El Salvador Day 1-2: Cascadas de Tamanique and Playa El Tunco

I first came to El Salvador in Spring 2022, and it was a short weekend trip because a random $90 round-trip popped up in my search so I immediately booked it (round trips are usually $250+). Not being able to take a carry-on, I packed two outfits, a swimsuit, and some toiletries and headed over. In my first trip, due to limited time, I was really only able to walk around the city, visit "Los Planes" (a suburb on a hill, with rooftop restaurants with beautiful views over the city), and go to the beach. It was wonderful! But it left me wanting more. For the past year, El Salvador has been on my mind a lot. As I am current transitioning jobs and not starting my new position until later in the month, I found this as a perfect opportunity to return and see more.

Arriving to San Salvador International Airport

If you do not have international cell service through your home network, I recommend getting a SIM Card before exiting the airport. There are stands right before the exit; you can’t miss them. A SIM Card with a week of internet comes out to about $5. 

Leaving the airport, I took an uber. You can either take an uber, taxi, or bus. Because I remember the car ride from the airport from my first trip being really long, I opted out of the bus and I knew it would probably double the already long commute. Ubers from the airport to anywhere in the city will range between $25-35. The traffic was… terrible, as I exited and called my Uber at 5pm on a Monday, peak rush hour. What should have been a one hour drive turned into two hours. Thankfully, I had a very welcoming uber driver, so I was able to pass time with good conversation. My first evening in El Salvador was pretty calm, as I was really tired from my flight and the long drive, so I opted to eat a sandwich at a nearby spot from where I was staying and calling it a night.

Where I stayed in San Salvador: 

A lot of tourists prefer to stay in the Zona Rosa or Escalon area, as they have many dining and bar options. For me, Zona Rosa seemed a little too commercial. I preferred something more residential. In my first trip to El Salvador in Spring 2022, I stayed in the Villa Serena Escalon Hotel ($35/40 a night last year, now in 2023, about $45-55), and I was super happy with my stay. The small boutique hotel had wonderful staff, beautiful decor, and the rooms were simple and adequate. Unfortunately, this hotel was fully booked, and I would’ve love to stay there if it was available. 

Normally, I do everything I can to avoid Airbnb, as I have believe that the company has contributed to housing crisis in the U.S. and many cities abroad. When looking for accommodation, I primarily utilize “Host a Sister” Facebook Group, an online community of global female solo travelers that host each other, or I look for a hotel on booking.com. If those two searches do not present good options, I then look for an airbnb, but only with the condition that I am either staying in a room of someone’s home, or staying in someone’s home when they are out of town. I do not stay in full-time airbnbs. Through Airbnb, I found a room in someone’s backhouse, near Colonia Miramonte. The host was wonderful and provided pictures with clear instructions of how to arrive/access keys, I had my own private entrance and bathroom, and the residence was in the middle of a neighborhood street. It provided a pretty authentic experience for me, as the neighbors even said "Buenos dias/tardes!" every time I walked out. The location was pretty ideal as well, within 10 minutes from the bus station on one side, and another 10 minutes from the area with a lot of bar and dining options. Walking around, I felt really safe as neighbors were always out either sweeping the street, enjoying conversation in their patios, or walking around.

My first full day in El Salvador: Cascadas de Tamanique

My first morning after arriving to ES, I immediately took the bus headed to La Libertad. The bus terminal in San Salvador is the Terminal de Autobuses Occidente, and unlike other bus terminals in many other countries where you pay inside, here, you get on the bus and someone goes around once its moving to collect payment.

In order to reach Tamanique, you need to need

to first reach El Tunco, which means you need to take Bus #102, which costs 50 cents. Every time I get on a new bus, I always ask "esto llega a ___?" even though I am certain it is. It's a good way to give me reassurance, and it also gives the bus driver a mental note they need to make sure to stop there because that someone needs to get off at that stop, in case we arrive and I do not immediately notice.

Once you get off at El Tunco, you have 2 options, you can take an uber which will cost you around $5-8, or you can wait for the 187A bus (make sure its not the 187B!!!) At this exact stop, there's a gate entrance to the beach town and a few stands around it. The security guard and the people there are so friendly, and you can ask for their help. I opted for the second bus, as I was lucky and it was literally arriving as I was considering getting the uber. This bus ends in Tamanique, so no worries on missing your stop.

The bus stops right next to the central park of the town, and in the corner of the park (and it's a really small park), there are men and women in matching blue polo shirts. These are the wonderful tour guides hired by the municipality that are ready to guide arriving tourists on the Tamanique Waterfall hike.

