La Ruta de las Flores: El Salvador's Most Beautiful Towns (2024)

Table of Contents

What is La Ruta de las Flores?

La Ruta de las Flores is a string of beautiful towns in the western part of El Salvador (close to Santa Ana and Sonsonate). It consists of five main towns:

Conceptión de Ataco
Apaneca
Juayúa
Salcoatitlán
Nahuizalco

The route is named for the vibrant flowers that bloom along the road in the springtime. The flowers come in a variety of colors, including red, yellow, orange, purple, and blue. The flowers are a popular attraction for tourists and locals alike.

These towns are all beautiful and worth exploring, and they’re filled with things to do including exploring coffee plantations, going on waterfall hikes, and indulging in delicious food. In this post, we’ll discuss what to do in each of these towns, where to stay, and answer all the questions you might have about exploring this beautiful piece of El Salvador!

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La Ruta de las Flores Towns Map — ^{Photo Credit}

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The Towns of La Ruta de las Flores

All of the towns along this route are beautiful and each have their own things to do! Ataco and Juayúa definitely have the most to offer tourists, but the others are worth visiting as well.

Conceptión de Ataco

Ataco is a beautiful town filled with art and colors, and it was honestly our favorite town along this route. Just walking around is wonderful, and there are also a few really good things to do!

1. Climb Up to the Viewpoint

This viewpoint is a short walk from downtown and so worth it. This spot is so peaceful and gives a great view of the town.

2. Coffee Tour at El Carmen Estate

This is a great spot for a coffee tour along the route. You can do a short tour (75 minutes) for 7 USD or a more comprehensive, 3 hour tour for 28 USD. Either way, you can’t go wrong, the coffee in this region is amazing! This is also a hotel, so you can stay here if you would like. For booking, check out their website.

3. Check out Axul Artesanias

This art gallery and cafe is a must-see in Ataco. The cafe has amazing food, and the art gallery has tons to look at and lots of beautiful souvenirs!

4. Explore Coffee Brewing Methods at Geko’s Coffee

This coffee place is super cool and the perfect spot to get your morning coffee. Here, the baristas brew the coffee in front of you with whichever method you choose. You also choose your bean (we just chose by smell!). We chose two different brewing methods for our coffee; in the picture below, the Chemex brewing method is being used on the left and the Japanese siphon is the one on the right! They also offer four other methods: French press, V60, Mellita, and AeroPress.

Ataco Things to Do La Ruta de las Flores

5. Find Hidden Waterfalls in El Imposible

If you have a full day in Ataco and you want to see a unique side of El Salvador, we highly recommend checking out this day tour to El Imposible National Park. With your guide, you’ll find lots of waterfalls and natural rockslides in the park (and a buffet breakfast is included!). Exploring this park is definitely high on our list for when we return to El Salvador.

Apaneca

Apaneca is a small yet beautiful town along this route. Here, you can indulge in a coffee tour at Beneficio San Pedro, take part in some adrenaline activities at Cafe Albania, and eat some typical El Salvadorian food at Plaza Turístico!

1. Do a Coffee Tour at Beneficio San Pedro

Beneficio San Pedro is a great place to do a coffee tour while on la Ruta de las Flores. We paid 20 USD per person for a 2.5 hour tour of the property including coffee tastings. The tour was super informative and taught us a lot about the process that goes into making coffee! This was an excellent experience – a coffee tour along this route is an absolute must. To reserve a tour here, check out their website.

2. Cafe Albania

Cafe Albania is definitely Apaneca’s most popular tourist attraction. It costs 5 USD to enter the park, where you can choose to go ziplining (even the kind where you’re on a bike or surfboard!), slide down the massive rainbow slide, go on some crazy swings, or find your way through a large labyrinth (though all of these activities cost money). They also have a lot of food options. It’s a pretty cool area, though be warned that it can get VERY crowded. We went in the afternoon, and there were long lines for all of the activities. Hopefully the mornings are less crowded!

