Last Updated on: 8th August 2024, 09:22 pm
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, some travelers might want to take things slow and spend a few nights there. But this guide focuses on what you can expect to see as a day trip from Santa Ana.
While Ruta de las Flores tours are abundant, you can save money by taking public transportation to each town, which is the method described below.
Just be forewarned – you’ll be spending a lot of time on buses, and most people will only have time to visit three villages: Ataco, Apaneca and Juayua. Other towns in the region include Nahuizalco and Salcoatitán, though these will not be covered below.
Also bear in mind that the best time to visit is from November-April when the flowers are in full bloom. The pictures below were taken during the summer rainy season when hardly any flowers can be seen.
For more specific details on getting around by bus, where to stay in Santa Ana, and thoughts on whether or not the Ruta de las Flores lives up to the hype, be sure to check the end of the article.
Ataco
Though planning to begin my Ruta de Las Flores trip from the opposite direction in Juayua, accurate and up-to-date bus departure times are hard to come by online.
And upon arrival at the bus station in Santa Ana (more details below), the next Juayua-bound bus wouldn’t be departing for another hour.
And so I decided to start the day in Ataco. While getting there from Santa Ana requires a transfer in Ahuachapán, buses to Ahuachapán do at least leave quite frequently (again, more details below).
Of the three Ruta de Las Flores towns I managed to visit, Ataco was easily the most interesting. Not only is the town center charming, but you can also enjoy a little hike on the town’s outskirts, which is where I decided to begin.
From behind the Iglesia El Calvario in the south part of town, you’ll find a path up to the Mirador de la Cruz, which is a fairly easy hike.
While not a long walk, you’ll reach a point where the trail forks, and it would be helpful to have an app like Maps.me that shows you exactly where you need to go.
Walking past a parking area, you’ll find yourself walking down a narrow dirt pathway cut in the middle of some jungle, and eventually, you’ll encounter the cross.
Unfortunately, it was a gloomy day at the time of my visit. I was, in fact, visiting during the summer wet season which is not the ideal time to visit this region.
Ideally, you’ll be able to come sometime between November to April when the flowers are in bloom, and there’s perhaps a higher chance of clear skies.
Coming back down the way I came, I went over to check out central Ataco. And on my way to the central park, I was surprised to encounter plenty of eye-catching street murals.
A lot of the more interesting ones are down less crowded side streets, so you could spend a little while wandering around town to find as many murals as you can.
Ataco, a town of less than 20,000 inhabitants, is known for its arts and crafts, as well as its local coffee. Though I’d been looking forward to trying some, I was dealing with a stomach bug on the day of my visit, likely due to some street food I’d tried the previous day.
As is the case with many small colonial towns throughout Latin America, Ataco would probably be a great place to stay for a few days to really soak up the atmosphere. But if you’re just making a quick visit, there’s not a whole lot to do in terms of activities.
And so I decided to head to the area where I first arrived to take a bus to the next town on my itinerary, Apaneca.
Apaneca
The journey between Ataco and Apaneca takes just about 20 minutes. And getting off the bus, I decided to start in the small town’s central square.
When comparing the town centers, Apaneca isn’t quite as charming as Ataco. While it does feature an elegant white church, the town center seems a bit lacking in regards to landmarks, other than a public garden area that surely looks better in the dry season.
But the main reason to come to Apaneca isn’t so much for its town square, but for an establishment on the town’s outskirts known as Café Albania, which is definitely not your standard café.
From the town center, you can walk to Café Albania in about ten minutes. Interestingly, the establishment’s name does indeed seem to be a reference to the Balkan nation, as I spotted a sign there labelled Cafe Tirana. But other than that, there were no Albanian-style decorations or staff that looked like they might be from there.
Café Albania is most known for its Labyrinth, which was the main reason I was headed there. But the overall complex is surprisingly huge, also featuring ziplines, a giant slide, and of course cafés.
The pricing system is also unique. First, you pay $5 to enter, and that counts as credit for activities or beverages. For example, the Labyrinth costs $3, so upon arriving at the Labyrinth entrance, you’ll show them your credit slip and they’ll give you back a new credit slip worth $2.
Ironically, finding the entrance to the actual Labyrinth is like walking through a maze in its own right, as you’ll have to traverse multiple passageways and tunnels.
Finally making it to the Labyrinth, your goal will be to find your way to the middle and ring a bell there. But that’s much easier said than done.
Traversing the Labyrinth is also surprisingly tiring. Though I imagined it to be set atop flat terrain, it’s actually quite hilly, with lots of ascending and descending stairs.
After my first attempt, I ended up returning the entrance without ever finding the bell. Giving it another try, I took some alternate turns but ultimately ended up with the same result.
Though I would’ve liked to try again, I had one more town on my itinerary for the day and had to accept defeat.
The bus stop for Juayua is conveniently located right across the road from the entrance to Café Albania. But I ended up having to wait for over 30 minutes for one to appear.
All the waiting around for buses is the main annoyance you’ll face when visiting the Ruta de las Flores independently, and it also makes planning for the day a challenge.
Juayua
Interestingly, Juayua seems to be the most popular Ruta de las Flores town with tourists. Upon my arrival, I saw numerous backpackers walking through the streets, while I’d later run into some other travelers who recommended it as a place to stay.
But why?
