El Salvador hiking trails are some of the best in Central America. If you’re backpacking El Salvador, you better be trekking El Salvador! The thing is, many backpackers skip El Salvador when travelling through Central America. And, for the tourists who do visit, their trips to El Salvador don’t usually involve much hiking, other than the famous Santa Ana Volcano Hike. But, there are many other phenomenal and underrated El Salvador hiking experiences for you to enjoy. There are plenty of exceptional El Salvador volcano hikes. Plus, there are beautiful El Salvador mountains and national parks to explore for more great hiking.
In this El Salvador hiking list, we’ll talk about all of the best trails this country has to offer! Beck and I actually hiked the majority of these trails. So, we’ll provide links in each section for a more detailed guide about each specific hike. We’ll start with the most amazing El Salvador volcano hikes. Then, we’ll look at the epic El Salvador mountains to trek. After that, you’ll find information on the El Salvador national parks with the best trails, followed by waterfalls in El Salvador to hike!
Table of Contents
El Salvador Hiking Overview
One of the best things to do in El Salvador is to hike! But, Beck and I found little information online about trekking in El Salvador. Of course, there are tonnes online about the Santa Ana Volcano Hike. But, there isn’t much else. There are a few reasons for this. One, many people backpacking in Central America skip El Salvador. So, fewer people are visiting in the first place.
Second, doing the lesser known El Salvador hiking trails can be a logistical nightmare. For many El Salvador treks, it’s either mandatory or recommended to hike with a local guide. But, unless you have your own car and know the local guides, it can be generally difficult to organise doing lesser known hikes in El Salvador. So, that’s when you’d think El Salvador tour companies would come in handy. You know, to help organise these hiking trips.
Check out our trekking guides for Guatemala, Nicaragua and Costa Rica
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If you don’t have your own car, you should hire one using Discover Cars. Personally, we use Discover Cars and highly recommend them for finding your ideal car hire at an affordable price. Booking online is super easy and the free cancellation policy is great.
But, we found many El Salvador tour companies don’t offer many of the best El Salvador hikes as tours. And, if they do, the tours are very expensive. This obviously discourages backpackers from doing these hiking tours. And, as it stands, Salvadorians don’t typically enjoy hiking. So, with less demand for trekking in El Salvador, tour companies don’t offer the tours, or, set ridiculous prices for them. In turn, tourists and locals don’t choose to hike in El Salvador. Hence, the little information online! Certainly, this motivated Beck and I to heck the hell out of El Salvador.
El Salvador Hiking Mission
Beck and I are determined to break the trend. Our aim, with this guide, is to give you all of the information, so you can enjoy all of the best treks in El Salvador. And, if you don’t have your own car, or, have the time to co-ordinate with local guides, we’ve found one company (Club de Mochileros) that can help. They offer tours for most of these hikes at a very reasonable price! They do so by charging per group, instead of per person. Plus, they offer discounted weekend group tours. This means you can experience El Salvador hiking tours such as Conchagua Volcano and San Miguel Volcano for a much cheaper price!
Given the beauty of the hiking trails, El Salvador deserves to be better known as a place to trek. With this guide, and our other El Salvador guides, we hope to help establish this country as a recognised hiking destination.
El Salvador Volcano Hikes
We think the best El Salvador trekking you can experience are the volcano hikes. It’s possible to hike on active volcanoes in El Salvador, which is just mindblowing! When most tourists think about active volcanoes in El Salvador, they think about the famous Santa Ana Volcano. But, there are many other volcanoes in El Salvador with even better hiking trails. Because the Santa Ana Volcano Hike is the most known, we’ll start by talking about this one. Then, we’ll look at all of the other El Salvador volcano hikes you should do!
Fun fact: There are actually six active volcanoes that are constantly monitored by the El Salvador government. These include the Santa Ana, Izalco, San Salvador, San Vincente, San Miguel and IIlopango volcanoes.
