Ultimate Guide to the Ruta de las Flores, El Salvador

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The Ruta de las Flores or Flower Route is a scenic road in the Western Highlands of El Salvador, connecting a string of five quaint colonial towns. 

It’s approximately 21 miles (35 km) long, and the road takes its name from the rainbow of wildflowers that bloom along the route in springtime. 

We spent 5 nights exploring the entire Ruta de las Flores, visiting dozens of gorgeous waterfalls, sampling tasty local foods and enjoying locally grown coffee. 

The small towns along the route are quaint and charming, with cobblestone streets, grand churches, fantastic murals and street art. The locals are incredibly welcoming and friendly and we got great insight into authentic Salvadoran culture. 

The region can be a little confusing to interpret and plan, with activities spread across multiple towns. But don’t worry! In this guide, I’ll share everything you need to know to plan your time here, and make sure you don’t miss any of the highlights. 

I’ll give a run-through of each town, the top things to do around the region, info on where to stay, transport details for getting there and around and a suggested itinerary. 

Towns of the Ruta de las Flores

You’ll see some people say there are five towns on the route, while others will say there are seven. Both are right! 

The five / seven towns of the Ruta de las Flores, from south to north, are:

• Sonsonate* 
• Nahuizalco
• Salcoatitan
• Juayua
• Apaneca
• Concepcion de Ataco
• Ahuachapan*

*Sonsonate in the south and Ahuachapan in the north are the bookends of the route, and the road officially runs between these two cities. I don’t consider these places part of the Ruta de las Flores, as they’re not particularly pretty or special, they’re both just gateways to the region. 

The five other towns are the ones you really want to explore!

Nahuizalco

Nahuizalco is a cute but small town at the southern end of the Ruta de las Flores. It’s not as popular as its larger neighbours, but the town is best known for its Mercado Nocturno, or night market. 

It’s got a cute and charming little centre with a nice plaza and park. Nahuizalco has a large population of indigenous Pipil, and you can see the women in their traditional dress which wasn’t something we expected from El Salvador but was lovely to see. 

Nahuizalco was the first and one of the only places we visited during our 6 months in Central America where we experienced major culture shock. Hundreds of locals were at the night market and we were the only Westerners there. This in itself isn’t particularly daunting, we’re used to that, but the interest everyone took in us was a bit overwhelming! 

We felt like animals in a zoo trying to eat our dinner, it felt like we had about 100 pairs of eyes on us. No one was rude or threatening or anything like that, I think they were just surprised to see foreigners in their town. It’s a very local area that traditionally receives many domestic tourists, so I guess we were just new to them! 

⛪️ Top things to do in and around Nahuizalco: 

• Mercado Nocturno (night market)
• Parque Central de Nahuizalco
• Parroquia San Juan Bautista
• Shop for wicker and tule handicrafts 
• La Cascada de la Golondrinera

🫓 Where to eat and drink in Nahuizalco:

• Mercado Nocturno: sample a range of local foods at different stalls at the night market

Salcoatitan

Salcoatitan is another very small town. It’s sandwiched between Nahuizalco to the south and Juayua to the north. 

This town is best known as the coffee town. Although coffee is grown all over the ruta, this town in particular lives and breathes coffee! 

There isn’t too much to do here, but it’s worth popping in for a short stroll and a caffeine hit. The huge, sprawling 350-year-old Ceiba tree on the edge of town that dates back to Mayan times is worth seeing and the centre of town has a cute plaza with a nice church. 

⛪️ Top things to do in and around Salcoatitan: 

• Parque La Ceiba
• Parque Central de Salcoatitán
• Iglesia de San Miguel Arcángel

🫓 Where to eat and drink in Salcoatitan:

• Telo’s Coffee: for great local beans prepared by an expert barista 

Juayua

Juayua is the biggest town on the Ruta de las Flores and was where we chose to base ourselves for our 5 nights exploring the region. 

We made the right call as Juayua turned out to be our favourite town of them all! It isn’t as pretty as Ataco, but we liked the vibe in Juayua and it had everything we needed (good accommodation options, restaurants, cafes, ATMs, supermarkets etc.). 

It’s smack bang in the middle of the region, with two towns to the north and two to the south, so you can easily move around the whole route. 

It hosts the famous Feria Gastronomica (food festival) each weekend and has a lively plaza and church. Juayua is also the jump-off point for the best thing to do on the Ruta de Las Flores – the 7 Waterfalls Hike. 

