Private Tour: El Salvador Flowers Route
San Salvador, El Salvador
Rating: 
Trip Type: Day Trips
Duration: 9 hours
The Flowers Route (Ruta de las Flores) is one of El Salvador’s most popular circuits, named for the abundance of flowers along a picturesque, 22-mile (36-km) winding road through the mountains. On this full-day private tour you’ll visit several colorful villages — including Nahuizalco, Juayúa, Apaneca, and Concepción de Ataco — famed for their natural beauty, authentic crafts, coffee plantations, weekly festivals, and local and international cuisine. Walk cobblestone streets while you explore each colonial town with your friendly guide, enjoying the cool, mild weather and slow pace of the Sierra Apaneca.
More About This Activity All Day Trips →
The Flowers Route (Ruta de las Flores) is one of El Salvador’s most popular circuits, named for the abundance of flowers along a picturesque, 22-mile (36-km) winding road through the mountains. On this full-day private tour you’ll visit several colorful villages — including Nahuizalco, Juayúa, Apaneca, and Concepción de Ataco — famed for their natural beauty, authentic crafts, coffee plantations, weekly festivals, and local and international cuisine. Walk cobblestone streets while you explore each colonial town with your friendly guide, enjoying the cool, mild weather and slow pace of the Sierra Apaneca.
Escape bustling San Salvador for a relaxing journey along the Route of the Flowers. Upon hotel pickup, discuss what's in store for the day with your knowledgeable guide. You’ll have about an hour at each location, but since this is a private tour, how much time you spend in each town is up to you.
Your first stop is colorful Nahuizalco, located at the foot of the
Sierra Apaneca-Ilamatepec, just 30 minutes from San Salvador. Known for its arts and
crafts production, Nahuizalco is home to one of El Salvador’s most
longstanding indigenous communities. Meander to the local street market
to see Mayan vendors dressed in traditional garments, and browse for
local crafts and wood furniture at stores and artisan workshops. If
you’d like, visit two 19th-century churches: the archaeological site of
San Juan Bautista Chapel, and La Iglesia del Calvario (Stations of the
Cross Church).
Back in your private vehicle, your
guide accompanies you to Juayúa, a beautiful colonial city situated in the high plains of the Sierra Apaneca.
Surrounded by volcanoes and
verdant coffee fields, Juayúa draws travelers to its international food
festival each weekend in its central park, featuring dishes such as
paella, seafood cocktails and yucca with pork rinds.
Let
your guide know if you’d like to visit cultural attractions in Juayúa
such as La Iglesia del Cristo Negro (Black Christ Church), La Iglesia
dell Calvario (Stations of the Cross Church) or the Coffee Museum, La
Majada, where you can learn about coffee production on a guided tour of
the coffee mill.
Stop for lunch at a local
restaurant (own expense), or enjoy the food that you brought. Then continue to
two great coffee-making towns, Apaneca and Concepción de Ataco. En
route, take in the panoramic vistas of volcanoes, coffee fields and
forested slopes.
Located at the apex of the Flowers Route at 4,757 feet (1,450 meters) above sea level, Apaneca is the country’s second-highest mountain village. Stretch your legs at the local market, admire the clay-shingled homes along cobblestone streets, and perhaps witness the post-earthquake restoration of one of El Salvador’s oldest churches, Iglesia San Andres.
Located at the apex of the Flowers Route at 4,757 feet (1,450 meters) above sea level, Apaneca is the country’s second-highest mountain village. Stretch your legs at the local market, admire the clay-shingled homes along cobblestone streets, and perhaps witness the post-earthquake restoration of one of El Salvador’s oldest churches, Iglesia San Andres.
Ataco, another quaint
village with brightly painted homes boasts colorful murals and unique
stores selling handmade crafts such as coffee candles, embroidered
dresses, and handwoven bedspreads and hammocks.
Watch local artisans at workshops as you sip on a cup of gourmet coffee (own expense) in
this premier growing region.
Your final stop
is Ahuachapán, a commercial coffee hub near the Guatemala border, where
geothermal energy bubbles underground. Perhaps visit Plaza Concordia and
Parque Menéndez before returning by private vehicle to San Salvador,
with drop-off at your hotel.
« Go Back