A guide is required for the hike, but no worries, you do not have to book them in advance. Since they are all working for the municipality, each will tell you the same price as well. Oddly enough, when I was doing research before arriving to El Salvador, I had actually found one of their instagram’s (I do have impressive IG investigative skills), so while he planned to work that day anyways, he waited for me specifically. Once we met, he walked to the tourist center, where you register and pay. If you are a group of 3 or more, you pay $7 each. If you are only 2 people or you are going solo, you will pay a total of $20. This money is paid to the tourism department, and while the guides are paid a salary, it’s important to also bring a tip as well. I tipped my guide another $10 after my hike (he was particularly very awesome!). If you are in a group, feel free to tip a few dollars each.

The actual hike is about 45 minutes to an hour to arrive to the waterfalls. This hike is pretty steep, and you first have to hike down. I went on a day after there was pretty heavy rain, so it was pretty muddy at some points. In my opinion, while it’s not a very long hike, the steepness made it as difficult as some of the much longer hikes I have done. There are very few points of the hike were you are walking a flat trail. I’m a staunch believer that hiking is an activity that is not only reserved for the “very fit.” Achieving a hike depends much more about the support you have, not your activity level. When I first started some big hikes, I was definitely not a very active person. The tour guide explained that they have had tourists of all ages do the hike, and while the hike is difficult to finish for some, he assured me that they are trained to accommodate everyone’s pace. If you decide to take on the challenge, there is definitely a wonderful prize at the end. 

I feel so lucky to have had my guide. He was so patient, held my hand through some of the slippery parts, and he had so many stories to tell. He, like every guide hired by the municipality, grew up and live in the town. These guides were literally raised and spent their life frequently visiting the waterfalls. At one point he said “yo conozco estas cascadas como las ranas conocen las cascadas/ I know these waterfalls like the frogs here know them.” It was wonderful to not only receive his help, but also, hear and learn about this community. He was also awesome because he felt my fear, and while I initially said no to swimming to get closer to the actual waterfall, he swam and used one hand to help me swim, and another to hold my phone above water to take pictures. He truly went above and beyond.

The hike back was difficult cardio wise, as we were climbing up, but it was less stress on the knees, so I found it more manageable than the hike down. It also helped that the guide encouraged breaks. On our hike down, we did not see any people in the trail (we started at 9am), but we encountered a few groups with their guides on the hike up (10:30/11am-ish). While hikes start at around 9am, you can still find a guide later in the day as well. However, keep in mind, the later you come, the likelihood of all guides being taken up goes up (although my guide told me they rarely run out of guides).

When we wrapped up, I thanked and tipped my guide. There's a little corner store next to the park where I bought some more water and snacks, and then boarded the bus back to El Tunco. Since this is the first stop, you'll probably be lucky and have a seat available. The ride back is around 25 minutes.

Btw! Here's my guide's Whatsapp: +503-7759-2544.

El Tunco Beach

El Tunco is where you will see a lot more tourists, as it has become a popular beach town. However, I do believe there's a good mix of locals also just enjoying the beach. So it doesn't feel overwhelmingly tourist-y. Inside the town, I found a pupusa restaurant, where I paid $1 for each.

This beach is rocky and meant for surfing, so it's not the best place for swimming (although many people go in anyways). I enjoy this beach because its not overly sandy, so it's great to just lay down and soak in the sun. Also, there's live music in the restaurants on the coast. The amount of people is great as well; not packed, but enough where there's a lively environment. I had fun tanning and people watching.

On my walk back to the front of the beach town (where the main road is), which is only about 15 minutes), I stopped at a licuado stand where I had a 'frozen' (flavored drink blended with ice) for $2. There's a lot of cute stands with souverniors, food, and treats in this town. There's also some businesses with surf lessons, where you get an instructor and surfing equipment. I slightly regret not doing it, but I just wanted to relax after my hike.

Return to San Salvador

Because I started my day so early, (headed out to the bus station in the city at 7am to arrive to Tamanique by 9am (I arrived earlier), I ended up wrapping up in Tamanique at noon and at El Tunco around 3pm. I then took the microbus back to San Salvador, for $1.50, instead of the big bus (they're usually called chicken buses). The microbus is more expensive because it only has 20 seats, which means less stops and a faster route. My luck was an all-time high this day, as the microbus arrive within 3 minutes of me arriving to the bus stop and I didn't even know the schedule.

Once I arrived to my bus stop, I opted for an Uber Moto, which is a motorbike you can call from the Uber app. I paid $1.70 to reach my Airbnb. I enjoyed the 15 minute ride. I do recommend using the bikes, as it's a fun ride, and the uber motos are instructed to drive slower, not cut through traffic, and be more precautious with riders. You get a helmet of course, and I felt safe. Of course, I understand this method of travel isn't for everyone.

I showered, relaxed a bit, and then headed to a bar in Zona Rosa for dinner and a quick drink. As a female solo traveler having been to 20+ countries alone, I'll always enjoy the reactions of restaurant staff that I am truly alone, wanting to sit alone, and not waiting for anyone.

At around 9pm, I called it a night. It was a successful first full day for sure!