el salvador
I visited El Salvador as part of a four country trip in Central America. From Antigua, I took a five hour bus directly to El Tunco which is a beach town on the Pacific Ocean. The views from El Tunco and the surrounding area are stunning. Though I am one that prefers white sand beaches, the black sand beaches were beautiful. El Tunco is known for its surfing, and because I was short on time I did not get to try out the waves. I did get a chance to hop in the ocean and the temperature was perfect, not too hot, not too cold. All in all, though my time in El Salvador was brief I would put it as 7 of 7 of the countries in Central America. So if you’ve not been to the other six I would not recommend El Salvador, unless you are a surfer. #catchmeinelsalvador
october 2017
First Time Visited
1
Times Visited
el tunco
Cities visited
if you are a surfer
Should I visit?
3
How many days should I spend?
november - april
When should I visit?
What to eat
Seafood
El Salvador has a very long coastline, 190 miles, so seafood is a no brainer here. I had a delicious lobster cooked in a garlic sauce when I touched down.
Pupusas
While I did not fall in love with pupusas during my time in El Salvador, I think that I am the only one. Everyone that I have ever met loves pupusas, so they are certainly worth a try.
What to see
Black Sand Beaches
With a coastline of 190 miles, El Salvador has many beaches. The best beaches are in La Libertad, with El Tunco being the beach most popular with surfers and backpackers. The black sand seems to sparkle in the sun.
Instagrammable spots
Cliffs Above the Pacific
#views
The Beach
#sunsetsonthepacific
Wow this article is criticaaal. El Salvador has many beautiful places to visit including hot springs, waterfalls to die for with beautiful hikes everywhere, clubs all over the beaches that get lit, museums and cathedrals with great architecture, and not to mention, the volcanoes you can hike!!!! This is definitely a place that is for relaxation because I mean cmon, it’s the beach. If you aren’t a person who relaxes at the beach (or if you’re a person who has an extremely odd preference of the color of SAND) then sure, this probably isn’t the place for you. But if you want to actually emerse yourself in a culture with such friendly people, amazing food (by the way it’s called PUPUSAS and everyone makes them different so you have to try at least 2 different places), and beautiful views like you’ve never seen before, this is it. Locals act as guides and usually will find you once you arrive and offer to freely guide you around, tips should be implied— no body likes cheap people so don’t be one!
Hi Heather,
As you can imagine, I cannot visit every place in every country. That is impossible. My blog and experiences are based on MY experiences. Given my extensive travels, based on what I experienced El Salvador is nowhere near the top of my list, but travel is a very personal thing. I know it is Pupusas, I don’t like them and that is ok. I have had them in other places. 🙂
I’m glad to hear that you love El Salvador so much!
Hi Jessica,
Great article! Where is that gorgeous beach that you shot that’s directly under the red “what to see” letters on this page? It looks incredible!
Best,
James
That is El Tunco beach!
Hi just wanted to let you know that it’s not papusas. It’s pupusas.
Thank you for the correction!
I don’t think those are the best beach, I’d put Las Flores or El Cuco higher because nit everyone is a surfer. The beaches I mentioned have milder but fun waves to play with. I don’t think you can make a fair assessment having only visited El Tunco.
Hi Lena,
Thanks so much for your comment. Any place that I visit and talk about my blog I make an assessment based on what I have experienced. I do not profess to know everything about every country. That would be impossible. Thank you for sharing your favorite places in Ecuador!
Jessica
I am sad you didnt get to experience other opportunities in El Salvador. You need to come back to experience it again and you will realize it will go up in your charts. Blessings.
Hi Albert!
Yes, unfortunately there is so much to see in every country that I visit and so hard to see it all! I hope I can visit again in the future.