According to lawschoolsinusa, El Salvador is a country in North America bordering Guatemala and Honduras. The capital of El Salvador is San Salvador. A number of major cities in El Salvador are: Acajutla, Ahuachapán and San Miguel.
El Salvador has a violent past. A civil war raged from 1979 to 1992. At least 75,000 people were killed. Nowadays, the government is doing everything it can to attract tourists and guarantee safety. There is much to experience for the tourist. You will find (active) volcanoes, picturesque villages and archaeological excavations. In addition, you will find many from the Mayan era, such as temples (pyramids). The country also offers kilometers of beaches with palm trees and for divers there are 2 shipwrecks to dive at Los Cobanos. See animalerts for overview of Central America and Caribbean, covering list of all countries in the region.
Where is El Salvador located?
Travel information of El Salvador
Official name: Republic of El Salvador
Continent: North America
Area: 21,041 km²
Capital: San Salvador
Country code: SV, SLV
Population: 6,481,102 inhabitants (2020)
Form of government: Republic
Highest point: 2,730 m (Cerro El Pital)
Distance (Amsterdam – San Salvador): 9,090 km
Flight time: approximately 12 hours
Travel advice
Current status: All non-essential travel to certain areas in El Salvador is discouraged.
Current color code: Yellow and orange.
Corona
Due to the coronavirus (COVID-19), there may be (temporary) measures in place in El Salvador that you as a tourist may have to deal with. For the most up-to-date corona travel advice, please refer to our special coronavirus travel advice page. For the number of current corona infections, number of deaths and various corona-related graphs of El Salvador, please visit Countryaah.
Travel offer
On our travel offer page you will find an overview of reliable travel organizations that offer complete trips and holidays to El Salvador. In addition, you will find an overview of separate travel components (car rental, hotels and airline tickets) with which you can compose your ideal trip yourself.
Travel guides and maps
Are you looking for a travel guide, map, walking map, cycling map, book or DVD about El Salvador?
Excursions, activities and day trips
With the help of Countryaah you can reserve an excursion, activity, tour, entrance ticket and/or day trip for your stay in El Salvador at a discount. This way you are assured of a place, in some cases you can skip the queue and you can already plan your travel program.
Weather and climate
El Salvador has a tropical climate. Temperatures along the coast are around 25 to 30 degrees. In the interior the temperatures are around 20 to 25 degrees and in the mountains around 10 to 20 degrees.
The current weather (weather forecast) and a weather forecast for El Salvador can be found on our extensive weather page.
Extensive information about the climate of El Salvador can be found at Climate info.
Best time
January, February, March, November and December are the best months to travel to El Salvador. This avoids the prolonged rainy season.
Language
Spanish is the official language in El Salvador.
Would you like to translate from or into Spanish for free? Use the Google translator for this.
Travel documents
You must have a passport that is valid for at least 30 days upon arrival in El Salvador.
A visa is not necessary if you stay in El Salvador for less than 3 months.
Embassies and consulates
Below is an overview of relevant diplomatic representations, including addresses and contact details.
Netherlands Embassy in Costa Rica (also for El-Salvador):
netherlandsworldwide.nl.
Dutch consulate in El-Salvador: netherlandsworldwide.nl.
Embassy of El-Salvador in the Netherlands: rijksoverheid.nl.
For urgent assistance, you can contact the Ministry of Foreign Affairs 24/7 on +31247247247.
Vaccination (inoculation)
Before visiting El Salvador it is advisable to get one or more vaccinations.
For extensive vaccination advice and to make a vaccination appointment at home, please visit Thuisvaccinatie.nl. You can also see here whether your health insurance reimburses the vaccination(s).
Malaria
Malaria occurs in El Salvador (with the exception of San Miguel, San Salvador and Santa Ana). Malaria is an infectious disease transmitted by malaria mosquitoes. This infectious disease can lead to death if not treated in time and/or incorrectly.
For prevention and control of malaria, please visit our malaria page.
Money and Currency
In El Salvador, payment is made with the US dollar (USD).
