"Canuckmike in El Salvador" Top 5 Page for this destination El Salvador by canuckmike

El Salvador Travel Guide: 753 reviews and 2,204 photos

An Overlooked Country

For some reasons people often tend to skip El Salvador on their Central American trip. Granted I wouldn't make it a destination on it's own, but I found myself staying longer than I originally planned. Yeah they had a violent civil war but that is long over and there are gangs but you would have to go out of your way to get involved. I was very impressed with the country. It was a bit more expensive that most of the other areas of Central America due to the dollarisation. When I was there, El Salvador was really coming into it's own. It has one of the strongest economies in Latin America as it is actively attracting foreign investment. A lot of people say there is a lot of crime here. I spent almost twice as long here as I did in Costa Rica and saw/experienced a small fraction of the incidents here than in Costa Rica. The only thing that happened to me in El Salvador was that I got obviously ripped off by a cab driver for around US $7. Most of the sights are not as good as they are in other countries but there are a lot of things to do. You got Mayan ruins and beaches. Cosmopolitan cities and quaint little mountain towns. Fancy shopping malls and national parks. Enough to keep the average tourist busy for a little bit.

Teatro Nacional

El Salvador has an area of 21,040 sq km and is bordered by Guatemala, Honduras and the Pacific Ocean. It is the most densely populated nation on mainland America. The highest point in the country is at 2,730 metres. Due to the whole Ring of Fire thing, this place has had a it's fair share of earthquakes.

Pros and Cons

Pros:Good selection of things to do.
Cons:American Dollar makes things pricey.
In a nutshell:Don't skip it on a Central American journey.

Intro Updated Mar 13, 2007
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Reviews (22)

Revolution Monument Things to Do (14)

Probably one of the most notable monuments in San Salvador is the Monumento a la Revolucion (Revolution Monument).... more travel advice

Santa Ana Cathedral Things to Do (14)

The Santa Ana Cathedral is the top site in all of Santa Ana and probably the most impressive religious building in all... more travel advice

El Salvador del Mundo Things to Do (14)

This statue is a symbol for El Salvador and you will see it on license plates. El Salvador del Mundo is a statue of... more travel advice

Apaneca Off The Beaten Path (3)

Apaneca is a town located on the Ruta De Las Flores and is also El Salvador highest town. Probably what is the most... more travel advice

Shopping (1)
Sorpresas
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Comments (8)

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Pawtuxet Nov 4, 2009 at 7:56 AM

You didn't like that wallpaper??
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Andraf Jul 12, 2009 at 10:06 AM

I'm reading Theroux's The Old Patagonian Express and wanted to get a feel of San Salvador and Central America. Nice page, lots of good info.
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jumpingnorman Feb 12, 2009 at 9:47 PM

El Salvador is on my wish list --- looks like a nice place but i did not know it was pricey with US dollars (?) ....hope to see it someday still, thanks, Norman :)
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bryanlike2ride Dec 20, 2008 at 10:19 AM

Also liked the tips...thx.. I'll be riding in El Salvador in feb 09. cant wait!!!
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MalenaN Sep 12, 2008 at 6:41 AM

Great tips! I hope to visit El Salvador next year and I would very much like to do a dive in Lago de Ilopango.
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SLLiew Dec 18, 2007 at 9:48 AM

El Salvador is impressive. Wow... scuba diving in volcanic craters. Sopresas sounds like great souvenir. Thanks for your El Salvador postcard, received some time ago. Merry Xmas & Happy New Year 2008. Cheers from Penang, SL :)
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hivaoa1 Mar 16, 2007 at 12:19 PM

hey everytime u come up with such good tips you make me want to leave again and again thank u very much for sharing these interesting and usefull tips! ciao ciao ^__^
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mvtouring Mar 14, 2007 at 11:37 PM

Excellent tips and photos ;-)