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1. Santa Ana Volcano Hike
- Type: Out & Back
- Distance: 7.4km
- Time: 3.5–4 hours
- Accumulated elevation gain: 460m
- Difficulty: Easy
- Trailhead: El Tibet
Also known as the Ilamatepec Volcano Hike, the Santa Ana Volcano Hike is located in Cerro Verde National Park, near Santa Ana. Hiking Santa Ana Volcano in El Salvador is one of the most popular things to do in the country. And, rightfully so. The emerald-coloured crater lake at the summit of Santa Ana Volcano and superb views of Lake Coatepeque are absolutely incredible.
It’s actually one of the most accessible hikes in El Salvador. So, there are no excuses for skipping this hike! By using public transport and with the entrance fee in mind, hiking Santa Ana Volcano is an inexpensive activity. This is definitely a bonus.
Read more: Santa Ana Volcano Hike In The Cerro Verde National Park
Book a Santa Ana Volcano Tour
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2. Izalco Volcano Hike
- Type: Out & Back
- Distance: 5.3km
- Time: 3.5–4 hours
- Accumulated elevation gain: 675m
- Difficulty: Moderate
- Trailhead: Cerro Verde Car Park
Also located in Cerro Verde National Park, is the underrated Izalco Volcano Hike. Overshadowed by the more popular Santa Ana Volcano Hike, the Izalco Volcano Hike is often neglected by tourists. But, we highly recommend you do both the Santa Ana and Izalco volcano hikes over two days.
Starting on Cerro Verdo Volcano, the trail leads to the incredible Izalco crater. Compared with the Santa Ana Volcano crater, you can explore much more of the Izalco crater. You can actually walk around the crater rim, checking out the steaming fumaroles. This is definitely one of the best El Salvador volcano hikes.
Read more: Izalco Volcano Hike – Better Than The Santa Ana Volcano Hike
3. San Miguel Volcano Hike
- Type: Out & Back
- Distance: 9.7km
- Time: 5–7 hours
- Accumulated elevation gain: 1,060m
- Difficulty: Hard
- Trailhead: Las Placitas
The San Miguel Volcano Hike is possibly the most epic trekking experience you can have in El Salvador. Located in San Miguel, the active volcano towers over the town. The trail leading to the summit of San Miguel Volcano is outstanding. You’ll pass otherwordly red-coloured cliff walls on your way to the amazing double crater. Watching the volcanic activity inside the innermost crater is truly unforgettable. Personally, Beck and I are surprised this hike isn’t a popular activity in El Salvador. Genuinely, the San Miguel Volcano Hike is one of the best in Central America.
Bonus tip: once you’ve done the hike, hop on a pickup truck and head to Chinameca Volcano for a great view of San Miguel Volcano from afar.
Read more: San Miguel Volcano Hike (Volcan Chaparrastique) – The Ultimate Guide
4. San Salvador Volcano Hike
- Type: Loop
- Distance: 6.6km
- Time: 2–3 hours
- Accumulated elevation gain: 255m
- Difficulty: Moderate
- Trailhead: El Boquerón National Park entrance
Similar to the Santa Ana Volcano Hike, the San Salvador Volcano Hike is an easily accessible trail. Located just outside of the capital in El Boquerón National Park, the San Salvador Volcano Hike should definitely be one of your day trips from San Salvador. It’s actually one of the few El Salvador hiking trails that you can visit and hike independently. So, a San Salvador Volcano Tour isn’t necessary for this hike.
Like many of the active volcanoes in El Salvador, this volcano has had some historical eruptions. The most well-known is the San Salvador Volcano eruption in 1917. Let’s hope there aren’t any historical eruptions when you visit!
Read more: San Salvador Volcano Hike (El Boquerón National Park) – The Ultimate Guide
5. San Vicente Volcano Hike
- Type: Out & Back
- Distance: 14.8km
- Time: 7 hours
- Accumulated elevation gain: 1,330m
- Difficulty: Moderate
- Trailhead: San Francisco Agua Agria
The San Vicente Volcano Hike is probably the most challenging El Salvador hiking trail. Also known as Chinchontepec, this volcano hike traverses through steaming fumaroles, dense forest, banana plantations and coffee fincas. At the summit of San Vicente, you’ll have awesome views of El Salvador mountains. But, keep in mind, that there’s an active military base at the summit of the San Vicente Volcano. So, you’ll definitely want to do this hike with a local guide.