⛪️ Top things to do in and around Juayua: 

• La Feria Gastronomica 
• Parque Central
• Iglesia Santa Lucia
• 7 Waterfalls Hike
• Las Chorros de la Calera 

🫓 Where to eat and drink in Juayua:

• Pupusería Y Taquería Doña Cony: our personal favourite pupusa spot. They had some flavours other places didn’t have and were just as affordable (most pupusas were $1 or less each). 
• Pupusería Esmeralda: another affordable and delicious pupusa spot. It feels a bit tucked away on the edge of town down some dark streets, but it comes highly recommended by the locals and was worth the short walk. 
• Pupusería Sugey: yes, another pupusa option! This one is right near the main square if you need something close and convenient, although don’t count on it being quick as they are always so busy with locals!
• La Feria Gastronomica: there are so many different snacks, main dishes, drinks and desserts to sample from the stalls at the food festival each weekend. 
• Bloom Coffee: a very cute and funky little cafe that serves up excellent barista-style coffee. There are lots of methods to choose from. 
• Bourbon Hostal Rooftop Cafe: a relatively new hotel in town that has a great rooftop cafe. We had breakfast there one morning and it was delicious. We also visited for an afternoon coffee and sweet treat and that was just as good too! 
• Pastelería y Cafeteria Festival: if you want to stock up on snacks for hikes and day trips, this is the place! The bakery has so many different kinds of pastries and sweet treats to choose from. 
• Panaderia Vicky’s: nothing more than a hole in the wall of a lady’s house, this was the first taste of PROPER bread we had had in months. Our guide had these mini French baguettes for our lunch during our 7 Waterfalls Hike. They were so good we had to find out where they were from and ended up buying dozens over the next few days for our picnic lunches.

📍 Get all these restaurants pinned in our El Salvador Google Map

Apaneca

Apaneca is a mid-sized town. The town itself isn’t really all that big, but there are a lot of activities to do around the area. 

We found the area around Apaneca one of the prettiest of the whole ruta. It felt like there were coffee plantations in every direction, it was so open and green and you got some great views of the farmland. 

The big, white church in Apaneca was my favourite, and the town had a few colourful murals, the front of Axul Cafe was one of the biggest. Make sure you find the ornate mosaic roundabout on one of the main streets in town. 

The surroundings are the best part of Apaneca in our opinion. Cafe Albania, where you will find the fun rainbow slide, zipline bike and maze among other activities, is located here, as well as a dedicated zipline course if you want even more adrenaline. Laguna Verde and Laguna de las Ninfas are also nearby, and you can visit via an ATV tour from town. 

⛪️ Top things to do in and around Apaneca: 

• Parque Central
• Iglesia San Andrés Apóstol
• Mosaico Apaneca
• Cafe Albania
• Apaneca Zipline Adventures
• Laguna Verde & Laguna de las Ninfas 
• Cascadas de Don Juan

🫓 Where to eat and drink in Apaneca:

• Axul Cafe: part cafe, part art store, part restaurant, this is a great venue in Apaneca. Set in a lovely garden you can have a coffee and a sweet or a meal with a beer. 
• Plaza Turística: an open-air food market with a range of permanent stalls set up. This is a great place to try some different Salvadoran dishes, especially if you can’t time your visit for a weekend to go to the Juayua Food Festival. 

Concepcion de Ataco

Concepcion de Ataco or simply Ataco is the second largest town on the Ruta de las Flores. While we didn’t love it quite as much as Juayua, there’s no denying the town takes the cake for the most colourful! 

Ataco is a rainbow of street art, large murals, mosaics and colourful flags. It’s a very pretty town, and you can easily while away a couple of hours just wandering around aimlessly exploring the gridded streets. 

Their park, Parque Fray Rafael Fernandez, was a hive of activity with cute Ataco signs and lots of leafy trees. Their main church even has a pop of colour on it which is fitting! A lot of the streets are lined with market stalls, with all kinds of souvenirs and artisan wares that are nice to browse. Walk up to the Mirador de la Cruz for a great view of the town and surrounding countryside, next to a giant cross. 

There are tons of cafe and restaurant options here, as well as accommodations for all budgets, as many people choose to base themselves in Ataco. 

⛪️ Top things to do in and around Ataco: 

• Parque Fray Rafael Fernandez
• Santuario Inmaculada Concepción de María
• Mirador de la Cruz
• Coffee tour at El Carmen Estate

🫓 Where to eat and drink in Ataco:

• Taqueria Cachinflin: a Mexican restaurant, marked with a large mural of Frida Kahlo outside, with pretty decent tacos, nachos, tortas, papas rellenas etc. It’s no Mexico, but it was a nice change from pupusas and was reasonably priced. 
• Pupuseria Cielito Lindo: the go-to pupusa spot in Ataco, with a good range of flavours and yummy salsas. 
• ​​Piccolo Giardino: a finer dining experience (still very affordable) with excellent homemade pizza and pasta in a romantic garden setting. 
• Axul Artesanias: from the same owners as the branch in Apaneca, Axul in Ataco is a vibrant venue that is an eclectic mix of cafe, restaurant, art gallery and shop. The outside is painted with colourful murals, and their leafy garden courtyard inside is a great place to enjoy a coffee.
• Geko’s Coffee: expertly prepared coffee with your choice of extraction method, from Aeropress, V60, Chemex and more. 

