El Salvador holidays
El Salvador holidays at a glance
Our El Salvador holidays take you across a country that’s small on the map but full of variety, from volcanic peaks and coffee-covered hills to colonial towns and an undeveloped Pacific coast. Distances are short, so you’re rarely long in the car, and the welcome from the Salvadoreños is one of the warmest in Latin America. It’s a country still finding its feet on the tourism map, which is much of the appeal.
A chain of volcanoes runs across El Salvador, several of them walkable in a morning, including Santa Ana, the highest, with its crater lake at the top. Around them lie the coffee highlands, threaded by the Ruta de las Flores, a scenic road linking villages like Ataco, Juayúa and Apaneca. You’ll walk the trails, visit a working coffee farm and graze the weekend food markets between hikes.
Away from the hills, well-preserved colonial towns like Suchitoto sit above lakes and reservoirs, their cobbled streets lined with galleries. The Pacific coast runs dark and volcanic, quiet but for the surfers at Punta Roca and the mangroves of Jiquilisco Bay. El Salvador’s recent past is close to the surface too, and the Ruta de la Paz through Perquín tells the story of the 1980 to 1992 civil war honestly and movingly.
Why choose Journey Latin America for your holiday to El Salvador
We’ve been planning trips to Central and South America for over 45 years, longer than any other UK specialist. Every holiday is built around you by a Travel Expert who has been to the places they recommend, with support from your first enquiry to the day you fly home.
Don’t miss Suchitoto. It’s one of the best colonial towns in Central America, and the boat trip across Lago Suchitlán is a highlight.
When to visit El Salvador
El Salvador has a tropical climate and is warm year-round, so the main thing to plan around is the rain. Broadly, the drier, cooler months make the easiest time to travel.
This is the dry season in El Salvador with warm temperatures and sunshine. Areas at higher altitude will however be cooler, particularly at night. This is the perfect time to visit but plan in advance for Christmas, New Year and Easter as this is the busiest time of year for local tourism
The end of May officially marks the start of the wet season but showers are usually short and confined to the afternoons and evenings. From September to November it becomes increasingly wet and humid and there is a higher risk of tropical storms.
Places to visit in El Salvador
El Salvador is compact enough to explore in under two weeks, with short overland journeys linking regions that each feel quite different. Here’s where we recommend spending your time.
Gulf of Fonseca and Eastern El Salvador
The Gulf of Fonseca in El Salvador combines mangrove-lined shores, volcanic hills and quiet islands with a slower pace of life. Beyond the coast, eastern El Salvador offers mountain communities, fascinating history and some of Central America’s finest birdwatching, making it one of the country’s most rewarding yet least-visited regions.
Pacific Coast
Volcanic black sand beaches, soft white bays and sleepy fishing villages line El Salvador’s Pacific coastline, backed by some of the best surf breaks in Central America. Stretching along most of the country’s southern edge, El Salvador Pacific Coast holidays combine beach days, wildlife and some of the most striking ocean scenery in the region.
Ruta de las Flores
The Ruta de las Flores winds through El Salvador’s principal coffee-growing region, linking a string of highland towns renowned for artisan traditions, gastronomy and mountain scenery. Connecting Ataco, Nahuizalco, Juayúa and Apaneca, it offers one of Central America’s most rewarding road trip experiences.
Top Things to do in El Salvador
From coffee-country hikes and colonial strolls to turtle patrols and civil-war history, El Salvador offers a surprising range for such a small country. Here’s what we recommend.
Explore the cobbled streets of a charming colonial town before taking a boat tour of Lake Suchitlán, a haven for bird life.
On a guided tour, explore the colonial heart of San Salvador and its revolutionary history.
Discover the country’s most important Mayan site, buried for centuries under volcanic ash.
Accommodation in El Salvador
We hand-pick every property for character, location and quality. El Salvador leans towards small, independently owned places rather than international chains, which suits it well. Along the Ruta de las Flores, family-run guesthouses come with valley views and home-grown coffee. On the Pacific coast, simple lodges sit within earshot of the surf, and Jiquilisco Bay has its stilted bungalows over the water. In the east, small mountain lodges near Perquín make a comfortable base for the Ruta de la Paz.
Simple hillside hotel of wooden cabins overlooking mountains and coffee plantations, with a good restaurant and a commitment to social projects.
Casa de mar is a friendly lodge and surfing centre overlooking popular Sunzal Beach on El Salvador’s Pacific coast.
Puerto Barillas is a small marina and lodge hidden amongst mangroves, plantations and a natural forest reserve on the banks of a clear water channel within Jiquilisco Bay, on El Salvador’s Pacific coast.