Once you arrive at the top, your guide will help seek approval from the military to let you explore the peak and take photos.
Read more: San Vicente Volcano Hike (Chinchontepec) – The Ultimate Guide
6. Conchagua Volcano
- Type: One-way (Ascent)
- Distance: 5km
- Time: 2–2.5 hours
- Accumulated elevation gain: 600m
- Difficulty: Moderate
- Trailhead: Conchagua Volcano Access Road Entrance
The Conchagua Volcano Hike is a fun overnight experience and one of the best things to do in El Salvador. Basically, you’ll hike up Conchagua Volcano and camp at ‘Mirador Espiritu de La Montaña’, which translates to ‘Spirit of the Mountain Viewpoint’. This is the main viewpoint, which provides an excellent spot to watch sunrise. In fact, the Conchagua Volcano hike in El Salvador is all about the mesmerising sunrise. Golden hour really lights up the islands and volcanoes surrounding El Salvador, Nicaragua and Honduras.
Read more: Conchagua Volcano – The Complete Guide to Camping and Hiking
7. Laguna de Alegria and Volcan Tecapa
- Type: Out & Back
- Distance: 4.4km
- Time: 3–4 hours
- Accumulated elevation gain: 370m
- Difficulty: Easy
- Trailhead: Laguna de Alegria Entrance
The hike up Volcan Tecapa provides extraordinary views of Laguna de Alegria, which is a beautiful crater lake. This immense crater lake is only rivalled by the one seen during the Santa Ana Volcano Hike. Better yet, this El Salvador trek is one of the easiest to do. A guide isn’t required, and the trail is fairly short. Located in Alegria, this hike also provides exceptional views of some of the most superb El Salvador mountains. Beck and I expect the Laguna de Alegria hike to become a lot more popular. So, visit before it becomes an Instagram hotspot!
Read more: Laguna de Alegria and Volcan Tecapa – The Ultimate Hiking Guide
8. Usulután Volcano
- Type: Out & Back
- Distance: 8km
- Time: 4–6 hours
- Accumulated elevation gain: 675m
- Difficulty: Moderate
- Trailhead: El Pozón
Located in East-Central El Salvador, Usulután Volcano geographically falls between the San Vicente and San Miguel volcanoes. In fact, you’ll have brilliant views of Usulután Volcano during the Laguna de Alegria and Volcan Tecapa Hike. Personally, Beck and I didn’t have time to do this El Salvador hiking trail. But, we expect it to be a great hike. That’s because you’ll be surrounded by glorious mountains and volcanoes during the trek.
We’ve also heard Usulután Volcano is similar to San Vicente Volcano. That’s because it isn’t currently active. But, it’s not considered extinct! Also, both volcanoes share similar vegetation and are mostly forested near the summit.
9. Guazapa Volcano
- Type: Out & Back
- Distance: 10km
- Time: 3–5 hours
- Accumulated elevation gain: 475m
- Difficulty: Moderate
- Trailhead: El Roblar
The Guazapa Volcano is a well-known volcano located near Suchitoto. There are a few different trail options for hiking Guazapa Volcano. The most commonly used trail is one that combines exploration of the popular town of Suchitoto with reaching Cerro Guazapa. But, this trail doesn’t reach the actual summit of Guazapa Volcano. Similarly, the Guerrillero’s Trail doesn’t reach the summit. But, this trek explores historical artifacts from the civil war such as trenches and encampments.
The longest trail, which involves reaching the true summit of Guazapa Volcano is much harder. This hike is around 18km with +1,000m elevation, taking between 8–10 hours. Again, Beck and I didn’t personally do this trail. But, it’d be a great hike for history buffs.
