El Salvador

Cihuatán: El Salvador’s Largest Pre-Hispanic City
Not only was Cihuatán the largest ancient city in what’s now El Salvador, but its history is both unique and mysterious. The city wasn’t founded until 900 AD, at a time when many other cities throughout the Mayan world were collapsing. But many archaeologists believe that Cihuatán wasn’t even truly Mayan. Despite being located within Mayan

Suchitoto: El Salvador’s Most Charming Small Town
Located 50 km northeast of San Salvador, Suchitoto is arguably the country’s most endearing small town, featuring an even mix of charming colonial architecture and scenic views. Not only can the beautiful Lago Suchitlán be seen from the town itself, but within walking distance is the unique Cascada Los Tercios waterfall. Interestingly, the original San

A Guide to San Salvador: The Capital’s Top Things to Do
In the following guide, we’ll be covering the top things to do in San Salvador – a city that, frankly, has never really been known as a tourist destination. But the city – and the country as a whole – has recently been the focus of media attention for miraculously reducing its crime rate in

Santa Ana, El Salvador & Its Top Day Trips
Though Santa Ana, El Salvador may be the country’s second-largest city, it has an altogether different look and feel from the capital. It’s more similar to one of the country’s smaller colonial towns, albeit with a lot of people and traffic thrown in. Santa Ana has a beautiful historic center that was largely funded by

A Journey Through El Salvador’s Ruta de Las Flores
The Ruta de las Flores is often hyped up as one of the top day trips from Santa Ana, if not El Salvador as a whole. The region is home to about five colonial-era towns, while it’s also known for its coffee plantations and of course, colorful flowers. Given the laidback nature of the area,

Joya de Cerén: The Mayan Pompeii (+ San Andrés)
Joya de Cerén may have never been the seat of a mighty king, nor did it contain a single pyramid. But today, the UNESCO World Heritage Site is pivotal when it comes to our understanding of the pre-Hispanic Maya, as it’s the only place where an ancient rural village has been preserved in situ. The

Tazumal: El Salvador’s Overlooked Mayan Ruins
Scattered around the modern town of Chalchuapa, the Chalchuapa Archaeological Zone is home to no less than ten known ancient Mayan sites. But among them, only Tazumal and Casa Blanca are currently open to the public. Just a short distance from the city of Santa Ana, Tazumal is especially worth the trip to see, and it could

Hiking Santa Ana Volcano: Everything You Need to Know
Santa Ana Volcano is El Salvador’s highest volcano, its third-highest peak, and arguably the country’s most popular day trip. In the following guide, we’ll be covering everything you need to know about the Santa Ana Volcano hike, including the trek itself and transportation. Of course, when reading superlatives about a tiny country like El Salvador,