El Salvador

Understand

The country sits between Guatemala, to the northwest, and Honduras, to the northeast. Although El Salvador only covers an area of about 21,040 km2 (the smallest country in Central America), it is the most densely populated. El Salvador is home to more than 6,500,000 people. It is divided into 14 sections called departamentos. It has 25 volcanoes, 14 lakes, and four large cities and is divided in to East, Central and West with the capital San Salvador in the central region, Santa Ana in the west, and San Miguel, the largest city in the east.

History

Pre-Columbian to early independence The civilization of El Salvador dates from the pre-Columbian time, around 1500 B.C., according to evidence provided by the ancient structures of Tazumal in Chalchuapa.

The Spanish Admiral Andrés Niño led an expedition to Central America and disembarked on the Island Meanguera, located in the Gulf of Fonseca, on May 31st, 1522. This was the first Salvadoran territory visited by the Spaniards. In June 1524, Spanish Captain Pedro de Alvarado began a predatory war against the native tribes of Cuzcatlán. During 17 days of bloody battles many natives and Spaniards died. Pedro de Alvarado was defeated and, with an injury to his left hip, abandoned the fight and fled to Guatemala, appointing his brother, Gonzalo de Alvarado, to continue with the conquest of Cuzcatlán. Later, his cousin Diego de Alvarado established the Villa of San Salvador in April 1525. King Carlos I of Spain (who also ruled in what is now Germany as Karl V) granted San Salvador the title of City in the year 1546. During the following years, El Salvador developed under Spanish rule. Towards the end of 1810, the criollos (European descendant people born in the Spanish colonies) who had long been excluded from most real power in the colonies, wanted to overthrow the tiny elite of peninsulares (people born in mainland Spain) and the colonial administration. The moment to fight for independence from Spain arrived at dawn

Getting there

Visas Immigration requires that visitors entering El Salvador have their passport and one of the following documents: visa or tourist card. For citizens that do not need a visa, you may need to pay USD 12 (by cash, card, or bitcoin) right after disembarking at the airport. Passports of certain countries might need to obtain a visa before entering El Salvador. Some countries pay a fee for the issuance of the visa. Check Visa policy of El Salvador (Wikipedia). As of August 2022, all tourists must show onward flight ticket, accommodation bookings for every single night accounted for in El Salvador. Some visa-free nationals have been requested to display US visa even when it is not necessary on paper. As of June 2023, onward ticket or accommodation bookings were NOT requested from US citizen at airport.

By plane Visitors traveling by plane usually arrive at 1 El Salvador International Airport (SAL IATA) near the town of San Juan Talpa, located 50 km or a 45 minutes' drive south of the capital city. Airlines that fly into El Salvador include:

Avianca El Salvador has been the national airline of El Salvador since its merger with Taca. They have a monopoly and high ticket prices, especially for travel within Central America. Shop around for deals. In addition to within Central America, they also fly to North America (Canada, Mexico, United States); South America (Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, etc); and the Caribbean from San Salvador. Additional bases for Avianca Holdings are in Bogota, San Jose, CR; Quito and Lima. Volaris El Salvador Subsidiary brand of Volaris (Mexico) to rival Avianca as the 'budget' carrier from San Salvador, as a hub, to Guatemala City and to several cities in Mexico, and the United States. Aeromexico Connect (Mexico City). Arajet (Santo Domingo) American Airlines (Miami and Dallas) Copa (Panama City) Delta (Atlanta, Los Angeles, New York JFK) Frontier (Atlanta, Orlando) Iberia (Madrid) United (Houston, Newark, and Washington-Dulles) Volaris and Vol

Getting around

By train All rail transport in El Salvador was suspended in October 2002. In 2006 a pilot scheme for reviving the rail network commenced and in 2007 a service between San Salvador and Apopa was restarted with two return trips each morning and evening aimed at commuter traffic. Whilst this will be of little use to travellers, it may be a sign of a future reopening of more of the extensive rail network.

By bus Numerous buses traverse the highways of the country. Domestic bus services are typically very cheap (not more than $2-3 for even the longest rides) and difficult to understand except they are consistently numbered. Single and double digit numbers designate local, in-town routes while buses numbered in the triple digits travel between cities and towns. The buses themselves are often very well painted and adorned with all kinds of posters and trinkets, ranging from the religious to the pop-culture. As chaotic as it may seem they do run consistently and frequently. Longer bus rides may include a stop in some town where plenty of mujeres, and sometimes their children, too, will board hawking mangos, nuts, water, and even sometimes fried chicken in a box. There is no central agency that coordinates bus routes and schedules except to see HorarioDeBuses.com to get an idea as to which bus to take get there and from where. The site also includes a map showing where the bus stations are at. It is best to just ask the cobrador or anyone at the bus station where the bus is going and when. Most are very friendly and helpful, but do watch out for scams on the buses Microbuses are an inexpensive way to get around, but they are often very crowded, and it is very easy to be robbed.

By car or Uber Uber is inexpensive compared to the US and many other countries with rides across town rarely exceeding a few dollars. If driving, rental car agencies include Alamo and Hertz. Buses and taxis also provide good ways of getting around. Uber is easily available in the air

See

A well-maintained and practically deserted national park is found in the west at Bosque El Imposible. Additionally, there is Montecristo Cloud Forest, and a quaint fishing village with incredible local hospitality and remote coconut islands in La Isla de Méndez. Isla de Olomega in the department of San Miguel is an excellent eco-tourism destination, as are the beautiful Isla El Cajete in Sonsonate, Isla San Sebastian, Conchagua, Conchaguita, Isla Conejo, Isla Teopan, and Isla Meanguera. One should also visit the colonial towns of Apaneca, Juayua, Panchimalco, and Suchitoto as well as the Mayan sites of San Andrés, Joya de Cerén (the Pompeii of Central America and a UNESCO World Heritage Site), and Tazumal, whose main pyramid rises some 33 m (75 feet) into the air. The on-site museum showcases artifacts from the Pipil culture (the builders of Tazumal), and paintings that illustrate life in pre-Hispanic El Salvador. Souvenir hunters will find some of the best artisans in San Juan el Esp