A Guide to Santa Ana in El Salvador
Santa Ana is a must-visit destination when in El Salvador for two reasons. First, there are many things to do in the city and its near surrounding, second, and more importantly, Santa Ana is known as one of the safest places in El Salvador. Here's our travel guide on the best things to do when in Santa Ana.
As you know, El Salvador as a country for sure does not belong among the safest places in the world.
It actually keeps a top position on a list of the most murderous countries (don't tell your mum), so when planning on traveling here, it is a good idea to base yourself in Santa Ana, as there are many things to do in the city and its close surroundings which will keep you busy for a couple of days.
Furthermore, you won't have to move around the country, and what is even more important, Santa Ana is one of the safest destinations where you can be when in El Salvador.
When you hear that Santa Ana is the safest city in El Salvador (citizens of Santa Ana proudly say that as well), you might have mixed feelings when you get there because you will see automatic guns everywhere.
There is not a single shop - and it doesn't matter if it is a bank or bakery - without an armed guard standing outside. As our host in a hostel told us, it is better to pay the security for protection rather than to pay to gangs for protection.
SANTA ANA
It clearly shows that El Salvador as a country still has enormous issues, but tourists are primarily not targets (apart from petty thefts which can happen anywhere).
We spent four nights in Santa Ana and did not experience a single odd or unpleasant situation.
Quite the opposite. When on the bus stop, people were asking us if we needed help, one guy even got on the same bus as we did only to make sure we would get to our destination safely.
They wanted to practice English with us because not many foreign travelers arrive in El Salvador.
Honestly, we felt in Santa Ana much safer than in for example Quito in Ecuador or Bogota in Colombia, and we met here more friendly and helpful people than in other countries in Central and South America.
Although El Salvador does not have that much to offer when it comes to nature and architecture, and it is mostly visited by long-term travelers, simply because the smallest country in Central America is on the way, we would like to encourage your travels to El Salvador by a slogan you can find all around the country:
Do not skip El Salvador.
And we would add do not skip Santa Ana. If there is one place where you should start exploring the country, it is here.
THINGS TO DO IN SANTA ANA
When in Santa Ana, you have plenty of options on how to spend your time here.
You can enjoy leisure stroll around the city, visit Mayan ruins, the only UNESCO site in the country or hike the highest volcano in El Salvador.
It is only up to you what side of Santa Ana you want to see, and it is not a bad idea to try a bit of everything.
WALK THE CITY CENTER OF SANTA ANA
We won't be telling you here that the city of Santa Ana is something you cannot live without, but still it has its charm.
The prettiest part of the city is for sure the main square, where you cannot overlook the Santa Ana's cathedral or theatre. If you are short on time, having a couple of hours to get an idea what's the second largest city of El Salvador like is enough.
When wandering the city's streets, make sure you will pay a visit to the market and buy a big pack of a fruit called ‘jocote’ for $1.
Packing Essentials: Anti-Theft Daypack | Travel Pouch | Moneybelt
COATEPEQUE CALDERA
Coatepeque Lake is a place to unwind. You will see the lake from above when going to Santa Ana Volcano.
But to enjoy your time and relax on the shore, you need to take a bus 220 from Santa Ana's bus terminal.
Although the lake is pretty close to the city, the journey still takes about two hours because the bus stops on every corner to pick up passengers.
There is not much to do by the lake but walk around it a bit, have a cold drink, eat lunch and overall spend a pleasant day on fresh air.
SANTA ANA VOLCANO
The main reason why we wanted to travel to Santa Ana was hiking to Santa Ana Volcano, at 2381 meters the country's highest volcano.
When you don't have your own transport, you need to have one full day to hike to the top of the volcano as there is only one bus going from Santa Ana and back.
The bus leaves from La Vencedora bus terminal at Santa Ana at 7:30 AM, and it takes about an hour and a half to get to El Tibet hostel, where you should get off. The ticket cost $0.90 one way.
It is not possible to walk to the top of the volcano on own because of the safety concerns, so you need to wait at the hostel until 11 AM for a guide and an armed guard who should protect you against thieves and gangs.
Guides are volunteers, so you need to pay only $1 (and tip if you want), and then you need to pay for the entrance to the national park $6. At 11 AM we finally set off, our group had 9 members plus one guide and one policeman.
The hike itself was not hard. We climbed steadily to the top - it took about an hour until we reached the crater of Santa Ana Volcano filled with a green lagoon.
We spent less than half an hour there, and when we started to get cold, we made our descent which took us about the same time. The only disadvantage was that we had to wait for the bus going back to Santa Ana with departure at 4 PM.
We were quite surprised that it was not only us waiting as usual, but one French guy joined us.
If you want to enjoy a hike to Santa Ana volcano without waiting before and after the trek, you can take a Cerro Verde National Park Tour from Santa Ana combining the volcano with the visit of Coatepeque Lake.
Packing Essentials: Day Pack | Rain Poncho | Down Jacket for Him & for Her | Sunscreen | Nutrition Energy Gel
Travel Insurance
We never leave home without travel insurance that was designed to cover our expenses if something goes wrong during the trip.
Travel insurance protects against theft, flight delays, injury, illness, cancellations, and much more.
World Nomads provides travel insurance for travelers to cover their trip essentials, including sports and adventure activities.
SafetyWing is affordable travel insurance for backpackers, long-term travelers, and digital nomads.
Travel smarter and safer!
JOYA DE CEREN
When in Santa Ana, you should not miss Joya de Ceren, the only UNESCO site in El Salvador.
Joya de Ceren is also nicknamed Pompeii of the Americas because this site represents an old pre-Columbian Maya village buried under the ash.
