First question we asked our guide Moises, was why El Salvador is considered one of the most dangerous countries in the world. His response, which we love:
“…it’s because once you come here you’ll never want to leave!!”
Whilst this small country in Central America does suffer from gang violence, for most tourists visiting, you’re unlikely to ever encounter any problems.
We had a long 6 hours layover at San Salvador airport, so we decided to venture out to see the country. The reports about how dangerous El Salvador is did make us worry for our safety, so we decided to search for a reputable tour company and do a layover tour with them. We found Salvadorean Tours on Tripadvisor and chose them because of all their excellent reviews.
What impressed us the most was that upon arrival at San Salvador airport, they have a dedicated layover express desk who will meet you at the gate as soon as you get off the plane, then whisk you through customs, all the way to the exit to meet your guide. We’ve never seen that before at any airport!
These are our 5 best things to do on your layover in El Salvador, to give you a flavour of what you can expect, and why you should also consider it, instead of waiting around for hours at the airport.
Hike the Boqueron volcano crater
After trekking the Rinjani volcano in Indonesia, we were ready to conquer another one. The Boqueron volcano dominates the skyline of San Salvador – the capital city of El Salvador. It’s located in the Boqueron National Park at an altitude of 6,210 feet (1,892m), around 40 minutes’ drive from San Salvador downtown. The Boqueron is also called Quetzaltebec, named after the quetzal, which is the country’s national bird.
We hiked around the volcano crater in the Boqueron National Park, which has several viewpoints both into the crater below and also over San Salvador. The hike took around 1 hour, but you can also descend down to the volcano crater if you have time.
Although the last eruption was in 1917, it’s best to check the situation beforehand – a good local tour company will be the best source of this information.
By Stefan Arestis – Full Story at The Nomadic Boys
El Salvador Gay Travel Resources