10 Best things to do in the Ruta de las Flores

1. Explore the towns

📍 All along the Ruta de las Flores

It goes without saying that one of the must-do things on the Ruta de las Flores is to explore each of the five towns and I’ve already mentioned a few of the main sights and attractions to see in each town. 

It’s really worth allocating at least a few hours to wander through all five towns, as each of them is quite different and has its own unique personality. 

I’m not going to compare these towns to any of the region’s great colonial cities like Antigua, Guatemala, Granada, Nicaragua or Casco Viejo, Panama. They weren’t the prettiest, nicest towns we have ever been to. 

But what we loved about them was that they were very local, not overrun by foreign tourism and they felt raw and real. They are ‘touristy’, but they cater mainly for local tourists, and getting to experience that as a foreigner was really nice. 

2. La Feria Gastronomica Juayua

📍 Juayua

Every weekend the streets around the main plaza in Juayua fill with marquees and food stalls for the weekly Feria Gastronomica or Food Festival. 

Most stalls typically operate from 11 am – 5 pm on Saturday and Sunday. Some open a little earlier, and some stay open longer, but generally, it is a daytime event. 

There are dozens of stalls lined up, offering a variety of traditional Salvadoran dishes. Most stalls will have a sample plate out the front so you can see what they’ve got. 

There were a lot of main dishes, with extravagant meat, fish, prawns etc. but we really liked trying the smaller snacky kinds of things. 

Our favourite thing we tried was riguas, a traditional corn cake. It was savoury, but because it was made with sweet corn and topped with cheese and crema, it had a kind of sweet flavour too. 

Yuca is another very popular ingredient in this part of El Salvador and you’ll find it served in many different styles. The chorilonzo a combination of two different types of sausages, chorizo and longaniza is popular too. 

Don’t miss the pineapple stall, where you can get a hollowed-out pineapple, blended into a tasty drink. You can add rum if you like! Atol de elote is another popular drink, a sweet, warm corn-based drink with milk, cinnamon and vanilla. 

3. Cafe Albania

📍 Apaneca

El Salvador became synonymous with the rainbow slide on social media a few years ago. If you need further explanation, the rainbow slide is a giant, rainbow-coloured adrenaline slide that you hurtle down on an inflatable tube. 

The original slide is located outside San Salvador, but there is an even better one on the Ruta de las Flores at Cafe Albania! 

Cafe Albania is like an adult’s amusement park on a coffee farm. There are fun and adrenaline-inducing activities like the rainbow slide, ziplining, a sky bike (riding a bike on a zipline in the sky!), huge swings, a maze and more. 

You pay a small fee to enter the park ($5) and pay between $5 – $15 for the activities that you want to do. It’s expensive, kind of kitschy and can be very busy, but it is a whole lot of FUN! We had such a blast, and it’s always nice to do something that makes you feel like a kid again. 

🌈 Read our complete guide to Cafe Albania, with more info about each of the activities you can do, the restaurants and amenities on site and tips for your visit

4. 7 Waterfalls Hike

📍 Juayua

Easily the best thing we did on the Ruta de las Flores, and even one of the best things we did in all of El Salvador was the 7 Waterfalls Hike in Juayua. 

Las Siete Cascadas, or the 7 Waterfalls is a guided hike that takes you to, you guessed it, 7 different waterfalls. Actually, it’s more like 10 waterfalls, there are a few bonus ones in there! 

The hike is not for the faint-hearted, and involves a decent hike, navigating small rivers and scaling waterfalls. Yes, literally rock climbing a waterfall of 130 feet (40 m)! 

It’s an incredibly scenic area, passing coffee plantations and dense forests, with waterfalls of all shapes and sizes. It took us just over 3 hours to complete, with plenty of time to take photos, swim and have lunch. 

You really have to go with a guide, as it would be very tricky to find and follow the trail, work out where and how to scale the waterfalls, and also because a lot of the area is private property and local landowners don’t want tourists wandering around unaccompanied. 

💦 Read our complete guide to Las Siete Cascadas, with more information about the hike, our recommended guide, what to bring, what to wear etc.