The current position of this currency (currency, currency) can be found on our exchange rate page.
An overview of all ATMs in El Salvador can be found on our ATMs page.
Price level
Prices in El Salvador are much lower than in the Netherlands. The price difference with the Netherlands is -36% on average. Some examples are: restaurants (57% cheaper), food (23% cheaper), imported beer in catering (20% cheaper), cigarettes (57% cheaper) and public transport (92% cheaper). Please note that the price difference in tourist areas, especially during high season, may vary.
Tipping
In El Salvador it is customary to tip. If no service costs have been calculated yet, you give a tip of approximately 5-10%.
Time difference
During our summer time it is 8 hours earlier in El Salvador.
During our winter time it is 7 hours earlier in El Salvador.
El Salvador has no difference in winter time and summer time.
Find the local time, date and time zone for El Salvador on our time difference page.
Traffic and route
In El Salvador you must drive on the right.
You do not need an international driver’s license to drive and/or rent a motor vehicle in El Salvador.
With the Google route planner you can compile a route description from, to or within El Salvador.
Electricity In El Salvador you may need an adapter plug and/or converter
in some cases. More information about common plugs and sockets in El Salvador can be found on our electricity page.
Emergency services
If you need help from the police, fire brigade and/or ambulance in an emergency, you can use the emergency numbers below.
– Police: 911
– Fire: 911
– Ambulance: 911
Tap water
It is not recommended to drink water from the tap.
If you are unable to buy bottled water, use a water purifier to purify the water or boil the water for 5 minutes. After this you can safely use it as drinking water and for things like brushing teeth, cleaning lenses and washing vegetables and / or fruit. More information about drinking water and/or the purchase of water purification products can be found on our drinking water page.
News and newspapers
The latest news related to El Salvador can be found on Google news.
An overview of the newspapers from El Salvador can be found on Abyznewslinks.
Internet
Websites from El Salvador end in.sv.
Official websites of El Salvador: presidencia.gob.sv and elsalvador.travel.
Telephony
The country code (international access code) to call someone in El Salvador is 00503 or +503.
Do you want to call the Netherlands from El Salvador? Then use the Dutch country code 0031 or +31.
(If using a country code, omit the leading 0 of the number to be called.)
Company information can be found in El Salvador’s Yellow Pages.
Photos and videos
On Flickr you will find a nice collection of photos of El Salvador.
On Youtube you will find a nice collection of videos from El Salvador.
Holidays
An overview of all holidays in El Salvador can be found on Beleven.org.
Reviews and travel experiences
On Zoover and TripAdvisor you will find reviews from travelers about accommodations (eg hotels and holiday homes), restaurants and destinations in El Salvador, supplemented with photos, videos and places of interest.
Travelogues
Are you looking for a travelogue about El Salvador?
Here you will find travel reports and experiences of travelers who have previously visited El Salvador. It is also possible to keep a free diary of your trip for family and/or friends.
Nature and world heritage
An overview of the protected nature areas (including national parks, reserves and wildlife parks) in El Salvador can be found on Protected Planet.
An overview of the world heritage sites in El Salvador can be found on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Customs rules
Do you want to know how much you are allowed to import and export when traveling to El Salvador? On the IATA website you will find an overview with the maximum quantities of cigarettes, perfume, alcohol and money, among other things. If you stick to these quantities, you don’t have to declare anything to customs. You will also find the laws and regulations regarding the entry of pets on this website.
Relevant legislation
Below you will find relevant legislation and regulations that you may encounter during your visit to El Salvador.
– Alcohol: Buying and/or drinking from the age of 18.
– Alcohol and traffic: The maximum permitted alcohol content is 0.5.
– Tobacco: Buying and/or smoking from the age of 18.
– Smoking ban: In public places.
– Homosexuality: Allowed
Did you know that…
…El Salvador is the smallest country in Central America?
…El Salvador has one of the highest murder rates in the world (65 per 100,000)?
…There are 20 volcanoes in El Salvador, 2 of which are active?
…Coffee is one of El Salvador’s main exports?
… El Salvador has the largest airport in Central America?
