Traveling to El Salvador with Kids: Getting Around
We spend 8 days as a family in El Salvador with our kids (ages 11 and 12). We used all of the transportation options: rental car, private shuttle, public buses (direct and chicken buses), and walked a lot. This country is super easy to get around if you combine the above options. It is super safe for the family, and the people are very considerate when traveling with kids. We had no bad experiences the entire time with a single Salvadoran citizen. Jon even ended up hopping in a car with a local on the way to surf a different beach one day – maybe not the best advice, but when a local offers a free ride, why not? (Jon’s words, not Ashley’s, and definitely not Jon’s mom’s). Let’s break down each transportation option so you can feel comfortable to travel to El Salvador as a family:
Rental Cars
We rented a car from Alamo at the San Salvador airport. There were slightly cheaper options, but we feel more comfortable renting from companies with a United States of America presence in case any issues arise. We’ve never had a bad experience with the National/Enterprise/Alamo family, and this was no exception. All cars are technically off-site from the airport, even though they may be listed as “on airport”. They will have a counter in the terminal, and we were escorted by an agent from the counter to the shuttle to the facility, and all was quick and easy to get on the road. The first impression for driving in El Salvador was great – the drivers there are actually all paying attention, considerate, and we felt very safe.
Google Maps will work to get you around all the major cities, but can be a bit tricky in more rural areas. Read about our trip in Ruta de las Flores to find out about our “shortcut” issue. But, if you stay on main highways, there are no issues driving all around the country. You’ll want a rental car for inland adventures, but then can return it if you also spend time on the coast. This is exactly what we did. We used the car to explore the Ruta de las Flores, including Juayua, waterfall hikes, Santa Teresa Hot Springs, and hiking Santa Ana Volcano. Without a car, you can do all of those things but not very efficiently. After our 3 days with those inland adventures, we headed to the beach and Jon returned the car to San Salvador. All was super easy.
Private Shuttle
There are many companies that offer private shuttles around El Salvador, or if switching countries. We used this service to travel directly from El Zonte (see our amazing surfing stay here) to Antigua, Guatemala, and it was great. We used Gekko Trails because they were the cheapest and had no problems. If you are a US citizen, you don’t need a visa to enter Guatemala, and the border crossing was easy, expedited by the private shuttle service. Within El Salvador this is also an option to change regions, and we’d recommend this versus using public buses if you are traveling with kids and luggage at the same time. If you only have one, go for the adventure of the public system!
Direct Buses
Jon used a “direct” bus to get back to El Zonte from San Salvador. Reach out if you want more details about that journey, but the basics are that certain buses only make limited stops, won’t be as big or as crowded as the chicken buses, and still only cost $1.50. It took Jon about 1 hour to reach El Zonte from San Salvador’s ceibo station, with only a few stops along the way. When getting on smaller buses, make sure your intended destination is listed on the windshield. Otherwise, ask the people around the “station” for help. Even if you speak zero Spanish, look like a clueless tourist (won’t be hard) and say the name of your destination. The locals were always AWESOME to help. As a last resort, ask the driver when they stop, but they tend to be in a hurry and things move quick, so better to use the knowledge and help of the locals. This is even more important and true for the chicken bus experience: Keep reading.
“Chicken Buses”
No, these buses are not actually transporting livestock. When Jon first heard the term he thought we’d be riding in the back of a flatbed truck with actual chickens. “Chicken buses” are the term for the “upcycled” (maybe that’s the right word?) old school buses that drive various routes across El Salvador. The fare is $.25 no matter how long you ride it, and you pay when you get on the bus. The top tip is to ask locals for help to point you to the right bus. Your destination will likely be printed on the windshield of the bus, but not always, and so use the locals to board the right one and then tell the driver as you pay (have your exact change ready, and read about preparing for money when traveling to El Salvador here) where you want to get off.
Once you get on the bus, it may be peaceful, or mayhem may break out. That’s part of the experience! The El Salvadoran people as a whole are awesome and super helpful, but don’t expect any to offer you a chance to sit next to them on the bus, so get some surfing practice in while standing in the aisle through the switchback turns and crazy stops along the way. If you aren’t familiar with where you want to get off the bus, keep an eye on Google Maps so you don’t miss your stop. Depending on how far back you’ve been seated/pushed/squashed/etc., you likely will hop out the back emergency door! Just pretend like you’ve done that before and all is good.
Keep a close eye on your belongings on the bus, especially if something unusual or really distracting happens. We had some weird clowns jump on our bus for just 2 stops, and was a good reminder to keep any valuables in zipped pockets or your backpack swung around to your front, just in case. Pickpockets may take the opportunity (or planned diversion), but otherwise it seemed very safe and reasonable to take the chicken bus, even when we were packed in like sardines.
Final Thoughts
There you have it, a few of our best tips to feel comfortable and confident to take on transportation around El Salvador as a family! Reach out for any specific questions about our trip, or yours, we’d love for you to feel ready to visit this amazing country! To further prepare, read our top 10 money tips in El Salvador here.
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Have questions about traveling to Central America with kids? Drop us a comment—we love sharing the real-life details that make trips smoother.
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