The site is small, and probably not very well promoted as we were the only visitors there - if anything, Joya de Ceren will always be a memorable place among all UNESCO sites we've ever visited as this was the least visited one we've ever been to.
A long time ago, approximately in the 7th century AD, Loma Volcano close to San Salvador erupted and covered the village with 8 meters of ash.
The inhabitants had enough time to escape, but the ash blanketed and well-preserved the village until 1976 when the site was discovered by an accident.
The excavations have not yet been finished so you can still see people working on this site, but up to date approximately 70 building has been uncovered, and you can get a pretty exact picture of an old Maya village, about their life, tools they used, crops they grew and about the structure in the society as well.
The entrance fee to Joya de Ceren is $10, and the site is open every day but on Monday.
To get there, take an indirect bus heading to San Salvador (direct won't stop along the way) from the corner of 31 Calle and Ave Fray Felipe de Jesus Moraga Sur. Ask the driver to be dropped off at the turnoff to Opico (Desvio a San Juan Opico).
Here you need to cross the road and catch bus number 108 which will drop you off at the entrance.
Packing Essentials: Sneakers | Travel Pouch | Filtered Water Bottle
EL TAZUMAL
No, when it comes to Mayan ruins, El Salvador cannot compete with an exceptional Tikal in Guatemala or with a large number of Mayan ruins in Mexico, but when in Santa Ana, you should not miss El Tazumal, one of the most important pre-Columbian Maya archeological sites in the country.
The site consists of the ruin itself (which is pretty small but well-preserved) and an onsite museum which might have been interesting, but all information are in Spanish.
We used a translator, but after a while, we gave up - not that reading about history was not entertaining - we could not focus because of the school kids in the museum.
We had noticed before that people are staring at us in El Salvador more than in other countries because they are not used to tourists as their neighboring countries, but we experienced a new level of interest in El Tazumal.
On the day we visited the archeological site, there also happened to be a school trips.
It means many kids running around, but unfortunately, they spotted us soon and were following us all the time, pointing at us, touching us and shouting at us gringo, gringo.
Their teachers found the situation funny as well, so we could not do anything else but get out of the museum sooner than we wanted and we tried to shrug them off, unsuccessfully I must confess, on the grounds.
We found the situation quite amusing too, but our visit to El Tazumal was not as peaceful as we wanted.
It is not hard to get to El Tazumal from Santa Ana. The chicken bus number 218 to Chalchuapa village leaves frequently from the corner of the 9th street East and 4a Avenida Sur. Make sure to take a direct bus, otherwise, the ride will take much longer.
Entrance fee to El Tazumal cost $3 which is really nothing compared to prices of ruins in Mexico. A walking distance from El Tazumal is another, even smaller archeological site Casa Blanca - for your safety it is recommended to take a bus, although it is pretty close.
If you don't feel comfortable to visit archeological sites around Santa Ana on own, you can have a look at this Archeological Route Full-Day Tour.
WHERE TO STAY IN SANTA ANA
Although El Salvador is still waiting to be recognized as a tourist destination, you don't need to be worried about not finding suitable accommodation in Santa Ana.
We were pleased by the number and quality of accommodation options in the city, so we've handpicked three best places for every budget.
Budget | Casa Vieja Guest House - For the price, this place is a true gem. Nice and clean rooms, breakfast, and a friendly owner who speaks English and is willing to help with all your questions are the main features in this guest house.
Mid-range | Hostal Casa Verde - The most popular option on where to stay in Santa Ana is this hostel which has exceptionally positive reviews. Outdoor pool, free bike rental and a terrace overlooking the city are the features hard to find somewhere else.
Luxury | Mikiterio Lake Retreat - If you are looking for a bit of luxury, you need to drive 11 kilometers from Santa Ana. There, on the lake's shore stands a hotel with an astonishing view, good food, and a laidback garden.
HOW TO GET TO SANTA ANA
Because of El Salvador's reputation, most of the visitors get around the country with tourist shuttle buses (for example from El Tunco or San Salvador), by rental car or it is also possible to hike a car with a driver.
The most budget-friendly option on how to get around is by public transport - the country is small, so do not expect luxury, traveling by old chicken buses is a norm.
We traveled to Santa Ana from El Tunco, a favorite beach getaway (which we did not like at all, to be honest), and because there was no shuttle available on the day we wanted to travel, we took a public bus.
From El Tunco to Santa Ana, you need to go to the main road bypassing El Tunco and flag down bus number 102A going to Terminal de Occidente in San Salvador every 15 minutes.
The price of the air-conditioned bus is $1.5 (you might need to pay another ticket for your luggage) and takes an hour.
There is also another bus without air-con which is even cheaper, but we just jumped on the first bus going to San Salvador.
In San Salvador, you only need to cross the street and get on a frequent bus number 201 heading to Santa Ana.
The ticket cost $0.85 per person and takes a little bit less than two hours.
This bus ended near a market in Santa Ana - from here you can walk approximately 2 kilometers to the center, or take a bus going to the hospital.
From Santa Ana, we carried on to a colonial city of Antigua in Guatemala, so we took a shuttle bus for $25 - it was a quick and safe way how to cross borders.
Travel Resources
Here you can find links to all the travel resources we use and which you might find helpful when planning your next holiday.
Accommodation: When looking for accommodation, we usually search hotels via Booking.com or Hostelworld.
Tours: Although we love to travel independently, some places are better to visit with a guided tour.
We prefer GetYourGuide for its easy-to-use interface and solid reputation. Another great alternative is Viator.
Rental Cars: When going on a road trip, we always use Rentalcars.com, a reliable site for booking a rental car in advance.
Flight Tickets: When looking for flight tickets, you can search Skyscanner to find the best price.
Travel Insurance: World Nomads and SafetyWing cover against risks of travel.