3. ATV to Laguna Verde

Laguna Verde is a beautiful gem located in the mountains near Apaneca. If you have a car, this is super easy to get to, or you can also take a taxi there. However, if you’re looking for a fun (and cheap!) way to explore the lagoon, you should check out this ATV tour. This tour is an exciting way to explore the area and see some beautiful scenery.

4. Grab Food at Plaza Turístico

Plaza Turístico is a wonderful place to grab some cheap, El Salvadorian food. There are a bunch of different food stalls that all looked wonderful. When you’re here, make sure to try atole (a thick, hot beverage made of corn and mixed with things like coffee, chocolate, or pineapple), yuca (white root plant with slightly sweet flavor – kind of similar to a potato), and chilate (hot beverage with chili, corn, ginger, and cinnamon).

Juayúa

Juayúa is the largest of the five towns and the most popular spot for tourists to stay because it’s the middle of the route and home to the must-do 7 waterfalls hike. This town is beautiful and is fun to explore because there’s always a lot going on!

1. 7 Waterfalls Hike

The 7 waterfalls hike is one of the most popular things to do along the route, and after doing it we totally understand why. This hike was amazing – there’s even a part of it where you climb up through one of the waterfalls! Be warned that you will certainly get very wet on this hike, so be prepared for that!

In addition to the 7 waterfalls, there is also another waterfall with pools you can swim in called Chorros de la Calera. I’m not sure if all tours hit both of these things, but I definitely recommend trying to find one that does. Ours did – we went with a woman named Yesenia Elizabeth and paid 15 USD per person (you do need to go with a guide; it would be impossible to do this hike without one). She was a great guide, and we really recommend her! You can contact her at this number: +503 7409 5866.

2. Food Festival

Every weekend, Juayúa has a food festival that should not be missed. Tons of local vendors come out and display a variety of food options for you to try. We ate so much at this food festival and highly recommend trying to plan to be in Juayúa for the weekend just for this.

3. Have a Coffee at Buena Vista Gardens

Buena Vista Gardens is a beautiful spot just a short walk out of town (on the way to Salcoatitán). You can come here an explore the property (where they have camping and glamping!) and enjoy some coffee and snacks in a lovely setting.

Salcoatitán

Salcoatitán was certainly the most quiet of the five towns. There’s honestly not much to do here, but it’s still worth a stop since it’s along the route!

1. Stop for a Bite at Plaza Turística Quetzalcoatl

This plaza is very similar to the one in Apaneca, offering similar food stalls. It’s a great place to stop if you’re looking for a quick and cheap place to eat!

2. Visit La Ceiba

Salcoatitán is home to a giant tree called La Ceiba. If you don’t want to walk there, you’ll pass it on the way from Juayúa to Nahuizalco.

Salcoatitan La Ceiba la Ruta de las Flores

Nahuizalco

Nahuizalco has a great vibe. We didn’t really do too much here (I don’t think there’s much TO do), but we spent a few hours just walking around the vibrant main square and eating some delicious food. There were lots of people around, and there were different groups playing live music in the park all evening!

Best Time to Visit La Ruta de las Flores

The best time to visit La Ruta de las Flores is from November to February, when the flowers will likely be in bloom and the dry season weather will be perfect for spending your days exploring these quaint towns.

Where to Stay Along La Ruta de las Flores

If you’re only staying for one or two nights, we recommend staying in Juayúa. This town is the largest and definitely has the most going on in terms of restaurants and housing options (and hopefully you’ll be there on the weekend to go to the food festival!!). You’ll also need to be in Juayúa early in the morning if you plan on doing the 7 waterfalls hike, so it makes the most sense to spend your nights there.

If you do decide to stay on the route for more than two nights, we highly recommend spending a night in Conceptión de Ataco. It’s certainly a small town, but it’s absolutely beautiful and filled with color. We stayed in Ataco for a night and Juayúa for two and were really happy with our decision.

Where to Stay in Conceptión de Ataco

Ataco has fewer accommodation options than Juayúa, so it can be slightly more expensive to stay there. However, the town is gorgeous and has some beautiful accommodation options. We stayed in Casa de Mafer when we were in Ataco and highly recommend it – the owners were amazing and the property was beautiful!