5. Los Chorros de la Calera Waterfall

📍 Juayua

The finale of our 7 Waterfalls Hike was the biggest waterfall, Los Chorros de la Calera. 

This gorgeous waterfall isn’t big in terms of height but spans vertically. Water rushes down a rocky cliff face dripping with greenery, into a large pool below. It’s the only waterfall with a deep pool that you can jump in and swim around. 

The 7 Waterfalls Hike is a loop, so the final waterfalls are actually quite close to Juayua, and it’s possible to visit just Los Chorros if you don’t want to do the entire hike. We saw a lot of local families with kids and the elderly who wouldn’t have been able to tackle the other waterfalls. 

You can drive quite close to the falls if you’ve got a vehicle, and from the parking area, it’s less than a 20-minute walk. If you walk from town, it’s around 40 minutes.

There’s a lot of contention and misinformation about the entry cost, and whether you need a guide or not. We read that you needed a guide to accompany you to the falls for safety reasons, but I don’t think that is necessarily the case. 

As with the entire 7 Waterfalls Hike, a lot of the area around the waterfall is private property and you’ll encounter fences and locked gates if you try and go solo.

Local guides, who somehow have keys to the gate, charge anywhere from $5 – $20 per person. Some take advantage of tourists more than others. They hang around one of the gates near where the road ends and turns to a trail. 

If you are physically capable of doing the 7 Waterfalls Hike, I would suggest doing that. You get a lot more bang for your buck and a fantastic experience that also includes Los Chorros. 

If you or any of your other travelling companions can’t do the hike, Los Chorros are definitely worth visiting on their own, but ask around for prices in advance, and check in with your accommodation on what you can expect to pay so you don’t get ripped off. 

6. Soak in hot springs

📍 Ahuachapan

El Salvador is known as the land of volcanoes, and all this geothermal activity has created several hot springs along the Ruta de las Flores. 

There are a couple of spa-like places where you can spend some time soaking in the hot waters. 

Let me manage your expectations though, these are not like the famous hot springs in La Fortuna in Costa Rica.  

They are okay spas, with manmade pools channelling the naturally occurring thermal waters. The price fits the experience, so I think it’s worth doing, but don’t get your hopes up for something either super luxury (it’s not) or natural (also not). 

The two main options are Termales de Santa Teresa and Termales de Alicante. Both are located at the northern end of the route, just south of Ahuachapan. 

Santa Teresa is the more famous option with more pools, a mud bath and a lot more spa services. They have a $10 entry which gives you access to the pools, or they also offer packages that include lunch and the mud bath for $25. 

We opted for Termales de Alicante, which is just next door, and slightly cheaper at $7. They also have additional packages with lunch ($20) and options for massages and mud baths for an extra fee. 

The grounds were quite natural and most of the pools were surrounded by lush greenery which we loved. We visited during the week and thankfully it was very quiet and we were able to enjoy a few pools to ourselves. 

Both of the hot springs are best visited with a vehicle or taxi, as it’s quite a long walk off the highway where the bus passes by. Trust me, we did it. It’s incredibly steep and I can tell you the last thing we wanted to do when we arrived was get into steaming water when we were so sweaty and hot! 

Going with your own car or taxi also means you can go first thing in the morning or late at night when it’s cooler. Even though the whole region has a cooler climate than the rest of the country, it can still be quite warm in the day and it’s not so enjoyable to sit in hot water! 

Santa Teresa is open later than Alicante (10 pm vs 5 pm), so if this is your plan, then Santa Teresa is a better choice for you. 

I would suggest avoiding either option on the weekend, I believe they get very busy and it would not be enjoyable or relaxing to be squished into pools with local families. 

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7. El Salto de Malacatiupan Waterfall

📍 Ahuachapan

If you’re looking for more thermal waters, you cannot miss El Salto de Malacatiupan. 

This waterfall is HOT! 

One of the most unique waterfalls we’ve ever visited, the water flowing in the river, over the cliff edge and into a huge pool below was proper hot. It normally hovers around 100°F (37°C). 

There is a $1.50 entrance fee to the waterfall, but the whole site is still very natural. 

You can jump into the main pool from a few different heights, swim under the powerful and steaming fall, or soak in some smaller and calmer pools next to the waterfall. 

Technically the waterfall is not on the Ruta de las Flores. It’s between Ahuachapan and Santa Ana, but it’s very easily accessible from any town on the route with a couple of different chicken buses. 

♨️ Check out our complete guide to El Salto de Malacatiupan, with more information about visiting the waterfall and details on how to get to the falls from the Ruta de las Flores or Santa Ana via bus

8. Take a coffee tour

📍 Ataco

The Ruta de las Flores is coffee country and one of the best things to do in the area is take a coffee tour! 

