Ahuachapan

Ahuachapan is a small city in the western highlands of El Salvador. With its scenic colonial center and range of services for the traveler, it is a popular stop on the country's Ruta de las Flores, a well-known tourism route through mountainous small towns.

Understand
The city of Ahuachapan has a population of just over 38,000 people (2012). As the principal city of its region, it has a wide range of businesses that support travelers, including bus stops, hotels, and restaurants.

Get in
Chicken buses leave every 10 minutes throughout the day from San Salvador to Ahuachapan via Santa Ana. Route 202 is San Salvador - Ahuachapan. The trip takes 2-1/4 hours and costs about US$2. You could also start from Santa Ana, in which case, you would use the Route 210 bus to Ahuachapan. The 1-hour trip between Santa Ana and Ahuachapan costs US$1.

There is not a central bus terminal in Ahuachapan and to catch a chicken bus you need to look at a map and see which road they will use to get to the destination you want to reach. You can ask a local where to catch the bus, or you can wave down a passing bus once you're on the right road, facing the right direction. (It sounds uncertain, but in practice it's easy and reliable.)

Buses coming into Ahuachapan end their routes on CA 8 (Ruta de las Flores) near the Hospicio de Varones. This is also where you can catch buses to Santa Ana and scenic small towns along the Ruta de las Flores. The 202 bus back to San Salvador stops a bit down the road (ask a local or take a moto taxi to the bus stop).



Get around
The central downtown area is compact and a joy to walk, with colonial buildings, cobblestone streets, and street vendors with a dizzying selection of things you don't really need. Moto taxis are common, especially for short trips, though regular taxis (most small Nissan sedans) can be found at sitios near downtown parks and can also be called to your hotel. Assuming you are comfortable with Spanish, you can negotiate a daily rate if you'd like a driver to take you around on a custom sightseeing tour (usually very cheap). If you don't know where something is, take one of the moto taxis (tuc-tuc).

See






Do






Festivals

 * Día de los Farolitos (Day of the Lanterns), takes place annually on 7 September. Festivities include a parade through downtown and a celebration honoring the birth of the Virgin Mary. Locals make small lanterns from reeds that light the town in the evening. The festival has been celebrated for more than 170 years and in recent decades, the festival has spread to the nearby town of Concepción de Ataco.

Sleep
A wider selection of accomodations (especially upscale boutique hotels) is in the nearby town of Concepción de Ataco.



Go next

 * El Imposible National Park
 * Los Volcanes National Park (Cerro Verde National Park)
 * Montecristo National Park
 * Concepción de Ataco
 * Sonsonate