Pack your bags and depart El Salvador.
How to depart El Salvador
It’s time to say adios to El Salvador! How you leave will depend on how you arrived, and if you’re continuing your travels in the region.
✈️ FLYING OUT
If you’re flying home or to another country, you’ll need to get yourself to the airport.
From El Tunco, you’re less than an hour from the airport, so you can book your flight at any time.
The easiest way to get to the airport is to organise a transfer with your accommodation. Taxis aren’t super easy to come by, and Uber isn’t reliable from El Tunco.
🚐 TRAVELLING OVERLAND
If you’re continuing your travels through Central America, El Tunco is a great jump-off point to Nicaragua.
*If you’re travelling north FROM Nicaragua, El Tunco should be your first stop in El Salvador
The city of Leon is the most logical next stop. The trip is a long one, and you can expect to be travelling for at least 12 hours.
There are two ways to go from El Tunco to Leon:
- Standard shuttle that passes via Honduras
- A shuttle-boat-shuttle combination that avoids Honduras
The standard shuttle is the cheapest option and it runs every day of the week. You’ll get picked up from the highway in El Tunco and the shuttle will take you all the way to Leon. You can check the schedule and book via Bookaway.
Your driver will help you with the border procedures when you exit El Salvador into Honduras, and again when you arrive in Nicaragua. It’s a mega day, and don’t expect to arrive in Leon until the evening.
The boat option is a much nicer journey, but it’s slightly more expensive, is not offered every day and involves a very early wake-up.
You’ll get picked up by a shuttle from El Tunco, and instead of driving into Honduras, you’ll be taken to the town of La Union. From here, you’ll board a boat for about 1.5 hours to cross the Gulf of Fonesca to Potosi in Nicaragua. You’ll do the border procedures, and another shuttle will take you onwards to Leon.
Gecko Trails runs this route, currently on Monday, Tuesday, Friday and Saturday.
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1 Week El Salvador itinerary options
We prefer to travel slower and visit fewer places but see them thoroughly. I know some people are happier with a quicker pace, so you could probably do most of what we did in a week, although it would be very rushed.
I understand not everyone has the luxury of time, so here are two sample 1 week El Salvador itineraries, depending on whether you’d prefer to spend more time at the beach, or time inland.
Again, these routes are for people flying into El Salvador or arriving from the north via Guatemala or Honduras. Reverse it if you’re coming from Nicaragua.
If you’ve got just 1 week in the country, I’d really recommend renting a car. You will be able to squeeze in a lot more every day than if you were travelling by bus. Having a car gives you much more flexibility and allows you to make better use of your travel days, doing activities while driving between destinations.
🏄🏽♀️ 1 WEEK EL SALVADOR ITINERARY – BEACH LOVER VERSION
- Ruta de las Flores – 3 nights
- El Tunco or El Zonte or a combination – 4 nights (day trip to Santa Ana Volcano and Lake Coatepeque)
🐒 1 WEEK EL SALVADOR ITINERARY – INLAND VERSION
- Lago de Coatepeque or Santa Ana – 1 night
- Ruta de las Flores – 3 nights
- El Tunco or El Zonte – 3 nights
Final thoughts: El Salvador itinerary
Whether you’re visiting El Salvador for a quick getaway, or stopping as part of a broader route through Central America, #DontSkipElSalvador!
It might be small, but as you can see, El Salvador has so many bucket list activities and destinations!
Hiking to the summit of an active volcano, scaling waterfalls, tasting world-famous coffee from the source and riding waves on the coast were some of our favourite memories from 6 months in Central America.
We are so glad we decided to stop in El Salvador, and I hope this itinerary has inspired you to visit too, and helped work out the nuts and bolts of getting around the country and the best route to follow.
Don’t forget to check out our other articles about El Salvador for more specific details about the destinations and activities we’ve mentioned in the itinerary.
MORE EL SALVADOR POSTS