El Carmen Estate in Ataco is the most popular place to do a tour. The coffee processing mill was started in 1930 and still produces some of the area’s best coffee today. 

Their basic tour is just $7 and runs for 1 hour and 15 minutes. A guide will show you around the mill and explain how the coffee goes from cherries to beans ready for export. You get to sample a cup of fresh coffee too! 

For coffee aficionados, they have a lengthier tour that dives deeper into the coffee-making process. It is $25, runs for about 3 hours and includes lunch. 

You can organise tours via their website. 

9. Mercado Nocturno Nahuizalco

📍 Nahuizalco

The small town of Nahuizalco on the south of the route is famous for its night market.

As far as I know, the market runs 7 nights a week, but the best time to visit is on the weekend when the market is full of local families! 

Branching out from the town’s main square, there are food stalls set up everywhere, as well as a ton of permanent restaurants with covered outdoor seating. 

Similar to the Juayua Food Festival, you can sample all kinds of local foods. My highlights were fried yuca, tamales and flan. 

The town was buzzing on a Saturday night and the atmosphere was lovely. It was busy, with lots of music and even performances in the plaza. We were quite the spectacle for the locals, being the only gringoes and everyone was quite amazed to take a look at us! 

The chicken buses don’t run after 6 pm, so if you don’t have your own vehicle, you’ll have to organise transport to visit the night market. Most hotels in the area offer a ‘tour’ to the night market, which is essentially just a drop-off and pick-up service from a local driver. 

We paid $20 for a lovely lady to drive us from Juayua, and return a few hours later. It was pretty pricey, but it was the only way we could visit the market, and we really enjoyed chatting with her and getting more insight into life in El Salvador (and some inside tips for what food to try!). 

10. Hike, bike or ATV ride to Laguna Verde

📍 Apaneca

Laguna Verde is a small, slightly underwhelming lake in an extinct volcano crater. While it’s pretty and nice to be out in nature, it’s nothing particularly special (especially once you’ve seen the crater lake in the Santa Ana Volcano and Lago de Coatepeque!). 

Entrance is by donation, and when you arrive you can choose to walk around the perimeter of the lake, rent a bicycle and cycle around or take a short boat tour. 

It can be a nice way to spend an afternoon, if you’re keen on hiking you can add on the walk from town, it’s about 3 miles (5 km) to the lake, plus the stroll around it. 

Otherwise, you can drive to the lake if you have a vehicle, but do be aware the road is unpaved and quite bumpy in parts. 

Or, opt for something a bit more thrilling! Join an ATV tour from Apaneca where you drive a buggy to the lagoon, and around the outskirts of town. Most ATV tours will also pass by the smaller Laguna de las Ninfas. 

🏎️ Book your Laguna Verde ATV Tour from Apaneca here

Best time to visit the Ruta de las Flores

The best time to visit the Ruta de las Flores is during El Salvador’s dry season, which is from November to April. 

Being in the highlands, it can get quite cool in this region, so make sure you’ve got layers packed if you’re visiting at this time of the year. 

If you are keen to see the flowers, then you’ll want to plan your visit for late spring, usually between November and January. 

Although it would be amazing to see the region with all the flowers, it’s difficult to plan as they can bloom at different times each year depending on the preceding months’ weather. 

Despite the name, flowers are only a tiny part of what makes this region special, so if you can’t visit when they are blooming, don’t worry! It is definitely still worth visiting at any time of the year.

In terms of the day of the week to visit, I would highly recommend trying to coordinate your visit over a weekend. The food festival in Juayua runs on Saturday and Sunday, and all the towns are open and more lively, as they get a lot of local tourists coming from the cities for the weekends. 

Where to stay on the Ruta de las Flores

I recommend basing yourself in one of the two bigger towns along the ruta, Juayua or Ataco. Both these towns have a good range of accommodation options, plenty of restaurants and amenities like ATMs, supermarkets etc. 

We personally opted for Juayua, being right in the middle of the route and we were really happy with this decision. It ended up being our favourite town, and its proximity to some of the main attractions (food festival, 7 waterfalls) meant we didn’t have to travel every day. 

Ataco is a very pretty town, but it’s at the northern end of the Ruta de las Flores so it’s not as convenient to get around to the other towns. Besides exploring the town, there weren’t a lot of attractions in or around Ataco, so by basing yourself here you’d be constantly on the bus or in the car. 

If you had more time you could stay in both towns and plan your southern activities for your time in Juayua, and your northern activities for your time in Ataco. If you don’t mind moving around, this could be a great option and I’d suggest 2 nights in each. 