El Salvador Mountains to Hike
Other than El Salvador volcano hikes, there are worthwhile mountains and hills to climb. Many of the best El Salvador mountains aren’t visited by tourists, who often prefer the volcano hikes. But, we guarantee you won’t be disappointed by hiking mountains in El Salvador.
10. Cerro El Pital
- Type: Out & Back
- Distance: 10km
- Time: 4–5 hours
- Accumulated elevation gain: 600m
- Difficulty: Easy
- Trailhead: Rio Chiquito
Cerro El Pital is the highest point in El Salvador. So, you can expect breathtaking views from hiking this El Salvador mountain. But, this hike has much more to offer than just being the highest point in the country. Hiking this mountain in El Salvador means checking out Piedra Rajada. It’s one of the most spectacular natural attractions in El Salvador. Essentially, it’s a huge split rock, which is connected by a suspension bridge. We recommend a short side trail, which gets you closer to the gap entrance. One word – wow!
Read more: Cerro El Pital – Hike to the Highest Point In El Salvador
11. Cerro Eramon
- Type: Loop
- Distance: 6.4km
- Time: 4 hours
- Accumulated elevation gain: 485m
- Difficulty: Easy
- Trailhead: Nombre de Jesus
Cerro Eramon is a great mountain in El Salvador to hike. Located in Chalatenango, the trail provides extraordinary views of Rio Lempa and the surrounding mountains in El Salvador. There are a few Miradors to enjoy, which are located next to some epic camping and glamping sites. Better yet, Cerro Eramon is an amazingly shaped double-peak mountain. Whether you’re admiring Cerro Eramon from afar or enjoying the wide-stretching views from the peaks themselves, you’re guaranteed to love this El Salvador trekking experience.
Read more: Cerro Eramon – The Complete Guide to Hiking and Camping
12. Peñon de Comasagua
- Type: Out & Back
- Distance: 2.4km
- Time: 1–1.5 hours
- Accumulated elevation gain: 125m
- Difficulty: Easy
- Trailhead: Peñon de Comasagua Car Park
Watching a glorious sunset from the peak of Peñon de Comasagua is a truly memorable moment. Technically, Peñon de Comasagua is more of a hill than a mountain. But, this landform is just as stunning as the other mountains in El Salvador that we’ve mentioned. The hike itself is quite easy and has huge rewards. Starting late in the afternoon during golden hour, the hike weaves through farmland, before reaching Peñon de Comasagua. It’s an amazing rock formation, which provides stellar views of the Balsam mountain range, valleys and the intimidating San Vicente Volcano.
Read more: Peñon de Comasagua Sunset Hike – The Ultimate Guide
13. Puerta del Diablo
Just south of San Salvador, you’ll find Puerta del Diablo, which translates to the ‘Devil’s Door’. Similar to Peñon de Comasagua, Puerta del Diablo is not an El Salvador mountain. Instead, it’s an outstanding natural rock formation. Reaching the peak of Puerta del Diablo provides exceptional views, all the way to the Pacific Ocean on a clear day. Unfortunately, Puerta del Diablo has been closed for a few years and remains closed in early 2022. Hopefully, you’ll be able to explore the short hiking trails leading to Puerta del Diablo, when you visit El Salvador.
El Salvador National Park Hikes
El Salvador national parks are some of the most pristine and tranquil in Central America. Many El Salvador national parks have fantastic hiking trails. The best national parks in El Salvador, include Cerro Verde, El Boquerón, El Imposible and Montecristo. Because we’ve covered volcano hikes from Cerro Verde and El Boquerón national parks, we’ll cover the best hikes in El Imposible and Montecristo national parks below. But, keep in mind, one of the hikes in El Imposible National Park is listed under the Waterfalls in El Salvador section.
14. El Imposible National Park Loop
- Type: Loop with 2 x Out & Backs
- Distance: 16km
- Time: 6–8 hours
- Accumulated elevation gain: 1,005m
- Difficulty: Moderate
- Trailhead: El Imposible National Park Entrance
El Imposible is easily one of the best El Salvador national parks. One trek that you should definitely try and do in El Salvador is our self-made El Imposible National Park Loop route. Essentially, it combines the three most popular hikes in the national park – Cerro Leon, Piedra Sellada and Los Enganches. But, be warned, the local guides at El Imposible National Park aren’t used to doing this route. So, you’ll have to plan this hike in advance. Make sure to read our guide below for more information on how to organise this hike.
