El Salvador Things to Do

  Crater of el Boquerón
by mikey_e
 
  • Crater of el Boquerón
      Crater of el Boquerón
    by mikey_e
  • Cocoa in the rich volcanic soil
      Cocoa in the rich volcanic soil
    by mikey_e
  • The main structure
      The main structure
    by mikey_e
  •   Things to Do
    by euzkadi
  •   Things to Do
    by euzkadi
 
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Fiestas Patronales... anywhere you go

by adryana

One of the things that I found most enjoyable, as a special activity, in El Salvador when we lived there (2000-2004), was to attend the local Fiestas Patronales. We had several nearby small municipalities and one or two larger ones, all with their own Saint Day. During the period of time close to and including that day, there was often a festival. Depending upon the wealth, size and religiosity of the community the festival might include any of the following: carnival ridesvendors of hand made items and confectionsMass with procession of the patron saint live bandscarousingdancing in the streetsfolkloric acts particular to the regiona parade with Queen of the Festival elected from the many beautiful young women perched on their "Carrosas" (floats).If you visit the national tourism website (see link below), you'll find a pdf doc that lists the feast days of many Salvadoran municipalities....

Santa Ana

by a005116

Santa Ana is the second largest city of the country and lies not far away from the Guatemalan border. The wonderfull theatre in the centre of the city was originally completed in 1910 and is now one of the finest theatres of Central Amerika. The neogothical cathedral on the other end of the plaza might be an other point of interest in the city.

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Cerro Verde & Volcan Izalco

by a005116

The 'Parque nacional Cerro Verde' was untill a few years ago a dangerous place to go, but recently things improved amazingly. The tourist police and park guards are certainly responsible for that. The park itself is very nice and the guides will lead you around for a increadibly cheap price. There are also possibilitys to climb one of the other volcanos in the neighboorhood with the guides.There are direct busses from Santa Ana to the Volcano. In the way to the park you'll have wonderfull views over the lago de Coatepeque and the Volcan Izalco.To enter the park you'll have to pay 0,60$

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Joya de Ceren Ruins

by MarcG

Visit the Joya de Ceren ruins, a 1500 year old village buried by 14 layers of ash from a volcano erution much like Pompeii or Herculaneum in Italy. Don't expect great pyramids but an incredible view into the life of the Mayas at the time of the explosion of the Volcano Caldera. The site has a museum and well organized tours that explain the goelogy and the history of the place.

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Parque Nacional El Imposible

by MalenaN

Parque Nacional El Imposible is situated in western El Salvador. It became a national park in 1989 and covers an area of almost 3800 hectares, at an elevation of 300 - 1450 metres above sea level. The park is covered with tropical mountain forest and here you find the greatest biodiversity in El Salvador. For example there are 984 species of vascular plants, 286 species of birds, 103 native species of mammals and over 500 species of butterflies. There are several beautiful hiking trail and beside the flora and fauna you can visit view points, waterfalls and petroglyphs.I did not visit El Imposible through the main entrance and visitor centre, but on a hike from Tacuba.During the Cerro Campana-trek that I did from Tacuba we visited El Puente Imposible. The bridge El Puente Imposible was built at a dangerous passage over a gorge in 1968. Before that the journey had been dangerous for the...

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Tacuba

by MalenaN

Tacuba is a small town with a population of 5000 inhabitants. It is situated 14 km west of Ahuachapán and near the Guatemalan border. The surroundings are beautiful with mountains and many coffee plantations. Tacuba is situated on the northern edge of Parque Nacional El Imposible at an elevation of 700 metres above sea level. From Tacuba you can arrange great hikes in to the national park or the vicinity.In the Pipil language Tacuba means “place of the ball game”. I spent two and a half days in Tacuba and during that time I made two hiking tours with Imposible tours at Hostal de Mamá y Papá. Both hikes were absolutely great! Besides the good hiking opportunities Tacuba is a nice little town to stroll around in.

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Santa Ana

by MalenaN

Santa Ana is the second largest city in El Salvador with more than 250 000 inhabitants in the urban area. The city is situated at an elevation of 650 metres above sea level and has a warm climate with an average temperature of 25°C. As the rest of El Salvador there is a wet season and a dry season.Santa Ana was inhabited long before the Spaniards arrived and was then known as Sihuatehuacán, which means “The city of sorceresses” in Nahuat. In 1569 the name was changed to Santa Ana and that year a chapel in honour of Our Lady of Santa Ana was built. Santa Ana became a town in 1812 and a city in 1824. After a revolt in 1894 against the president and dictator Carlos Ezeta Santa Ana was called the Heroic City because the revolt begun there. In the late 19th century the coffee industry grew prosperous and some of the historic buildings around Parque Libertad were built at that period.Santa Ana...

