sample el salvador tours
At Destination Seekers we offer a completely bespoke service, ensuring that your itinerary is perfect for you. For inspiration, please find below a sample tour of El Salvador.
Classic El Salvador
Day 1: San Salvador
Arrive in the capital of San Salvador. Take some leisure time to explore the leafy plazas and pedestrianised central zones. It is very pleasant to wander around the good looking San Salvador.
Day 2 to 3: Jiquilisco Bay
Today starts with a walking tour of the city, visiting the main attractions including the Iglesia El Rosario. This unusual and abstract piece of architecture contrasts sharply with the colonial and classical buildings that you will find elsewhere in the city, such as the National Palace. In the afternoon you will journey to Jiquilisco Bay, a biosphere reserve and large network of canals and mangrove-lined inlets that are largely undeveloped. In addition to hosting over 200 species of bird, this area plays an important role in turtle conservation efforts. You spend the rest of the day relaxing, and you can bird watch or observe the fishermen.
You will have a free morning the next day, and you can choose an optional activity if you are feel a little adventurous. You could kayak through the mangroves searching for crocodiles, or take a bike ride through banana plantations and cocoa farms. In the afternoon take a boat trip through the mangrove canals with the Eastern Pacific Hawksbill Initiative (known in Spanish as ICAPO). You’ll be accompanied by a biologist from the project who will explain more about what they do to protect endangered species.
Day 4 to 5: Suchitoto
On the drive to the colonial town of Suchitoto, you will explore El Salvador's countryside. You will pass through the rural village of Berlin, with a prime location near the top of a volcano, offering excellent views across the landscape. From here you will trek to the the Laguna de Alegria, located within the crater of the dormant volcano Tecapa. The lagoon glows a brilliant green colour due to the sulphur and other minerals within. You will also visit the colourful mountain town of Pueblo Alegria. You will spend a relaxed evening in the peaceful lakeside town of Suchitoto.
The following day you will travel to the rainforest community of La Cinquera. This small village has emerged from the brutality of the civil war in the 1980s, and has established a grassroots tourism project that serves as a living museum of the wartime era, with the ex-guerrillas and their families acting as guides. The tour takes us through the forest, and the roughly two-hour walk is steep and hilly in parts. The afternoon is free time in Suchitoto to explore.
Day 6: Cerro Verde
On the way to our final stop today we pass Joya de Ceren, a UNESCO-listed archaeological site that can be likened to Pompeii. This Maya farming community was covered by an eruption of the Loma caldera in the 7th century and the villagers possessions were immaculately preserved by ash. This is is one of the best and most complete records of pre-hispanic life in Central America. You will then drive to the volcano-laden Los Volcanoes National Park, via the immense and beautiful crater lake of Coatepeque, before arriving in Cerro Verde, the base for your volcano hike tomorrow.
Day 7 to 8: Ataco
The Santa Ana volcano is El Salvador's highest, at approximately 2300m high. The ascent from your starting point in Cerro Verde is moderate grade. The landscape begins as forest and then begins to change as the overgrowth becomes more barren, and a rocky, volcanic terrain takes over with red-black rocks cracking underfoot. The one hour hike to the summit is rewarded with the lamatepec crater lake, its milky-green colour contrasting starkly against the black rock that encloses it. The views from here are simply awesome, with the volcano Izalco rising out of the valley and the enormous Coatepeque lake spreading out to the east. Not to mention the small villages dotted around the impressive landscape.
Once you have retuned from your hike, the next stop is the ancient Mayan site of Tazumal, one of the main pre-Columbian set of ruins in El Salvador. From Tazumal, it is a short distance to the small colonial town of Ataco, on El Salvador's Ruta de las Flores.
The next day you will experience the beautiful Ruta de las Flores, following the meandering set of small villages, each with an array of different colonial-era buildings. It is designed to be visited slowly, savouring the food and the ambiance. The main village are Ataco and Juayua, with its superb weekend food festival. As part of this trip you will also visit the Cascadas de Don Juan, where you can take a swim.
Day 9: La Libertad
For a slightly different experience, you can visit a small coffee farm before leaving Ataco. You will then set off to La Libertad, your end point for today. On the way you will stop for a walk on the beach at Los Cobanos to spot marine life such as heron and crab, and watching the fishermen in action. You will also be able to swim off the beach. La Libertad is famed as one of the best surfing spots in the Americas and has one of the areas most striking black sand beaches.
Day 10: Sunzal
You can spend this last day in El Salvador at your leisure. You could take a surfing lesson, or drive outside La Libertad to the San Antonio Waterfalls, where you can bathe in the refreshing pool underneath the long drop. Other options include the Mercado del Mar fish market, nearby community turtle breeding farms or coastal walks.
Day 11: End of tour, travel home
Today you will travel back to San Salvador, ready for your return flight home.
Inspired? Talk to Desintation Seekers to discuss your bespoke itinerary to El Salvador.
