Why El Salvador for a Honeymoon
The appeal is variety packed into short drives. The coastal strip west of the port of La Libertad has a string of right-hand point breaks that draw surfers from around the world, plus beach bars where nonsurfers can watch from a hammock. El Tunco, El Zonte and the cliffs around Mizata each have a different personality.
Inland, the country is a line of volcanoes. Lake Coatepeque is a deep blue caldera lake with lakeside hotels and docks for swimming. Next to it the Santa Ana volcano has a green, steaming crater lake at the summit that you can reach on a guided morning hike.
The Ruta de las Flores links cool highland towns like Juayúa, Apaneca and Concepción de Ataco, where coffee farms run tours and every wall seems to carry a painted mural. It is a good counterweight to beach heat. Few places in the region let you combine all three in a single week without long transfers.
Safety and the State of Exception
The State Department rates El Salvador Level 1, Exercise Normal Precautions. That is a remarkable change from a decade ago. Visitors now walk the historic center of San Salvador at night in a way that was unthinkable before.
The State of Exception that made it possible is still in force. It suspends some constitutional protections and allows arrest without a warrant on suspicion of gang ties. Tourists are rarely affected, but the advisory says some US citizens have been detained and not yet tried. Carry ID or a passport copy, cooperate calmly at checkpoints. Police stops are routine and usually brief.
Ordinary precautions still apply. The Pacific has strong currents and rip tides, so swim where locals swim. Avoid driving between cities after dark because of road conditions. Remember that drunk driving rules are zero tolerance. Tap water is not safe to drink.
Women may get catcalls in towns, which is irritating rather than dangerous; ignoring it works best. Mosquitoes carry dengue here; if you're pregnant or hoping to be soon, check CDC travel health notices for El Salvador.
Best Time to Visit
The dry season runs from about November through April. Skies stay clear, mountain roads are dusty but easy and the beaches are at their calmest for swimming. December through February is the most comfortable stretch, with cooler evenings on the Ruta de las Flores. March and April get hot on the coast.
Semana Santa, the week before Easter, brings Salvadoran families to every beach and lake. Reserve rooms well ahead if your dates fall then.
The rainy season runs May through October. Most days start sunny and end with a heavy afternoon storm. Surfers love this period because the swells are bigger, but it is less pleasant for lounging. September and October are the wettest, with risk of tropical storms and landslides on mountain roads.
In early August San Salvador celebrates the Fiestas Agostinas. The second Sunday of November is National Pupusa Day.
Where to Go
- El Tunco and the surf coast: the liveliest beach town, with surf schools, sunset bars and the rock that gives the town its name. Our El Tunco guide covers it and the quieter beaches nearby.
- Lake Coatepeque: a crater lake about 90 minutes from the coast, best for a slow two nights in a lakeside hotel.
- Santa Ana Volcano: the country's highest volcano, with a turquoise crater lake at the top and a hike of a few hours round trip.
- Ruta de las Flores: coffee farms, murals, a weekend food fair in Juayúa and waterfalls you can swim under.
- Suchitoto: a cobblestone colonial town above Lake Suchitlán, with art galleries and indigo dye workshops.
- Joya de Cerén: a UNESCO-listed Maya farming village buried by volcanic ash around 1,400 years ago.
- The eastern coast: Las Flores and El Cuco have long beaches and point breaks with few crowds.
Sample 10-Day Itinerary
Days 1 to 3: Land at SAL and drive about 40 minutes to the coast around El Tunco or El Zonte. Take a surf lesson, eat fish tacos on the sand and watch sunset from a cliffside bar above El Zonte.
Days 4 and 5: Head inland to Lake Coatepeque. Spend one morning hiking Santa Ana Volcano with a guide and the next swimming off your hotel's dock or taking a boat across the caldera.
Days 6 and 7: Drive the Ruta de las Flores. Stay in Juayúa or Ataco, tour a coffee farm, swim at the Siete Cascadas waterfalls and eat your way through the weekend food fair.
Days 8 and 9: Cross the country to Suchitoto for colonial streets, a boat on Lake Suchitlán and an indigo workshop. Stop at Joya de Cerén on the way.
Day 10: Return to San Salvador for a final dinner in the Centro Histórico, then fly home.
Budget and Costs
El Salvador uses the US dollar, which makes budgeting simple. The figures below are approximate.
Good boutique hotels and beachfront guesthouses on the surf coast usually run about $90 to $200 a night for two. Lakeside hotels at Coatepeque and boutique inns on the Ruta de las Flores fall in a similar range. A few higher-end resorts on the coast cost more, though true luxury properties are still rare.
A plate of pupusas costs about a dollar each at a roadside pupusería. A seafood dinner for two with drinks at a beach restaurant often comes to $30 to $60. Guided volcano hikes, coffee tours and surf lessons are typically $20 to $60 per person.
A private driver for a full day usually costs $80 to $150, depending on distance. A rental car is cheaper but you will want to avoid driving after dark. Keep small bills for pupuserías, tips and parking.
Getting There and Around
Saint Óscar Arnulfo Romero International Airport (SAL) is one of the best-connected airports in Central America because Avianca runs its regional hub there. Nonstops reach Miami, Houston, Dallas, Atlanta, New York, Newark, Washington, Boston, Los Angeles and San Francisco, with seasonal routes from Chicago and Las Vegas. Flights from Texas and Florida take two to three hours.
The airport is closer to the beach than to the capital. El Tunco is about 40 minutes away and San Salvador about 45.
Distances are short, so most couples hire a private driver or rent a car. The coastal highway and the main routes to Santa Ana are paved and in decent shape. Mountain roads to Suchitoto and the Ruta de las Flores are slower, with curves and occasional landslides in the rainy season. Numbered public buses are very cheap but crowded and not ideal with luggage.
Culture and Etiquette
Salvadorans call themselves guanacos and are known around the region for their friendliness. Greet people with buenos días before asking for anything. Use señor or señora with strangers. A little Spanish earns real goodwill, though English is common in surf towns, partly because many locals have lived in the US.
The pupusa is the national dish: a thick corn or rice tortilla stuffed with cheese, beans, pork or the edible flower loroco, served with pickled cabbage and tomato salsa. Eat it with your hands. Try horchata made from morro seeds and a cup of local Pacamara coffee.
Dress is casual at the beach, but cover up a little in towns and churches. Political views run strong in every direction, so let locals lead conversations about the government. Tip about 10 percent in restaurants if service is not already included.
Quick tips
- Bring small bills: $50 and $100 notes are hard to break outside banks and big hotels.
- Drink zero alcohol if you drive; any amount can lead to arrest.
- Pack nothing containing THC or CBD; most CBD products are illegal here.
