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The Ruta de las Flores is one of the most scenic regions of El Salvador, connecting a series of towns in the western part of the country. The area is known for coffee farms, mountain viewpoints, waterfalls, colorful mountain towns and a much cooler, greener landscape than the coast.
A lot of travelers visit the Ruta de las Flores just to do the famous Seven Waterfalls hike from Juayúa, but there is much more to see along the route, which is why I think it’s worth spending at least a couple of days here if you have room in your itinerary. We stayed in Juayúa for two nights during our El Salvador road trip and I honestly wished we stayed longer!
In this guide I share how to get to the Ruta de Last Flores, where to stay, and the best things to do there, from hiking up waterfalls to exploring tiny mountain towns.
Plan your trip to El Salvador with these posts!
The Ultimate 10 Day El Salvador Road Trip Itinerary
10 Best Things to Do in El Salvador
A Guide to Santa Ana, El Salvador: Where to Stay & What to Do
Why Visit the Ruta de las Flores?
The Ruta de las Flores is a scenic route connecting several small towns in the mountains of western El Salvador. The region is especially known for its coffee-growing landscape, cooler temperatures, colorful towns, waterfalls and views of the surrounding volcanoes.
The most famous activity here is the Seven Waterfalls hike, and many people come to the area on a day tour from Santa Ana or El Tunco just to do that. But if you only visit for the hike, you miss a lot of what makes this part of El Salvador so special. There are small towns to wander through, beautiful viewpoints, coffee farms and plenty of places where you can simply stop for lunch or a coffee and slow down for a few hours.
How to Get to the Ruta de las Flores
Renting a Car
Just like almost everywhere in the small country of El Salvador, the Ruta de las Flores is relatively easy to reach by car. It is less than two hours from El Salvador International Airport and also within roughly two hours of both Santa Ana and El Tunco, two of the most popular destinations in the country.
It fits perfectly into an El Salvador road trip because it sits naturally between Santa Ana and the Pacific Coast. We visited after Santa Ana and then continued south toward the beach. To read more about how we fit the Ruta de las Flores in our itinerary, check out my 10-Day El Salvador Roadtrip.
Having a rental car is not essential, but it definitely makes exploring this region easier. Each town is only around 10 minutes to the next by car. The roads wind through the mountains and offer many viewpoints, so having your own car lets you stop whenever you want at viewpoints, cafes, or whatever town interests you.
Visiting Without a Car
The easiest way to visit the Ruta de las Flores without a car is to take a guided day trip from San Salvador, Santa Ana or El Tunco. Many tours focus mainly on the Seven Waterfalls hike, but some include additional stops in the towns, at viewpoints or at coffee farms.
If you want to visit independently, I would take a shuttle to Juayúa and use it as your base. From there, you can book a guided Seven Waterfalls hike and then take another tour around the towns or to a coffee farm. You can book these tours online ahead of time, but booking locally once you arrive would definitely be cheaper.
Ubers should also be available in the towns, although we didn’t personally use Uber while in this part of El Salvador. In general, Uber is a safe, reliable, and inexpensive way to get around in El Salvador.
Read More: 10 Best Things to Do in El Salvador
Where to Stay on the Ruta de las Flores
If you have a car, you could stay in almost any of the towns along the Ruta de las Flores and still explore the rest of the region easily.
That said, most travelers choose Juayúa, as it’s one of the larger towns along the route. There are plenty of restaurants and hotels, and it is very close to the starting point of the Seven Waterfalls hike.
We stayed in Juayúa and absolutely loved it. The town had everything we needed, like restaurants, nice coffee shops, and a gym for my boyfriend. Most importantly we felt very safe walking around at all hours of the day.
Where to stay in Juayua
Studio Apartment with Kitchen: Cafeto Loft
We stayed in a studio apartment that I booked through Booking.com, and I couldn’t recommend it enough. It was in the perfect location for walking around town, and we were able to park our rental car right outside on the street. The apartment had a small kitchen, plenty of space and really cute decor. I’m glad we chose it over a standard hotel.
Budget Hostel for Solo Travelers: Samay Hostel
Boutique Hotel just outside Juayua: Los Cuatro Olivos
Other places to stay along the Ruta de Las Flores
If you would rather stay somewhere quieter or try a different town, there are also plenty of hotels, cabins and coffee-farm stays throughout the region.
Hotel in Ataco town: Hotel Casa Pino
Hotel near Ataco: Hotel María Isabel Ataco
Hostel/Hotel in Ahuachapan: Hostal Sunset Town
How Long Should You Stay on the Ruta de las Flores?
We stayed in Juayúa for two nights, but I really wish we had stayed for one more. We loved the town and the apartment we stayed in, and there were a few things we simply didn’t have time to do, including Santa Teresa Hot Springs and a coffee tour at El Carmen Estate.