A former Journey Latin America tour leader, Sally spent 7 years working, travelling and living throughout Latin America before returning to the UK to help people arrange their own adventures to this wonderful destination.
Holidays to El Salvador
From expertly designed Private Journeys to trail-blazing Escorted Group Tours, browse our range of carefully crafted holidays to El Salvador.
Group El Salvador Tours
Our group tours follow expertly designed, well-planned routes with an experienced local guide throughout. Prefer to keep it to your own party? Book the same trips privately for four or more.
Alción: Central America Discovery
Places visited: Panama City · Boquete and the Chiriquí Highlands · Caribbean coast · Monteverde and the cloud forest · Ometepe Island · Granada · Leon · Gulf of Fonseca and Eastern El Salvador · Suchitoto · Copan · Antigua and the highlands
22 days from £4,174
Tropicbird: Highlights of Central America
Places visited: Granada · Leon · Suchitoto · Antigua and the highlands · Lake Atitlan and villages · Maya mountains and jungle
19 days from £4,804
Tailor-Made El Salvador Tours
Prefer to travel on your own terms? We’ll build a trip around your dates, your pace and the things you most want to see – whether that’s a first run at Machu Picchu, a family adventure mixing history and wildlife, or a food-focused journey through Lima and the Sacred Valley. Our Travel Experts can help shape it with you.
Signature El Salvador: Revolutionary road trip
Places visited: San Salvador · Ruta de las Flores · Gulf of Fonseca and Eastern El Salvador · Suchitoto · Pacific Coast
11 days from £2,775
Signature Guatemala, Honduras & El Salvador: Mayan ruins, colonial cities and Pacific beaches
Places visited: Lake Atitlan and villages · Antigua and the highlands · Copan · Suchitoto · Ruta de las Flores · Pacific Coast
15 days from £3,950
Undiscovered El Salvador and Nicaragua
Places visited: San Salvador · Ruta de las Flores · Suchitoto · Gulf of Fonseca and Eastern El Salvador · Leon · Ometepe Island · Granada · Rio San Juan
19 days from £4,700
FAQs about visiting El Salvador
El Salvador is one of the most popular destinations, and there’s plenty to think about before you go. Here, our specialists share their best advice.
- When is the best time to visit El Salvador?
The coastal lowlands have a hot tropical climate all year round with temperatures peaking at well over 30°C. The mountainous interior has a milder climate and in Dec-Jan temperatures hover around 18°C and it is cool at night. The best time to visit is during the drier months of Nov-Feb – it gets very hot thereafter. The rainy season runs May-Oct with short tropical showers – it is cooler, but some of the back roads may be impassable. Sep-Nov is the season when rainfall may be heavy and hurricanes are possible.
For more detailed information visit our When To Go section.
- What is the official language of El Salvador?
The official language spoken in El Salvador is Spanish.
- What is El Salvador's official currency?
The official currency of El Salvador is the US dollar. The former local currency (colon), was phased out in 2003. You can obtain US dollar cash or exchange travellers cheques locally in banks and money exchanges (casas de cambio) and may be able to obtain cash advances via the few ATMs in larger towns and cities. You should authorise your bank first, and withdrawals may be limited.
- What is the time difference between El Salvador and the UK?
The time difference between the UK and El Salvador is GMT-6 hrs.
- Do I need a visa for El Salvador?
Holders of a full British passport do not require a visa, although passports must be valid for at least 6 months after the trip begins. Anyone with a different nationality should enquire with us or check with the relevant consulate.
If flying to the US, or via the US you will need to fill in your online ESTA application. - What vaccinations do I need for El Salvador?
Please check Travel Health Pro for information on health recommendations and vaccinations for the destinations you are visiting. Please note that many Latin American countries require proof of vaccination against Yellow Fever if you have recently travelled to another country where Yellow Fever is present.
- Which other countries combine well with El Salvador?
A visit to neighbouring Central America countries, such as Nicaragua with its splendid colonial cities and coral island beaches; wildlife-rich, slickly organised Costa Rica and the Mayan cities of Guatemala, all easily accessed by land or air.
- What are the festivals and cultural or sporting events in El Salvador?
Semana Santa, Easter is celebrated throughout El Salvador. It is celebrated from Thursday through to Easter Sunday.
Towns and villages all celebrate the feast days of their local saint, sometimes with protracted celebrations, as in San Miguel and Sonsonate with programmes of artistic events.Arts and Culture Festival takes place in February in Suchitoto. The pretty colonial town hosts a world-class arts and culture festival with music and dance groups.
Ready to start planning?
Tell us where you want to go, and we’ll take it from there. No obligation, no sales pitch – just a conversation with someone who knows the region inside out.
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Travel Consultant Sophie Barber shares a recipe she brought home with her from a recent trip to El Salvador.
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