Having moved around so much on our 6-month trip in Central America, we were happy to base ourselves in one place for the duration of our stay, and we didn’t find it too tricky to travel along the ruta on the bus each day. 

🛏️ The name ‘hostal’ is used a lot in this part of El Salvador, but it doesn’t mean hostel as in dorm rooms only. Generally, it is referring to a cheap hotel, and most have private rooms. 

Juayua

Budget 💰

• Hostal Doña Mercedes: this is a proper hostel with dorm rooms, shared bathrooms and communal amenities. The staff are very friendly and the reviews are fantastic. Great location in the centre of town and a tasty free breakfast every day. 

• Samay Hostel: another actual hostel with a mix of dorm and private rooms. It’s got a great rooftop terrace with gorgeous views of town and a leafy tropical garden. There is a well-equipped communal kitchen, and you can rent scooters here.

Mid-range 💰💰

• Hotel Anahuac: the best hotel on the Ruta de las Flores! We stayed here for 5 nights and fell in love. The owner Maria was the kindest lady we met on our travels and we thoroughly enjoyed getting to know her. The hotel has just a handful of private rooms with private bathrooms, opening to a central garden. It was so lush and beautiful, we loved sitting outside for our morning coffee every day. There was a small kitchen and fridge we could use, and the shower was HOT with great pressure. They’ve just listed on Booking.com, otherwise, you can get in contact via their website to book.

• Hostal DEYLUWIN: this charming hotel features spacious, well-equipped private rooms, with private bathrooms, Netflix and comfy beds. The rooms are centered around a garden area with lots of seating and there is a communal guest kitchen. 

High end 💰💰💰

• Hotel Juayua: a very charming boutique option with incredible views over the surrounding volcanoes. Family-owned and operated it is a friendly environment with lovely gardens, daily breakfast and spacious, airy rooms with great views. 

• Bourbon Hostal: this ‘hostal’ really isn’t a hostel, and is actually one of the nicest and most modern options in town. It’s only a few years old, and the private rooms with private bathrooms are sleek and contemporary. Their rooftop has great volcano views and a nice cafe, where breakfast is included. 

Ataco

Budget 💰

• Portal de los Farolitos: not a hostel, but an affordable private option with private rooms with bathrooms, a great daily breakfast included and a lovely garden area. The staff are super friendly and helpful. 

• Las Casitas Hostal: there are no dorm rooms in this hostel, but it is one of the most budget-friendly options in town. All rooms are private with a private bathroom, there is a lovely garden area, with very friendly staff and a central location to town. 

Mid-range 💰💰

• Hotel Casa Pino: fantastic value for money in these light, bright and modern rooms that include private kitchenettes. It’s located in the heart of Ataco, but the shared garden is like a little oasis from the hustle and bustle. There are only a few rooms, so book quickly! 

• Hostal Juarez: spacious, well-equipped and modern rooms in a bright and cheerful yellow building just a few minutes walk from the centre. Breakfast is included daily, served in their lovely garden. 

High end 💰💰💰

• Casa 1800 Ataco Hotel Boutique: one of the nicest hotels on the whole Ruta de las Flores, it sits on a small hill overlooking Ataco and the surrounding countryside. All the rooms are bright and airy with stunning green views. The decor is a lovely heritage style and there are many outdoor seating areas to enjoy the atmosphere and gardens. Great breakfast is included daily. A real top-quality option. 

• Casa Degraciela Hotel Boutique: another top-notch boutique hotel, with outstanding staff and service, charming rooms, a view over the neighbouring church and gorgeous gardens, where daily breakfast is served.

Getting there

BY BUS 🚌

If you’re coming to the Ruta de las Flores from another part of El Salvador, it’s very easy to get there by bus. 

• From Santa Ana: if you’re in Santa Ana, there is a direct bus to Juayua, #238. It leaves every couple of hours from the Bus Terminal Francisco Lara Pineda. If you need to get to another town on the ruta, take #238 and then change to #249 in Juayua, which leaves from this location. If you want to head north (to Apaneca or Ataco) get on a bus headed for Ahuachapan. If you want to go south (to Salcoatitan or Nahuizalco) take a bus headed for Sonsonate. 

• From San Salvador: take the #205 bus to Sonsonate from Terminal de Occidente. In Sonsonate, switch to the #249 which runs all the way along the ruta, passing by every town. 

• From El Tunco/El Zonte/La Libertad: if you’re on the coast, you need to take the #287 bus to Sonsonate which passes along the highway. It only leaves twice per day, once quite early in the morning and once after lunch so be sure to check the current times with your accommodation and exactly where you should wait. In Sonsonate, switch to the #249 which runs along the ruta, passing by every town. 

