A LUXURY HOLIDAY TO WESTERN EL SALVADOR: COFFEE HIGHLANDS & VOLCANOES
The west of El Salvador rises towards the Guatemalan border – a landscape of volcanoes, farms and colourfully-painted highland villages.
Fertile volcanic soil has long sustained the country’s coffee industry, and the hills are patterned with fincas and flower farms, drawing travellers for their natural beauty and slow pace. Days can be spent exploring the market towns of the Ruta de las Flores, hiking through coffee plantations and forest, and climbing the craggy volcanoes that give way to Mars-like landscapes with yawning craters.
We know the most rewarding ways to explore this part of El Salvador, from family-run coffee estates and characterful mountain stays, to its most knowledgeable guides and lesser-known trails.
WHAT TO SEE & DO IN WESTERN EL SALVADOR
The Cordillera de Apaneca forms the backbone of the west, its slopes dotted with villages and three striking volcanoes within Los Volcanes National Park.
Climb through otherworldly landscapes to the sulphurous crater lake of Santa Ana Volcano, the highest in the country. Swim, kayak or take a boat across Lake Coatepeque to Isla Teopán – once a Maya ceremonial site, now home to some of the country’s most covetable private villas.
Follow the Ruta de las Flores, a winding road linking small highland towns such as Nahuizalco, Juayúa and Concepción de Ataco, for candlelit night markets, weekend food stalls, colourfully-painted buildings and workshops where local artisans still make crafts by hand. Coffee is ever-present, and visits to working fincas reveal the full process, from plant to cup.
Further west, El Imposible National Park is home to steep rainforest valleys and remote trails once used to transport coffee by mule, while on the coast, the fishing village of Barra de Santiago is set on a quiet stretch of sand between the Pacific Ocean and mangrove estuaries.
ELSEWHERE IN EL SALVADOR
Explore more of our favourite places across El Salvador, from the beaches of La Libertad to art and culture in Suchitoto.
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Conde Nast Traveler Specialists every year since 2017
