Travel to El Salvador

Flying to El Salvador

The Salvadorian national airline is Avianca (www.avianca.com). It flies to a number of US, Central and South American destinations. Flights to El Salvador are cheapest during the periods from February to March and August to October, with Christmas and New Year the most expensive period.

Of the major US carriers, American Airlines (www.aa.com) has the most flights to the country, departing Dallas-Fort Worth and Miami International. Delta (www.delta.com) flies direct from Atlanta and United (www.united.com) from Newark and Houston. Travellers from Europe looking for the quickest flight are advised to travel via Florida in the USA.

Notes

El Salvador International Airport (SAL) is the country’s chief airport and point of arrival for almost all international air travellers. Locally known as Aeropuerto Internacional de Comalapa, it is 50km (31 miles) south of San Salvador, the country’s capital.

Flight times

From London - 15 hours (including stopover); New York - 5 hours.

Departure tax

Included in the air fare.

Travelling to El Salvador by Rail

Driving to El Salvador

The Pan-American Highway runs west from Honduras and east from Guatamala. Tica Bus (www.ticabus.com) operates well-equipped express coach services to San Salvador from Panama, Costa Rica and Guatemala with connections to the south of Mexico.

Driving note

Avoid driving at night for safety and leave your vehicle in hotel car parks if possible. Four-wheel drives are advised for travelling on minor roads.

Getting to El Salvador by boat

The port of Acajutla lies closes to the western border with Guatemala and has modern cruise facilities. La Unión lies at the Eastern End of the country and is a port of entry for sea traffic (again mostly freight) from Nicaragua and Honduras.

Water note

The country’s first port, La Libertad, is now a surfing destination, with a just a few fishing and day tour boats plying the harbour.

Cruise ships

Several cruise lines stop at El Salvador.

River Routes

There are no scheduled river ferry services into the country. The Rio Lempa is the only navigable river in the country and flows from Guatemala and Honduras through El Salvador into the Pacific.