So I would recommend staying for at least two nights, but three nights would be even better if you have room in your itinerary. That gives you one full day for the Seven Waterfalls hike, another day to explore the towns and coffee farms, and enough downtime to enjoy Juayúa.
Best Things to Do Along the Ruta de las Flores
Hike the Seven Waterfalls
The Seven Waterfalls hike in Juayúa is the most famous thing to do along the Ruta de las Flores and was one of our favorite outdoor adventures in El Salvador.
The hike takes you through lush jungle and past several waterfalls of all different sizes. Some waterfalls you’ll just walk past, some you will climb up (with the help of ropes provided by the guide) and some you can swim in or jump off if you want. It’s an adventurous hike that’s not marked very well, which is why a guide is required.
We booked a private local guide, which allowed us to hike at our own pace and have some of the waterfalls completely to ourselves. Since we had a car, we met the guide at the start of the hike, which is about a mile down a dirt road. If you don’t have a rental car, book a tour that includes transportation from Juayúa, like this one.
Our favorite waterfall was the last one, called Los Chorros. It features a large pool that’s great for swimming. We honestly could have spent hours at this spot because it was so peaceful! My boyfriend loves cliff jumping, so our guide showed him a spot to safely jump from.
Explore Juayúa
If you stay in Juayúa like we did, you’ll have plenty of time to explore the town. Here’s a few things I recommend (mostly restaurants).
- Visit Parque Central, a lovely little park in the center of town directly in front of the beautiful Santa Lucía Church.
- If you’re visiting on a Saturday or Sunday, check out Juayúa’s weekly food festival, which takes places on the street around Parque Central. Vendors set up and cook all kinds of local food. It’s one of the things the town is most known for.
- For coffee, visit Bourbon Coffee Roasters, which serves locally grown coffee and seemed to specialize in drip coffee. You can choose exactly how you want your coffee prepared, and they also serve breakfast, desserts and crepes.
- For pupusas, head to Pupusería Esmeralda. These were some of the best pupusas I tried during our entire trip through El Salvador.
- For my fellow vegetarians, Dragón de Juayúa is a Chinese restaurant that was the only place I found tofu during our entire trip. When you’ve been eating beans, cheese and pupusas for days, finding tofu is very exciting!
Visit Café Albania
Café Albania is an adventure park near Apaneca with zip lines, giant rainbow slides, instagramable photo opps and incredible views of the surrounding mountains.
To be honest, I thought Cafe Albania was pretty touristy and overpriced. When we visited, entry cost $5 per person, one zip line cost around $20, and other photo spots, such as this swing, cost $10.
That said, I still think it is worth stopping since you’ll likely pass it anyway on your way to one of the other towns. Even if you just do one slide or one zip line, you’ll get to experience the beautiful mountain views there and get some nice photos!
Explore Concepción de Ataco
Concepción de Ataco was definitely the prettiest town we visited along the Ruta de las Flores. It’s filled with colorful murals, beautiful streets, cafés and artisan shops. There’s a beautiful church on the hill overlooking the town that adds to the scenery.
We spent about an hour simply walking around and then stopped for lunch. I also found some of my favorite souvenir shops here and bought a few things that I didn’t see anywhere else in El Salvador.
Take a Coffee Tour at El Carmen Estate
The Ruta de las Flores is one of El Salvador’s major coffee-growing regions, so visiting a coffee farm is a great way to learn more about it! Head to El Carmen Estate, located just outside Ataco, for a coffee tour and tasting.
The tour only costs $9 for one hour, making it a very affordable activity if you’re interested in learning how coffee is grown and produced. We unfortunately didn’t have time to take the tour ourselves, but if we had more time this would be what I would add to the itinerary.
Stop at the Viewpoints
One of the best parts of driving the Ruta de las Flores is the beautiful mountain scenery all around. As you drive between the towns, you’ll come across several pull-offs and viewpoints overlooking the mountains and volcanoes. One viewpoint I especially recommend is called “Mirador Ruta de las Flores” on Google Maps. From here, you can see several volcanoes stretching across the horizon, and it was one of my favorite views along the entire route.
Is the Ruta de las Flores Worth Visiting?
Absolutely! The Ruta de Las Flores, and the town of Juayua specifically, ended up being one of my favorite stops on our El Salvador roadtrip and I wished we had spent more time there. Although the towns along the route are small and there aren’t that many huge attractions, the area’s simple beauty, art and nature made our visit so enjoyable.
For more about how I fit the Ruta de las Flores in our El Salvador itinerary, read my other helpful posts!
- 10 Day El Salvador Road Trip Itinerary
- 10 Best Things to Do in El Salvador
- Complete Santa Ana, El Salvador Travel Guide
This site contains links to affiliate websites, and I receive an affiliate commission for any purchases made by you on the affiliate website, at no extra cost to you. Thanks!