Ataco Accommodations

Where to Stay in Juayúa

Juayúa is a large town, so there are a lot of accommodation options. We recommend staying as close to the downtown area/bus stop as you can because that will make it easier to hop on the bus to the other towns, but really anywhere you stay will be within a 30 minute walk to the bus stop.

Juayúa Accommodations

How to Get Around La Ruta de las Flores

The easiest way to explore this route is with a rental car. This will give you tons of flexibility and allow you to get off the trail and visit the lesser known spots near the route.

However, if you’re looking to do this on a budget or just don’t have an interest in driving a car in El Salvador, it’s super easy to move along this route using the public bus. The 249 bus runs this route going back and forth from Ahuachapán to Sonsonate pretty much all day. When you’re ready to move from town to town, just head to the main road and wait for this bus to come. You shouldn’t ever have to wait long; I think the longest we waited was 15 minutes. The bus always costs 0.50 USD per person, so make sure to have small change on you if possible!

Visiting La Ruta de las Flores as a Day Trip

If you only have one day to explore La Ruta de las Flores, don’t panic! There are a few different tours from San Salvador that offer you the chance to experience this region in one day. Though it’s not possible to do everything this area offers in a day, you can definitely squeeze a number of the highlights into one day.

If you’re looking for a tour where the main focus is exploring the towns, check out this day trip, which also includes a stop at a coffee farm!
If you’re interested in visiting the towns, doing a coffee tour in Ataco, and spending some time at the Santa Teresa Hot Springs, this tour may be better for you!

How Long to Spend on La Ruta de las Flores

We recommend spending 3 nights / 2 full days exploring the route. This will allow you to do all of the activities this route has to offer without feeling rushed! Here is a sample itinerary:

Day One: Arrive in Conceptión de Ataco

Today you’ll arrive in Ataco and have the afternoon/night to explore the town. Head up to the viewpoint before sunset and take in the magnificent view of the town. Spend the rest of your day exploring Ataco’s art galleries and shopping for souvenirs at the market!

Day Two: Coffee Tour, Apaneca, and Juayúa

Today, you’ll get up early and head to El Carmen estate for a coffee tour. Learning about the coffee growing process and doing some tastings is a great way to start your day! Then, you’ll grab the bus to Juayúa. Once you arrive, you’ll drop your bags and head back to the bus station to head down the road to Apaneca. Spend some time exploring the town and Cafe Albania. Once you’ve finished up there, head back to Juayúa and explore that town a bit. After working up an appetite, head to Pupuseria Esmeralda for some dinner!

Day Three: Waterfalls, Salcoatitán, and Nahuizalco

Today you’ll wake up early to head on the 7 waterfalls hike (including Chorros de la Calera). This hike is fantastic and a great way to start your day. Afterwards, you’ll spend the rest of your day visiting the last two towns on the route. Salcoatitán is pretty small and there’s not much to see, so we recommend just stopping here for a quick coffee. Then, you can head on to Nahuizalco. Nahuizalco is a beautiful town with lots of food options, so we recommend spending your afternoon/night enjoying some local El Salvadorian food!

Day Four: Departure

Today you’ll be leaving El Salvador’s flower route. If you’re continuing onward, we recommend heading to Santa Ana or El Tunco from here. If not, we hope you enjoyed this route!

Keep Exploring El Salvador…

Our Favorite Travel Resources

Accommodations: We use Booking.com for hotels and HostelWorld for hostels. We also use VRBO or TrustedHousesitters for longer stays.

Flights: We recommend using Skyscanner to find the cheapest and best flights.

Ground Transport: We use 12Go and Omio for buses and private transfers, and rentalcars.com and Discover Cars for rental cars.

Activities: GetYourGuide and Viator are the best websites for booking organized tours.

International Medical Insurance: We highly recommend SafetyWing for Digital Nomads and HeyMondo for those not traveling full-time, or who frequently engage in higher-risk adventure activities.

eSIM: We recommend Airalo or Holafly for getting data internationally.

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