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El Torogoz

by MalenaN

The Turquoise-browed Motmot (Eumomota supercilious), in El Salvador called the Torogoz, is the national bird of the country. I saw it during both my hikes in Tacuba. Unfortunately you can’t see in my picture how colourful it is, but you can see the characteristic tail feather. The Torogoz is about 34 centimetres long and weigh about 65 grams. It can be found in Central America, from south-eastern Mexico to Costa Rica. It lives in quite open habitats where it can be seen sitting on a branch, wire or fence looking for insects or small reptiles. The nests are long tunnels often made in an earth bank (see photo 2).

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Parque Nacional Los Vulcanes

by MalenaN

Parque Nacional Los Vulcanes has only had that name since 2003. Before it was called Parque Nacional Cerro Verde and that is the name which is still in use by many people. The national park covers an area of 6300 acres and in it there are three volcanoes: Izalco, Cerro Verde and Santa Ana.Vulcan Cerro Verde hasn’t had an eruption for 25 000 years and it is in its crater that the visitor centre is situated. Here you will find the guides to climb Izalco or Santa Ana. As you can only climb the volcanoes with a guide and police escort, leaving every day at 11, you can only visit one of them in one day. Which volcano it will be depends on where the majority wants to go. We were two tourists who wanted to climb Santa Ana as we had heard it was the nicer one (our guide later said the same) and two El Salvadorians who had come for Izalco, but they luckily agreed to visit Vulcan Santa...

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Juayúa

by MalenaN

Juayúa is a charming little town along Ruta de Las Flores. It was founded in 1577, but the area was inhabited long before that. In Nahuatl Juayúa means River of the purple orchids. In the town there is a central plaza with a park. Around it there is a white church, some shops and cafés. In the surroundings there are mountains, coffee plantations and waterfalls. It’s a good area for nice hikes. As Juayua is situated 1060 metres above sea level there is also a pleasant climate.Many tourists come here for the nature, but most visitors come during the weekend when there is a food festival where you can try many El Salvadorian dishes, but also international ones. The festival has taken place in Juayúa since 1997. As Juayúa get many visitors there is a good choice of accommodation and tours to choose from.

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Fun things to do in El Salvador

Top 3 Hotels in El Salvador

Marriott San Salvador  San Salvador

 2 Reviews and 39 Opinions  This hotel is a nice place to stay, clean, neat. Staff friendly and helpful. It is located in front... 

 Hotels in San Salvador

Royal Decameron Salinitas  Sonsonate

 1 Review and 828 Opinions  [placeholder] 

 Hotels in Sonsonate

Comfort Inn San Miguel  San Miguel

 12 Opinions

 Hotels in San Miguel

36 Hotels in El Salvador
 
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Reviews and photos of El Salvador attractions posted by real travelers and locals. The best tips for El Salvador sightseeing.

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Things to Do: Cities in El Salvador
  1. San Salvador Things to Do
  2. Alegría Things to Do
  3. Santa Ana Things to Do
  4. Isla Meanguera Things to Do
  5. El Sunzal Things to Do
  6. Juayùa Things to Do
  7. El Cuco Things to Do
  8. Apaneca Things to Do
  9. Concepción de Ataco Things to Do
  10. Suchitoto Things to Do
  11. Los Cóbanos Things to Do
  12. El Zonte Things to Do
  13. Barra de Santiago Things to Do
  14. Joya de Cerén Things to Do
  15. Panchimalco Things to Do
  16. Olocuilta Things to Do
  17. Lago de Coatepeque Things to Do
  18. La Libertad Things to Do
  19. La Palma Things to Do
  20. Tacuba Things to Do
  21. Perquín Things to Do
  22. La Unión Things to Do

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Popular Regions in El Salvador

Departamento de San Salvador Things to Do  Departamento de Usulután Things to Do  Departamento de La Libertad Things to Do  Departamento de Sonsonate Things to Do  Departamento de Ahuachapán Things to Do  Departamento de Santa Ana Things to Do  Departamento de La Unión Things to Do  Departamento de Chalatenango Things to Do  Departamento de Cuscatlán Things to Do  Departamento de San Miguel Things to Do  Departamento de La Paz Things to Do 

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Questions and Answers

LAtraveler72 profile photo

Q:  I will be travelling to San Salvador on a last minute whim this Fri-Tue. If anyone knows of any family memebers or friends that I... 

LAtraveler72 profile photo

A: I may consider that. How much do you charge? I'm looking more for dining, drinking and cultural stuff. Not interested in all day tourist sites. Let me know and I will... 

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