ruta de las flores, sv
The Ruta de las Flores isn't exactly a place. It's an area, and a route, as the name should imply to you. It's a collection of towns up in the mountains of El Salvador that are all located along the same road. You guessed it, there are, at times a really impressive display of beautiful flowers in the towns and along the road. It's one of the best touristic and cultural things that you can do in El Salvador, and it should realistically be a part of your plan. The towns along the Ruta de las Flores are all extremely cute and quaint. They are filled cobblestoned streets, colorful buildings, beautiful little churches, markets, local food, and really nice people. They are all pretty much in colonial style, so if you like colonial-style architecture, then you will enjoy these towns. Also, the food up here is really great and traditional. If you are like me, you spent most of your time here in El Salvador down by the beach. The food in a lot of places there can be westernized, and the prices — even for the local food, is extremely inflated. Prices of food and really everything up here is going to be a lot better. This page isn't going to be a lot like the other ones. It's just going to have descriptions of the different towns that you can and should hit as a part of Ruta de las Flores. There's a lot of them, but some are more popular and impressive than others.
LOCATIONS
Like I mentioned, the Ruta de las Flores is not a location per se. It's a region, or an area, or even more specifically, it's a road that you take. The route starts in Sonsonate and finishes in Ahuachapán, spanning approximately 36 kilometers. In order to get to the Ruta de las Flores, commonly people will take tours. There are tours that leave from all the beach towns as well as Santa Ana. So no matter where you are, you will be able to relatively easily find a tour.
Depending on where you are coming from, the tour will pretty much last all day. It's a simple tour. You will be chauffeured around in AC'd vans and taken from town to town. Stopping for all your meals and learning about the history of the place. — Along with taking a nice look at the beautiful flowers, tasting the local food and checking out the little colonial towns.
Now if you have your own vehicle, or just don't want to go on a tour, there are pretty simple ways to get up here as well. If you have a car, it's simple. Just plug in Sonsonate to your maps and drive up. From El Tunco, the drive is about an hour-and-a-half. Straight up the coast and then inland when you get to the end of the 2, practically the border with Guate.
You can also take public transportation. There are public buses that will go to Sonsonate, then from there you can find collectivos or little buses to take you up and down the Ruta. I will mention, that although Sonsonate is the start of the Ruta de las Flores technically, it's not the prettiest or nicest town along the way. It's a larger city compared to the smaller and more charming remaining stops on the tour.
If you want to do this on your own, and maybe even want to spend some extra time exploring around these towns, there's places you can rent to stay that won't be expensive at all.
You'll know when you are on the right road, which is 8, because there will be frequent signs letting you know that you are on the Ruta de las Flores. Hard to get lost.
The map below is the route, animated. It's kind of confusing in my opinion, as it's upside-down from a north to south perspective, but this should give you an idea of what it is.
The specific locations, or towns rather that I would recommend checking out, are below.
Located 70 km away from San Salvador, Nahuizalco has a lot of Indigenous tradition. One of its draws is the night market, lit with candlelight in the center of town. Here you can check out local artistry, and get some great local food. Some nice things to do are visit the Artisan Development Center and the colonial church.
Salcoatitán is a cozy little coffee town, known for its colonial church situated right across from the Central Park. If you are there on a Sunday, they have a food market showcasing a bunch of local food. There's also this weird little small train that takes you on a tour around the park, the church, and the main streets.
Juayúa is a picturesque town in El Salvador known for its pleasant climate, cultural richness, and vibrant gastronomic scene. Juayúa has a great food market on the weekends, in front of the church. It's pretty similar to the other towns. Get here, walk around, eat some food, take some pictures, don't be hot for a minute as you have escaped the coastal heat. This was one of my favorites.
Apaneca is surrounded by coffee plantations and really lively mountains, that give great views and there's lots of things you can do outdoors around the town if you have time. There's of course, like all these towns, a historic church, and lots of Indigenous tradition that you can learn about. It's a relaxing and chill place.
Concepción de Ataco is probably my favorite one. It's a cozy little spot known for its colorful streets, murals, and art. The colonial architecture, quaint cobblestone roads, and views of the surrounding countryside are just great. Ataco is known for its arts and crafts scene, with local artisans showcasing their stuff on the streets and in the storefronts. There's a bustling market, a lot of cozy little cafes, and the people are really nice.
HOSTELS, CAMPING, AND HOTELS (IF ANY)
I didn't stay up here, but there are hotel and other housing options. If you do a tour, you're not going to need housing because they return the same day. But if you're interested in spending more time up there, just pick your favorite town, and find a place.
EATS
I won't be very helpful here. I spent about a day just driving around the Ruta, so I don't have any recommendations in the way of actual places. All that I can say, is that the food is really good up here. It's one of the reasons why people come up, to try the food. The food is going to be really cheap, really authentic and delicious.
There's lots of little markets, local restaurants, and some more upscale options too depending on what you are looking for. Eating around up here is probably one of the most fun adventuring things that you can do.
Sorry I am absolutely no help here. I went to some municipal markets and then a few other little roadside markets for snacks. But those are things that I just stumbled into, and I recommend you do the same.
NIGHTLIFE
Nothing really.
SIGHTS
You are here at the Ruta de las Flores. So this is the sight. The little towns that you can go to are really the things to see. So refer to the 'locations' section, and those are the different spots to hit.
SURFING
Flat. Well it's a mountain, so obviously.