For those of you who follow us on social media, you might see that we are in a new country after having spent over two months in Mexico. That’s right, we are here exploring the beautiful country of El Salvador. We’ve been here for over two weeks and will have spent a little over three weeks in total when it comes time for us to leave this country. We’ve rented a super nice, quaint apartment in downtown San Salvador, using it as our base for weekend exploration. In our first few days in the city, we have been eating as many pupusas as one can expect while also spending time exploring the nation’s capital’s sites (another blog post for another day). For our first weekend in El Salvador, we ventured to the country’s second-largest city, Santa Ana, for a weekend getaway filled with culture and nature.
Santa Ana is the perfect place to spend a few days on anyone’s El Salvador itinerary, whether it be for a month, a week or just a few days in the country. The city is a great base to hit the nearby Santa Ana Volcano (Ilamatepec), Ruta de Flores, and Lake Coatepeque. With a few days spent in Santa Ana, you can hit all of these locations easily. So, vamos a Santa Ana!
How to get there from San Salvador:
As we only have experience going to Santa Ana from San Salvador, that is all we can speak for. From our understanding, there are only three ways to go the 40 miles/64 kilometers to Santa Ana:
- Uber (for prices as of Nov. 2024): $32-36 USD (yes, they use American dollars here)
- Renting a car
- Taking a bus (this is what we did)
To take the bus, head to the Terminal de Buses de Occidente and look for the bus number 201 from the company TUDO. There are two buses ‘Servicio Ordinario’ and Servicio Especial’. We took the ‘Serivicio Ordinario’ for about $1 per person. You buy the tickets on the bus, and it’s pretty easy even though the bus station can be a little confusing and lacking information. Buses run every 15 minutes according to the website and take about 1.5 hours.
TRAVELER HACK: Don’t go during rush hour if you can, as it adds over an hour to the expected time. San Salvador traffic is notoriously bad.
What to do in Santa Ana city:
Most of what you will see in Santa Ana is concentrated in the city’s central square, which takes you on a journey through old, colonial Spanish architecture. While there isn’t a ton to do in the city, here are our three recommendations:
- Explore the Santa Ana Cathedral
- Visit the neo-Gothic Santa Ana Cathedral (Catedral de la Señora Santa Ana), one of the most iconic landmarks in the city. Admire its intricate architecture and beautiful stained-glass windows. At night, it is for sure one of the most beautiful sights, almost blinding with how bright its lights are
- Santa Ana Theater (Teatro de Santa Ana)
- Check out the Teatro Nacional de Santa Ana, an elegant building dating back to the early 20th century. It’s a great spot for photography and sometimes hosts performances or exhibitions.
- Central Plaza (Parque Libertad)
- Relax at the central square, Parque Libertad, surrounded by colonial buildings. It’s a great spot to people-watch and enjoy the local vibe.
Hiking Santa Ana Volcano (Ilamatepec): This is really what we came for when deciding our weekend getaway. While we both aren’t the biggest hikers, we really regretted not hiking the famous Acatenango Volcano in nearby Guatemala due to weather concerns. So, we packed our hiking shoes (or just regular running shoes, seriously we ain’t hikers) and got ready for a day spent on a volcano searching for a beautifully turquoise lake within the volcano’s crater.
To get to the base of Ilamatepec, we took bus #248 which was a little confusing to find information of its departure point. But, that’s why we are going to write it for you:
- Head to the Sala de Espera y Abordaje, on 11 Calle Pte. It’s just north of the Super Selectos, and close to the main bus station. It doesn’t look like a bus station, but the name is on the front of the building. Be there in time for the 7:30am departure because if you miss it, you will have to find your own transportation which can be quite difficult. This is the only time for the bus- so…DON’T BE LATE
If you have ever spent time in Central America, you might have heard of chicken buses which are oftentimes reused American school buses where people are crammed in at low price. ThIis is no different except we didn’t see much cramming happening. The ticket is about $0.80 and takes about 1.5 hour to reach the base. You will know when to get off when you see the other gringos getting off (trust me, there will be other gringos on the bus looking to do the hike).
Upon arrival, you will be met by local guides looking to form groups to begin the ascent. Unfortunately, you will be unable to explore the volcano by yourself and you will have to take one of these guides. But, no worries, it is only $3 a person and just someone to ensure you safely reach the top. After paying an additional $3/person for park entry, you are only set back $6 for seriously an incredible experience.