Frankly, I can’t figure it out. Juayua does indeed seem to be larger and more developed than the other towns mentioned above. But its town center lacks the charm of Ataco, while it also lacks unique attractions like Café Albania.
The main activity near Juayua is hiking to numerous waterfalls outside of town. Apparently, there’s an option of doing a hike to seven different waterfalls (Las Siete Cascadas) or just to the main one called Chorros de la Calera.
The former hike is said to take as long as 6 hours, which wouldn’t leave time to visit other towns on the same day. And even if you only want to do Chorros de la Calera on its own, the site must be accessed with a guide.
I already had a feeling I wouldn’t be able to do any hiking in Juayua if I didn’t make it there in the morning. Furthermore, it looked like it was going to rain.
And so I had nothing to do other than walk around town until the next bus departed, though I didn’t discover much of note. Buses from Juauya to Santa Ana depart around 14:10 and 16:00, and I was luckily able to catch the earlier one.
So with all the waiting around and transfers, was visiting Ruta de las Flores independently really worth it?
Additional Info
By far, the easiest and most hassle-free way to tour the Ruta de las Flores would be to take a tour. This one appears to be the cheapest (though perhaps not for solo travelers), and it goes to five different towns rather than just three.
This option, meanwhile, includes four towns, and the tour has over 100 positive reviews.
The nearest major city to the towns of the Ruta de las Flores is Santa Ana. First, you’ll want to head to the ‘chicken bus’ station in the west of the city known as ‘Bus Terminal Francisco Lara Pineda.’
It’s easiest to think of the Ruta de las Flores as a circle that you can tour either clockwise or counterclockwise.
From the terminal, you have the option of starting with Juayua or with Ahuachapán, which is not a destination in its own right, but where you’ll transfer to get to Ataco. There are both advantages and disadvantages to starting with either.
STARTING WITH JUAYUA
As mentioned above, buses to Juayua are quite infrequent, while the company that runs them does not update their timetables online. If you’re staying relatively close to the station, it would be wise to go there in person the day before to check.
Based on info I saw online, buses for Juayua were either departing at 9:10 or 9:40 or 9:50. I got to the station around 8:45 just in case the bus might be departing at 9:10. But it turned out to be leaving at 9:50, and, not wanting to wait around for an hour, I decided to start with Ahuachapán.
There is at least one earlier bus for Juayua which departs around 6:40 (not from the bus terminal itself, but from the nearby UNO Gas Station). If you’re a morning person, it would be wise to take this bus.
The advantages of starting in Juayua are getting to do the waterfall hikes (see above). And another advantage would be that you don’t have to worry as much about timing for the remainder of the day, as buses from Ahuachapán to Santa Ana are frequent and depart until 18:00 in the evening.
STARTING WITH ATACO
The main advantage of starting your tour of the Ruta de las Flores with Ataco is that you should be able to show up at the bus station in Santa Ana and quickly find a bus for Ahuachapán. The ride there should take a little over an hour.
From there you’ll need to transfer to an Ataco-bound bus. In my case, the bus from Santa Ana dropped us off near a park. Not sure exactly what to do, I headed to the fork of Highway 8 that vehicles would have to take to get to Ataco. I then quickly spotted a minivan with Ataco written on it by the side of the road.
When it comes to further transport between different towns, you can often find a bus stop to the next town close to where you initially got dropped off at. It would be wise to download the Maps.me app in advance, as it often contains info about local bus stops that Google Maps lacks.
Looking back, the amount of research required for touring the Ruta de las Flores – not to mention all the time spent on buses – was way too much for what was largely an underwhelming day trip.
All in all, I probably spent more time on (and waiting for) buses than I did in the actual towns! Frankly, I find all the online hype surrounding the Ruta de las Flores quite baffling.
To be fair, I visited during the off-season on a gloomy day while also dealing with mild food poisoning. And I also wasn’t able to visit every town in the area. If you’re renting a car and also visiting the area during a more optimal time, you could end up having a very different experience.
With tourism increasing to El Salvador, hopefully the government can improve infrastructure by adding more direct routes. As mentioned, buses to and from Juayua are infrequent, while the most charming town in the area, Ataco, cannot be reached from Santa Ana directly.
If you’re looking for a charming colonial town in El Salvador, be sure to visit Suchitoto, which blows away any of the towns mentioned above. It has nice architecture, interesting museums, stunning lookouts, and a waterfall for which you don’t need to hire a guide to visit. Located near San Salvador, you can get there with just one bus. Be sure to check our dedicated guide for more.
Ideally, the closer you are to the historical center, the better. Not only is this where the city’s landmarks are concentrated, but it’s also where you’ll find the most restaurants and coffee shops.
Some highly-rated midrange options near the center include Hostal Las Puertas and Casa Vieja Guest House, while those looking for something a bit more upscale should consider the Remfort Hotel.
Of course, Santa Ana is home to plenty of budget options. But if you’re hoping for a private room, you might have to stay outside the city center.
Altea Hostal looks like a good option to the north of the center, while I stayed at Casa Blanca Tu Casa to the east.
I had an overall good experience at Casa Blanca. The owners were friendly and helpful, and breakfast each morning was included in the price. While bathrooms were shared, I rarely found them full, and the internet also worked great.
The only downside was the location. While walkable from the historical center, it took about twenty minutes. And there were not many restaurants or coffee shops in the area.