BY CAR 🚗

El Salvador is a really great country to drive around. It’s very small and the distances between destinations are short. If you want to rent a car, it’s best to do so in larger cities like Santa Ana or San Salvador, or from the international airport. That way you can drive yourself to Ruta de las Flores, where there aren’t really any car rental places. 

🚙 Browse for rental cars in Santa Ana, San Salvador or the international airport

BY SCOOTER 🛵

There is a hostel in Santa Ana that rents scooters, Rick’s Rentals. It’s becoming quite popular to drive to Ruta de las Flores by scooter, then you can explore the road and towns on your own terms once you arrive. 

BY SHUTTLE 🚐

If you’re in neighbouring Guatemala or Honduras and want to start your time in El Salvador on the Ruta de las Flores, I’d recommend a shuttle. 

We came from Copan Ruinas in Honduras, but it’s also common to come from Antigua in Guatemala. Check out Go Travel El Salvador or Gecko Trails for these routes. 

Most shuttles run to Santa Ana, there aren’t really any that go directly to the Ruta de las Flores. But if you ask, they may drop you off there for a small extra fee. We were able to get dropped off in Juayua for $10 extra. 

Otherwise, it’s pretty quick and easy to get dropped at the bus station in Santa Ana and jump on #238 to Juayua straight away. 

Getting around

BY BUS 🚌

It is so easy to get around the Ruta de las Flores by bus. We found it extremely efficient!

Bus #249 runs the entire length of the route, up and down from Sonsonate in the south to Ahuachapan in the north, passing through all 5 towns. 

All the towns are right on the highway where the bus stops, so you can easily walk once you jump off the bus. With the exception of Juayua which is set off the route, however, the bus turns off the Ruta de las Flores and drives into Juayua each time. 

Most attractions were close to the main road, or just a short walk off. There were taxis around the towns you could supplement with if you didn’t want to walk too far from where the bus stops on the highway (e.g. the hot springs). 

The bus runs from around 5 am to 6 pm, usually every 20 or so minutes. 

We honestly never waited more than 10 minutes for a bus to leave, even when we were waiting on the side of the highway. It was such an easy and efficient way to get around. 

It’s 50 cents for each trip, no matter where you’re going, very affordable. 

BY CAR 🚗

If you have rented a car and driven yourself to the Ruta de las Flores, you’ll have complete freedom and flexibility! 

Whilst we really did think the bus was fine, having a car would make it even easier to get around, and you could combine more attractions into one day without needing to wait for the bus in between. 

There are some nice accommodations and restaurants in lovely lush areas between the towns that you could take advantage of if you had a vehicle. 

BY SCOOTER 🛵

It’s most common to rent a scooter in Santa Ana from Rick’s Rentals and drive to the Ruta de las Flores, then get around and explore with the scooter. 

Although I do think it is now possible to rent a scooter in Juayua. We didn’t do it ourselves, and I think a few new rental places have popped up recently to cater for the demand. 

Similar to a car, the scooter gives you a bit more freedom than the bus and allows you to combine multiple towns and attractions into one day. 

If you want to use the bus to get to the region, and just rent a scooter for a day or two, you can check out the following:

• Samay Hostel & Scooter Rental
• Motorcycle Rental
• Scooter Rental & Hostal Carolinas

Ruta de Las Flores tours

There is so much to see and do on the Ruta de Las Flores, I highly recommend spending at least a few nights staying in the region and using the bus or a vehicle to get around and explore the towns and sights independently. 

However, if you’re short on time and don’t feel comfortable doing that, there are a lot of day tours from San Salvador. They are very long days, but these tours cram in a lot and allow you to at least get a taste of the region. 

Here are some of my top picks, depending on your interests: 

• Café Albania + Ataco Town + Hot Springs with Lunch Included: this tour hits three of the main highlights of the ruta. You’ll have time to enjoy the thrills at Cafe Albania, explore the cute and colourful town of Ataco and soak in the thermal waters of the Santa Teresa Hot Springs.

• Full Day Ruta de Las Flores – Visit Four Colonial Towns and Coffee Farm: this tour focuses more on the towns, culture and coffee of the region. You’ll get insight into the history and learn more about the indigenous cultures. 

• Ruta de Las Flores Adventure – Relax at Hotsprings + 1930’s Farm Coffee Tour: another jam-packed tour that hits a lot of highlights. You’ll get to explore the towns of Nahuizalco, Apaneca and Ataco, take a coffee tour at El Carmen Estate and finish off the day soaking in the Termales de Santa Teresa. 