Read more: El Imposible National Park Loop – The Best Hiking Route
15. La Llorona Hike
- Type: Loop
- Distance: 6km
- Time: 6–7 hours
- Accumulated elevation gain: 355m
- Difficulty: Hard
- Trailhead: Paraiso entre Rios Restaurante and Cabañas
Another fantastic hike in the El Imposible National Park in El Salvador is the La Llorona Hike. Admittedly, Beck and I helped to discover this new hiking trail in early 2022 with El Salvatours. The friendly guys from El Salvatours essentially have the monopoly on the northern part of El Imposible National Park. It’s a less-explored area of this El Salvador national park, that has many undiscovered natural attractions and hiking trails. When it comes to the La Llorona Hike, definitely watch this space!
Read more: Discovering a New Hike in El Imposible National Park With El Salvatours
16. El Trifinio
- Type: Out & Back
- Distance: 8.8km
- Time: 3.25 hours
- Accumulated elevation gain: 550m
- Difficulty: Moderate
- Trailhead: Parque Nacional Montecristo Car Park
Montecristo is easily one of the best El Salvador National Parks to hike in. The crown jewel of hiking trails at Montecristo National Park in El Salvador is the El Trifinio trail. Located on the El Salvador-Honduras border, you’ll be spoilt with impressive views of Honduras and El Salvador mountains. The El Trifinio trail meanders through lovely tropical dry forest. We highly recommend visiting during the week for a more relaxing hike. That way, you’re more likely to meet some of the wildlife living in this El Salvador national park!
Read more: El Trifinio El Salvador – The Most Epic Hike in Montecristo National Park
Waterfalls In El Salvador to Hike
You can’t visit El Salvador, and not do some of the adventurous waterfall hikes. There are many stunning waterfalls in El Salvador that involve an awesome trekking experience. You’ll find excellent waterfall hikes all throughout the country. When it comes to waterfall hikes in El Salvador national parks, the Hidden Waterfalls Hike in El Imposible would have to be one of the best! But, anyway, to finish off this El Salvador hiking list, let’s look at the best waterfalls to hike.
17. Tamanique Waterfalls Hike
- Type: Out & Back
- Distance: 2.7km
- Time: 2–3 hours
- Accumulated elevation gain: 220m
- Difficulty: Easy
- Trailhead: Tamanique Waterfalls Car Park
One of the most popular waterfalls in El Salvador to hike is the Tamanique Waterfalls. Often visited from El Tunco, the Tamanqiue Falls are made up of four main falls. The third and fourth waterfalls are the highest and most impressive waterfalls to chase. Being able to swim in most of the falls, ensures you’ll be both hiking and swimming during your visit. Better yet, the trail isn’t too long. So, there’s a huge reward for such minimal effort.
Read more: Tamanique Waterfalls Hike – The Ultimate Guide
18. Seven Waterfalls Hike
- Type: Loop
- Distance: 4.6km
- Time: 2.5–4 hours
- Accumulated elevation gain: 205m
- Difficulty: Moderate
- Trailhead: Seven Waterfalls Hike Trailhead
The Seven Waterfalls Tour in Juayua is one of the most thrilling El Salvador trekking experiences on offer. Located along the Ruta de Las Flores, this hike is jam-packed with adventure. For us, the highlights were the first waterfall, which was the most noteworthy. Plus, rappelling up the fourth waterfall was an unforgettable moment.
Often included in the Seven Waterfalls Hike is another waterfall called Chorros de La Calera. Essentially, this makes it an Eight Waterfalls Hike! But, unfortunately, in early 2022, the waterfall was closed when Beck and I visited. Well, it’s just another excuse to re-visit El Salvador one day!