The Hike:
I would say the hike is on the easier end (mainly because I do not want to say it was harder than what it actually is for real hikers) and takes about 1.5 hours to reach the top. The trail is a mixture of jungle trekking and then rock formations closer to the top. The views are incredible of the surrounding Salvadoran mountains and forests. Upon reaching the top, you are greeted by some of the best nature views you might see- a crater lake exhibiting a turquoise color that might throw you back to the blue Gatorade days. It was seriously incredible, especially if you have a drone. 😉
One thing I will say that is negative about this experience is how rushed you are. The guide only gives you about 20 minutes to enjoy the view of El Salvador’s largest volcano and then it’s time to go down. After about 5 minutes of discussing with the guide that we wanted more time, we settled on the fact that we had to rip off the paper bracelet that signified our group. Without this, we were no longer our guide’s responsibility. I seriously recommend that you do this because hiking 1.5 hours for a 20 minute view of something as incredible as Ilamatepec just doesn’t do it justice. As our group left, there were many other tourists there, so it wasn’t a problem and we weren’t rushed at all. The descent was fine and we were glad to have stayed. All in all, the volcano was absolutely incredible and I would recommend it as a reason alone to visit El Salvador.
Traveler Hack: If you do choose to spend more time at the summit, be mindful that you will probably miss the 1pm bus back to Santa Ana (the same one you took to the base). The next bus doesn’t pass until 4pm which can set the stage for some intense boredom at the base where there are just a few roadside stands in the middle of the forest. If this is the case, I recommend arranging a taxi to take you back to the city when you are done with the hike. Otherwise you might be waiting like us for a random taxi to pass by (no Ubers will come out this way).
Ruta de Flores: The Route of Flowers
While researching our weekend activities in Santa Ana, we kept hearing about the Ruta de Flores and were a little confused as to what that meant. Yet, we wanted to figure it out for ourselves as we were told that November was the start of the best season to do so. (May-October is classified as the rainy season).
So what is the Ruta de Flores, you might ask? Well basically, it is one of El Salvador’s most scenic and popular tourist destinations. It’s a 36-kilometer route that winds through the mountainous region of Ahuachapán and Sonsonate, connecting charming towns and offering visitors a mix of culture, nature, and gastronomy. So, we decided to rent a bike from our hostel for $15 (BEST WAY TO SEE THIS ROUTE) and we were off…¡Vamos!
If you have experience renting motorbikes in places like SE Asia, this activity is truly a no-brainer! The ride was amazing, seeing El Salvador’s lush vegetation, mountains and even volcanos. Just be mindful of other drivers as the chicken buses come whipping around the corners without really seeing if other cars are near. Here are the towns along the route that we recommend seeing:
- Juayúa
- Famous for its weekend Gastronomic Festival, where you can sample local and international dishes.
- Visit the Black Christ Church and enjoy nearby waterfalls like Los Chorros de la Calera.
- Apaneca
- A hub for outdoor activities like zip-lining, hiking, and quad biking.
- Known for its coffee plantations, you can take a tour to learn about coffee production.
- Explore the serene Laguna Verde and Laguna de las Ninfas, two crater lakes surrounded by lush vegetation.
- Ataco
- Recognized for its vibrant street murals and handicrafts.
- Stroll through the artisan markets and enjoy the town’s lively, bohemian atmosphere.
- Try Ataco’s signature hot chocolate or coffee in one of its charming cafés.
- Concepción de Ataco
- A quaint village with cobblestone streets and colorful houses.
- It’s part of the same municipality as Ataco and often blended into itineraries.
- Nahuizalco
- Known for its indigenous heritage and handcrafted wicker and wood furniture.
- Visit the evening Night Market, illuminated by candles for a magical shopping experience.
For $15, a motorbike is definitely the way to do this. Gas will only run you back about $6 for the day and we are so glad to have done our own self-exploration. You can devote about a day to the Ruta de Flores as each town is worth a few hours. We very much recommend it if you are in the area.
Looking back on it, our weekend getaway to Santa Ana was incredible as it is the perfect combination of history and architecture with dramatic nature. We would recommend adding Santa Ana and the surrounding areas to anyone’s Salvadoran itinerary. You can’t go wrong here! Stay tuned for more content regarding our time spent in this beautiful Central American country.
