For more details about our adventure to El Salvador, visit Ahí Vemos, El Salvador.

Travel day

• Arrive at El Salvador International Airport
• Pick up your rental car from National. Don’t forget your inflatable booster seats!
• Drive to your AirBnB in San Salvador

Day 1 – Explore San Salvador

• Stop at Denny’s for breakfast
• Explore the Tin Marin children’s museum
• Visit the National Library of San Salvador
• Eat pupusas at Kuskatán
• Visit the rainbow church, Iglesia El Rosario
• Order Cadejo Brewing Company in via Uber Eats

Day 2 – Visit the Beach

• Go to El Tunco 
• Eat dinner at Garage Burger

*Although we did not visit El Tunco, we heard it was a great place to see the surfers. We visited Playa Costa del Sol. Although we did enjoy ourselves, the waves were huge and the rip current was strong.

Day 3 – Travel to Lake Coatepeque from San Salvador

• Stop at El Boquerón
• Visit Parque Arqueológico Joya de Cerén, or the “Pompeii of the Americas”
• Venture over to Parque Arqueológico San Andrés
• Stop for pizza at Villa Italian near Congo
• Arrive at your AirBnB overlooking Lake Coatepeque

Day 4 – Cerro Verde and Santa Ana

• Stop for breakfast at Los Volcanes Bistro Café in Cerro Verde National Park 
  • For a longer, more difficult hike, find a private guide or tour operator to hike Santa Ana Volcano
  • If you’re arriving late morning/midday or looking for an easier hike, take the scheduled, guided hike outside of the restaurant
• Drive to Santa Ana and visit Our Lady of Santa Ana Cathedral
• Stop for dinner. We ate at Simmer Down right outside the cathedral

Day 5 – Lake Coatepeque

• Take a Lake Coatepeque boat tour with Jaime Martinez of Eclipse Tours which includes a visit to the hot springs
• Eat lunch at Restaurante Las Palmeras
• Hire a private cook for dinner back at the AirBnB

Travel Tip

If you are planning on visiting El Salvador, it’s generally recommended not to drink tap water (same with brushing your teeth, being mindful while showering, swimming in pools, etc.) unless you’re certain it’s been properly treated. Bottled water is available everywhere, and many of the hotels and restaurants we visited did provide purified or filtered water. We recommend taking probiotics prior to your trip, and if you have one available, a LifeStraw which we’ve recommended as a travel essential before. This should not deter you from visiting this beautiful country.