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Plan a trip to El Salvador
El Salvador at a glance
El Salvador is a country in Central America; its capital is San Salvador. People mainly speak Spanish. The currency is the US Dollar (USD). VoyaKin maps 20 places to see here, including 1 UNESCO World Heritage site.
- Flag
- 🇸🇻
- Capital
- San Salvador
- Region
- Central America
- Languages
- Spanish
- Currency
- US Dollar (USD)
- More
- Wikidata
Before you go: official information
Entry rules, visas and health requirements change. Confirm them with El Salvador’s official immigration authority or its embassy before you book and again before you travel.
Check your own government’s travel advice before you go.
Places to see in El Salvador
12 of the 20 places VoyaKin maps here. Descriptions from Wikipedia and photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each card.
Joya de CerénUNESCO
Sitio Arqueológico Joya de Cerén
Ruins · La Libertad Department
Joya de Cerén is an archaeological site in La Libertad Department, El Salvador, containing the remains of a pre-Columbian Maya farming village. The site is located in the Zapotitán Valley, approximately 36 km (22 mi) northwest of San Salvador.
Text: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Photo: Mariordo (Mario Roberto Duran Ortiz) (CC BY-SA 3.0). Map
Santa Ana
City · Santa Ana Department
Santa Ana is the second largest city in El Salvador, after the capital of San Salvador. It is located 64 kilometers northwest of San Salvador, the capital city.
Text: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Photo: Mariordo (Mario Roberto Durán Ortiz) (CC BY-SA 3.0). Map
San Miguel
City · San Miguel Department
San Miguel is a city in eastern El Salvador. It is the country's third most populous city. It is located 138 km (86 mi) east of the capital, San Salvador. It is also the capital of the department of San Miguel and a municipality. The population of the city in 2024 was 290,612.
Text: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Photo: House1090 (CC BY-SA 3.0). Map
Ahuachapán
City · Ahuachapán Department
Ahuachapán is a city, district, and the capital of the Ahuachapán Department in western El Salvador. The district, including the city, covers an area of 244.84 km2 and as of 2007 has a population of 110,511 people.
Text: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Photo: YessicaGuerra19 (CC BY-SA 3.0). Map
Lake Ilopango
Lago de Ilopango
Lake · San Salvador
Lake Ilopango is a crater lake which fills an 8 by 11 km: 70.5 km2 (27.2 sq mi) volcanic caldera in central El Salvador, on the borders of the San Salvador, La Paz, and Cuscatlán departments.
Text: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Photo: Lee Siebert (Smithsonian Institution) (Public domain). Map
Santa Ana Volcano
Volcán de Santa Ana
Mountain · Santa Ana Department
The Santa Ana Volcano or Ilamatepec is a large stratovolcano located in the Santa Ana department of El Salvador. At 2,381 metres (7,812 ft) above sea level, it is the highest volcano in the country. It is located immediately west of Coatepeque Caldera.
Text: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Photo: Wikimedia Commons: Santa Ana Volcano.USAF.C-130.1.jpg (Public domain). Map
Izalco
Volcán de Izalco
Mountain · Sonsonate Department
Izalco is an active stratovolcano on the southern flank of the Santa Ana Volcano in western El Salvador. Formed in 1770, it erupted almost continuously until 1958, earning the nickname "Lighthouse of the Pacific". It experienced a flank eruption in 1966.
Text: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Photo: Angela Rucker, USAID (Public domain). Map
Tazumal
Ruins · Santa Ana Department
Tazumal is a pre-Columbian archeological site and architectural complex located within the archeological zone of Chalchuapa, in western El Salvador. The complex forms part of the remains of the ancient Mesoamerican city of Chalchuapa and occupies the southern portion of the zone.
Text: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Photo: ARamirez69 (CC BY-SA 3.0). Map
Cerro El Pital
Mountain · Chalatenango Department
Cerro El Pital is a mountain in northern El Salvador, near the border with Honduras. Located approximately 12 km (7 mi) from the town of La Palma, it rises to 2,730 m (8,957 ft) above sea level, making it the highest point in El Salvador.
Text: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Photo: ElmerGuevara (CC BY-SA 3.0). Map
Coatepeque Caldera
Lago de Coatepeque
Lake · Santa Ana Department
Coatepeque Caldera is a volcanic caldera in El Salvador in Central America. The caldera was formed during a series of rhyolitic explosive eruptions from a group of stratovolcanoes between about 72,000 and 57,000 years ago.
Text: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Photo: Wikimedia Commons: Teopan.jpg (Public domain). Map
Monumento al Divino Salvador del Mundo
Memorial · San Salvador Department
Monumento al Divino Salvador del Mundo is a monument located on Plaza El Salvador del Mundo in San Salvador, El Salvador. It consists of a statue of Jesus Christ standing on top of a global sphere of planet Earth, placed on top of the tall four-sided concrete base pedestal.
Text: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Photo: Oskpal777 (CC BY-SA 3.0). Map
Metropolitan Cathedral of San Salvador
Catedral Metropolitana del Divino Salvador del Mundo
Religious · San Salvador Department
The Metropolitan Cathedral of the Holy Savior is the cathedral church of the Catholic Archdiocese of San Salvador in San Salvador, El Salvador.
Text: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Photo: Rômulo Gama Ferreira from Vitória-ES (CC BY 2.0). Map
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A few words in Spanish
From VoyaKin’s free Spanish lessons in the app, with audio there.
- HolaHello / Hi
- Buenos díasGood morning
- Buenas tardesGood afternoon
- Buenas nochesGood evening / Good night
- ¿Cómo está?How are you? (polite)
- Bien, gracias. ¿Y usted?Fine, thanks. And you?
- AdiósGoodbye
- Hasta luegoSee you later / Bye
Keep exploring
Also in Central America: Mexico · Costa Rica · Belize · Guatemala · Honduras · Nicaragua · Panama
Last updated November 12, 2026. Sources: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0), Wikimedia Commons, OpenStreetMap (ODbL). Partner offers below are separate from this guide and never change what’s written here.
Plan & book El Salvador
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Tours & experiences
4 h–5 hBirdwatching Tours in El Salvador with Expert Biologist Guide 5.0 (66)From US$95 on Viator
2.5 hScars of San Salvador 5.0 (51)From US$20 on Viator
9 h–10 hSanta Ana Volcano Hike & Lunch at Coatepeque Lake (Private Tour) 5.0 (38)From US$165 on Viator
8 h–9 hHike to Santa Ana Volcano & Coatepeque Lake | Small Group 5.0 (30)From US$85 on Viator
50 minAirport transfer Tunco Beach Sunzal Beach 5.0 (28)From US$40 on Viator
4 hTamanique Waterfalls ATV Adventure Pickup from Surf City 5.0 (27)From US$120 on Viator
7 hSurf City 5.0 (23)From US$89 on Viator
2 h–2.5 hSanta Ana with a Local | History & Hidden Bar 5.0 (22)From US$15 on Viator
3 hPrivate 4x4 Tour with View of San Salvador from the Former Cable Car 5.0 (21)From US$54 on Viator
8 hCombo Tour: Archeology in Cihuatan + Suchitoto Best Preserved Colonial Town. 5.0 (20)From US$92 on Viator
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