Plenty of breathtaking sightseeing opportunities await the
traveller coming into this most lush of Central American nations.
It is one of the most volcanic places on Earth, which has ensured
fertile soil and a thriving wilderness in its small 8,124 square
miles (21,040km²).
Interspersed between the forest, mountains and 21 volcanoes are
the best preserved remains of the Mayan civilisation. A highlight
is Joya de Cerén, all that remains of a Mayan site buried under
volcanic ash 1,400 years ago and today a UNESCO World Heritage
Site. The San Andrés region and the ruins of Tazumal are other
vestiges of this ancient civilisation.
Getting around the small country is easily achieved by bus or
taxi. The longest journey is between San Salvador to La Palma and
lasts a meagre four hours, making internal flights redundant. San
Salvador and San Sebastian are the main attractions. The latter is
a popular picturesque beachside resort village, a town of quaint
Romanesque sights and simple beauty. San Salvador, by contrast, is
the hub of a rapidly industrialising country, it is densely
populated and crime-ridden. Still, visitors can enjoy a wide range
of sights in the city; colonial cathedrals and buildings including
the Catedral Metropolitana, St Ignatius Loyola and the Spanish
façade. Atop San Jacinto Mountain one can enjoy a panoramic vista
of the city as well as an amusement park and cable car rides.
The people are warm, welcoming and friendly, however etiquette
in El Salvador can be formal in address. Always use the formal
pronoun '
usted' with strangers and acquaintances, and use titles of
respect. Greetings are common in shops and in passing on the
street, and it is considered rude not to return a greeting. El
Salvador culture is patriarchal and women traditionally show
respect to men. It is considered rude to put your feet up on a
chair or table, or to yawn without covering your mouth.
Visitors to El Salvador may import the following goods: 200
cigarettes/50 cigars, two litres of alcohol, six units of perfume,
gifts valued up to US$500.
All foreign visitors to El Salvador must hold return or onward
tickets, and the required travel documentation for their next
destination. A yellow fever vaccination certificate is required to
enter El Salvador, if arriving within 10 days of leaving or
transiting through the following countries: Angola, Benin, Bolivia,
Brazil, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic,
Chad, Colombia, Congo, Cote d'Ivoire, Ecuador, Equatorial Guinea,
Ethiopia, French Guiana, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau,
Guinea Republic, Kenya, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria,
Paraguay, Peru, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Sierra
Leone, Somalia, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda and Venezuela. NOTE:
It is highly recommended that your passport has at least six months
validity remaining after your intended date of departure from your
travel destination. Immigration officials often apply different
rules to those stated by travel agents and official sources.