It's a Wrap: El Salvador!

In Summary…

This was the first visit to El Salvador for both of us and it was truly a wonderful experience. This tiny Central American country has been on our radar for awhile, especially since it has become safer and more peaceful in recent years. Although only about the size of Massachusetts, it packs a punch of offerings, of which we only sampled a few. 

That said, below is our personal list of stats, money saving tips, and personal upsides and downsides:

Time Spent: 10 nights 

Money Spent: $705 or $70.50/day* in USD/two people, which breaks down to:

  • $326 (Accommodation) 
  • $160 (Transport) 
  • $129 (Groceries) 
  • $66 (Restaurants)
  • $24 (General) 

*Please note, $90 of this budget was the shuttle from Ataco to Antigua so removing that, $61.50 more accurately reflects the daily budget.

Our itinerary: (3) Nights San Salvador, (7) Nights Ataco

Would we return? Definitely. We’d especially love to visit the beaches, as well as Suchitoto, among other places

Best Budget Saving Tips

  • using InDrive instead of Uber in San Salvador. We weren’t there long enough to figure out public transportation 
  • Shop at local markets for produce
  • take local (chicken) buses where possible 
  • avoid booking accommodation near the airport. It’s very expensive. We paid $69 only because we knew we’d be depleted after 36 hours of flying from Portugal
  • Eat street food and pupusas to save on eating out 
  • Rent a motorbike if you want to explore the Ruta de las Flores on your own terms for $15/day
  • Buy bagged coffee from grocery stores instead of souvenir shops
  • Learn some Spanish. You’re much less likely to get gringo prices if don’t have a basic knowledge….and smile! 😀 

Our Upsides

  • Idyllic and predictably sunny and springlike weather everyday while in Ataco, which is at higher elevation.
  • Beautiful rolling mountains and lush terrain, doused with wildflowers
  • Charming villages, some which had vibes of Colombia
  • We felt completely safe everywhere we went, including Mandy when I was on my own 
  • Driving a motorbike was easy…terrific main roads and conscientious drivers 
  • The Spanish accent was fairly neutral, and thus easier to understand 
  • Taxi apps were easy to use
  • Public transportation was affordable, and easy to figure out with the help of Chat GPT
  • Locals were very friendly and welcoming, especially on the Ruta de las Flores
  • Mexico aside, pupusas are probably the best street food in Central America 
  • No mosquitoes once we got outside of San Salvador 
  • The coffee…mmmmmm!
  • Fast and stable internet 
  • They use USD as currency so we didn’t have to worry about getting rid of it; also nice not to deal with currency conversion 
  • Overall, the country is incredibly well organized, particularly the bus stations
  • Also, smooth, easy and friendly border crossing into Guatemala
  • There aren’t a lot of tourists…yet.

Our Downsides

  • Long distance shuttles, catered to tourists, were expensive. ($45 for a 4 hour ride, for example). That said, it saved a lot of hassle.
  • Definitely more expensive than we thought, especially the groceries, eating out, and laundry which was a steep $9.
  • Barking dogs…nothing new; it’s Latin America!
  • While we loved our time on the motorbike, the back roads were quite challenging to maneuver.

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