Read more: Seven Waterfalls Hike in El Salvador – Epic Trail on the Ruta de Las Flores
19. Hidden Waterfalls Hike
- Type: Loop
- Distance: 9.7km
- Time: 5–6 hours
- Accumulated elevation gain: 535m
- Difficulty: Moderate
The Hidden Waterfalls Hike in El Imposible National Park in El Salvador is a truly unique trekking experience. Hiking through, what felt like El Salvador jungle, you’ll explore many hidden waterfalls in the less explored northern part of this El Salvador national park. Organised by El Salvatours, the Hidden Waterfalls Tour is becoming a tourist-favourite in El Salvador. Plus, this adventure isn’t just about hiking. You’ll be swimming and cliff jumping into waterfalls whilst exploring canyons and gorges. We highly recommend doing the Hidden Waterfalls Hike!
Read more: How to Find The Most Hidden Waterfalls in El Salvador
20. Los Tercios Waterfall
Located a stone throw’s away from Suchitoto, Los Tercios Waterfall is a great cascade in El Salvador to hike. It’s a 40 metre-high waterfall that gushes over columnal volcanic rocks spread across a vertical cliff wall. Better yet, you don’t need a guide to visit this waterfall! You’ll find the falls are only a 10–15 minute walk from town. Sadly, when Beck and I visited El Salvador in early 2022, this waterfall had dried up because of the dry season. So, we didn’t visit. To ensure Los Tercios is at its finest, visit during the rainy season.
El Salvador Hiking Recap
We can’t recommend trekking in El Salvador highly enough. Not well known as a hiking destination, we hope this guide and other El Salvador hiking guides help to buck this trend. We suppose the first step is to encourage you to include El Salvador as part of your Central America trip. The next step is to make sure you pack your hiking boots! Certainly, there’s amazing trekking in El Salvador waiting for you!
Essentials For El Salvador Hiking
Osprey Skarab 30
The Osprey Skarab 30 is our go-to hiking backpack for day hikes. This well-designed unisex backpack is comfortable and spacious, so you’ll have plenty of space to pack everything without feeling the strain on your upper back.
Osprey Ultralight Raincover
A waterproof backpack cover is an absolute must when you’re adventuring outdoors. The Osprey Ultralight Raincover Medium is a high-quality waterproof cover that’ll keep your backpack bone dry.
GRAYL Reusable Water Bottle
The GRAYL GeoPress is the best water filter bottle that allows you to purify 710mL (12 ounces) of water. This bottle will make water safe to drink wherever you’re hiking.
BUFF Original Ecostretch
The BUFF Original Ecostretch is a great option when it comes to multifunctional headwear. We use the Ecostretch as a neck gaiter to keep the sun off our necks and it helps us keep warm in cooler climates.
Sony Cybershot RX100 VII
Capture epic photos and videos with the Sony Cybershot RX100 VII. This is hands-down the best compact camera. We love using this simple point-and-shoot camera when we’re hiking as it’s lightweight and durable.
To find out more about all of the gear that we use and recommend, read our guides about our favourite hiking gear, travel gear and camera gear. Otherwise, read our comprehensive travel packing checklist.
You’ll also want to pack a hat, sunscreen, sunglasses, bug spray, trekking poles and 2–3L of water for most treks in El Salvador.
Bonus Tips For El Salvador Hiking
- Best time of year to visit El Salvador: trekking between November and April, or, more specifically, between December and March, should guarantee better weather.
- Backpacking El Salvador: don’t follow the lead of other tourists who don’t travel to El Salvador during their Central America adventure. #dontskipelsalvador
- Use Google Flights and Skyscanner: these are great tools for planning your trip to Central America!
Booking Flights
Skyscanner is our go-to website for booking flights. If you’re looking to find the cheapest flights, we recommend getting the ball rolling with a Skyscanner search. It allows you to scan all airlines and platforms to find the cheapest airfares.
To find out more about booking the cheapest flights, read our Skyscanner review.
We think El Salvador has some of the most underrated trekking in North America. But, it’s hard to beat hiking in South America. Check out our Patagonia and Peru hiking guides.
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