Recommended Ruta de las Flores itinerary

I think the perfect amount of time to spend in the Ruta de las Flores is 4 nights, which gives you 3 full days. Here’s my recommended itinerary, to hit all the highlights. 

🗓️ I would suggest planning your visit for the weekend, so you can enjoy the food festivals and see the towns at their busiest. 

DAY ONE 🌞

Make your way to Juayua, however you are travelling (bus, shuttle, car etc.) and check into your accommodation. If you’ve got time in the afternoon, wander around town and have some pupusas for dinner. 

DAY TWO 🌞

Start your first full day in the Ruta de las Flores with the best activity – the 7 Waterfalls Hike from Juayua! Organise a guide with your accommodation the day prior. 

Expect to spend about 3 – 4 hours hiking with your guide, finishing at the beautiful Los Chorros de la Calera. If you can’t do the whole hike for whatever reason, be sure to visit these falls which are easier to access. 

You’ll be ready for a big lunch and by the time you get back to town, the weekend food festival will be in full swing! Explore all the stalls and sample lots of goodies. 

Jump on the bus for a short trip to neighbouring Salcoatitan. It’s one of the smallest towns on the ruta, so you don’t really need a long time to explore it, but it’s a great place for an afternoon coffee. 

Organise transport with your accommodation to the Nahuizalco Night Market in the evening (if you don’t have a car). Get ready to eat even more, and spend a few hours soaking up the bustling weekend vibe in this lovely town. 

DAY THREE 🌞

I would recommend an early wake-up today to get to your first stop, Cafe Albania, when it opens at 8 am. Beat the crowds and the lines and spend a few hours sliding down the rainbow slide, riding the sky bike and having fun like a big kid. 

Spend some time wandering around the town of Apaneca. It’s quite small but there are some cute sights to see. If you’ve got time and you’re looking for more thrills, you can do ziplining or take an ATV tour to Laguna Verde. 

Head north to Ataco for a late lunch. Spend a few hours wandering around this colourful town, the prettiest on the ruta. There are street markets and lots of murals, and be sure to walk up to the Mirador de la Cruz for a great view of town. 

Organise a coffee tour at the El Carmen Estate in town. Basic tours are just over an hour and give you a great insight into the coffee-making process.

If you’re taking the bus, remember they stop running at around 6 pm, so be back in Juayua for dinner. 

DAY FOUR 🌞

Your final day in the Ruta de las Flores is all about the thermal waters! 

If you don’t have a car, you’ve got a decent journey by bus to reach El Salto de Malactuipan. This is technically off the route, but we think it is definitely worth visiting. This unique waterfall is hot, with steamy thermal waters thundering off a cliff edge into a big warm bath! 

Head back towards the Ruta de Las Flores when you’re finished at the waterfall, and grab a taxi from Ahuachapan to the nearby hot springs. Choose between Termales de Alicante or Termales de Santa Teresa and have a relaxing afternoon soaking in the thermal pools. 

Spend your last evening in Juayua soaking up the lovely vibe in the town square, before you say goodbye to the Ruta de las Flores! 

Travel tips

• 🫶🏼 Safety: it’s normal to have safety concerns when travelling in El Salvador, but this part of the country is very safe. All the towns are small and laid back, and the locals are incredibly friendly and helpful. The chicken buses are a safe and efficient way to get around.

• 🗣️ Spanish: this is not a popular area for foreign tourists, so be aware that not many people speak English. It’s a great place to practice your Spanish, and if you don’t know any, have your translate app ready. 

• 🏧 ATMs: there are multiple ATMs available in the main towns, like Juayua and Ataco. A lot of places are cash only, so be prepared. 

• 🎒 What to pack: be sure to bring some warm clothes! We were shocked at how cold it got in the evenings when we visited in March and were glad to have jackets and pants. 

Ruta de las Flores El Salvador: Final thoughts

The Ruta de las Flores is a gorgeous part of El Salvador that is really worth including on your itinerary. 

It offers a completely different view of the country than the busier, more touristy coastal areas, like El Tunco, and we are so glad we got to experience the contrast. 

There is so much to see and do along the route, from exploring the charming towns, hiking the 7 Waterfalls, having way too much fun on the rainbow slide at Cafe Albania and soaking in thermal springs and hot waterfalls. 

Don’t underestimate how much time you need here, and please stay a few nights if you can! One day is definitely not enough to experience this lovely place. 

MORE RUTA DE LAS FLORES POSTS

• Seven Waterfalls Hike, El Salvador: Las Siete Cascadas
• Salto de Malacatiupan: El Salvador’s Hot Springs Waterfall
• Guide to Cafe Albania & The Rainbow Slide, El Salvador