A country · 48 places · 9 regions
El Salvador, all of it.
48 curated places across 9 regions — photographed, mapped, and noted with the season each is best in.
The 4 biggest regions — Santa Ana Department, San Salvador Department, Sonsonate Department and Ahuachapán Department — read below as chapters, with 5 more waiting past them.
Chapter I · Santa Ana Department · 9 places
Santa Ana Department
The highest volcano in El Salvador, climbed on a guided morning hike to a crater rim overlooking a steaming turquoise acid lake. The route through farmland and dry forest is short enough for most reasonably fit visitors, with Lake Coatepeque spread out below.
via Wikimedia CommonsChapter II · San Salvador Department · 8 places
San Salvador Department
A small town beneath towering cliffs that retains a strong Indigenous Pipil identity and a much-photographed colonial church. Its flower-petal processions are a highlight of the local calendar.
✦ November to April · $
Chapter III · Sonsonate Department · 6 places
Sonsonate Department
A near-perfect black cone that erupted almost continuously for two centuries, earning the nickname Lighthouse of the Pacific from sailors who steered by its glow. Today a steep guided scramble from Cerro Verde descends a saddle and climbs bare volcanic scree to the crater.
via Wikimedia CommonsChapter IV · Ahuachapán Department · 5 places
Ahuachapán Department
A highland coffee town on the Ruta de las Flores known for the vivid murals covering its adobe walls and a weekend craft scene spilling through cobbled lanes. Cool mountain air and surrounding plantations invite slow wandering between cafes and viewpoints.
✦ November to February, when coffee flowers and cool weather peak · $
Regions of El Salvador
Every place in El Salvador
48 places, one country.
Suchitoto
Cuscatlán Department, El Salvador
✦ November to April; November to February for migratory birds on Lake Suchitlán · $
Santa Ana Volcano
Santa Ana Department, El Salvador
✦ November to April; hikes depart mid-morning with the police-escorted group · $
Lake Coatepeque
Santa Ana Department, El Salvador
✦ November to April; weekdays offer a much quieter lakefront · $$
Izalco (volcano)
Sonsonate Department, El Salvador
✦ November to April for clear views and dry footing on the scree · $
Tazumal
Santa Ana Department, El Salvador
✦ November to April; combine with the nearby Casa Blanca site · $
San Andrés, El Salvador
La Libertad, El Salvador
✦ November to April, in the dry season · $
El Tunco
La Libertad, El Salvador
✦ March to October for consistent surf swells; December to April for dry weather · $
El Zonte
La Libertad Department, El Salvador
✦ March to October for surf; mornings offer the cleanest conditions · $
Juayúa
Sonsonate Department, El Salvador
✦ November to February for coffee harvest and flowering hillsides; weekends for the food festival · $
Concepción de Ataco
Ahuachapán Department, El Salvador
✦ November to February, when coffee flowers and cool weather peak · $
Lake Ilopango
San Salvador, El Salvador
✦ November to April for clear skies and calm water · $
El Imposible National Park
Ahuachapán Department, El Salvador
✦ November to April; local guides are required on most trails · $
Perquín
Morazán Department, El Salvador
✦ November to April · $
Alegría
Usulután, El Salvador
✦ November to April · $
Apaneca
Ahuachapán Department, El Salvador
✦ November to April · $
Nahuizalco
Sonsonate Department, El Salvador
✦ November to April · $
Panchimalco
San Salvador Department, El Salvador
✦ November to April · $
Cihuatán
San Salvador Department, El Salvador
✦ November to April · $
National Palace of El Salvador
San Salvador Department, El Salvador
✦ November-April · $
Tin Marin Children's Museum
San Salvador Department, El Salvador
✦ November-April · $
Cuscatlan Park
La Libertad Department, El Salvador
✦ November-April · $
Joya de Cerén Archaeological Site
San Juan Opico, El Salvador
✦ December–April · $
Cerro Verde National Park
Santa Ana, El Salvador
✦ November to April · $
San Andrés
La Libertad, El Salvador
✦ November to April · $