Vamos a El Salvador. Seriously.

Misertravel has toured all the attractions in and around San Salvador including the gang zones (with hired guide) many times. If you just couldn’t resist the incredibly low ticket prices for some really beautiful panoramic views you typically find in South America, here is how to plan a safe trip and keep it miser.

Where to stay?

If you visiting San Salvador for the first time, you will probably feel more comfortable staying at a top rated hotel from actual customers within the city.  Misertravel stays at a top rated hotel near Metrocentro San San Salvador Shopping Mall. The nightly rate is pretty low considering with breakfast included.  Have some pupusa with your breakfast if you plan on taking a nature trek.  It should give you energy.

What to see?

Misertravel has completed the gang zone national geographic tours and you don’t want to do that.

Misertravel enjoys the walks through the Centro Historico and street markets day and night. Take a taxi to here. It’s really different and you will stand out as a tourist. Never felt unsafe as intense it might look. Just keep your valuables secure and many police are all around. You can see the main attractions within the city here.

Misertravel has never paid the prices advertised for tours online for day trips to Santa Ana, Lake Coatepeque Tazumal, and misertrave’sl favorite, Puerta del Diablo.  This is a really busy area with a lot of official taxi’s waiting for a fare. You want to hire the taxi’s from outside your hotel parked and waiting for mall customers. You should ask multiple drivers since El Salvador has lot of driver’s that has lived in the U.S. and will charge accordingly or the taxi handler at the entrance could be profiling you as a “rich gringo” to charge you accordingly.  The driver is profiling you of course.  The really best deal you going to get is from the local drivers.

You want to pay what the locals that can shop at this mall would generally pay. The quotes have varied for me.  I paid as low as $40 to as high as $60 Total for all these tours in a day.  It depends on the driver and where you at as well. $40 minus operating cost, is a high wage for the driver considering a police officers salary here.  The driver will park and wait for you at all these sites. Bring some single dollar bills to pay for parking/entrance fee where necessary.

The driver’s are always happy for your business and will give you their card/cell phone number for you to hire them exclusively when you return to your hotel or ask to be your ride to the airport when it’s time to leave.  Misertravel always tip for the excellent service. If you cant speak basic Spanish, type the questions in Google translate with your trip plan and tell the driver exactly what you would like to pay.

Misertravel only leave the hotel with enough cash, pocket camera and cellular phone.  Leave your most important valuables locked in the hotel including original passport.  A copy of your passport with your drivers license and hotel information is enough.

El Salvador is really small and densely populated.  For this reason, this is the El Salvador page vs San Salvador.  You can make a round trip day trip to any part of the country from any point in El Salvador on the same day and still get 8 hours of sleep that day.