Nahuizalco

Decorative crafts for sale in Nahuizalco

Nahuizalco is a small town in the mountains of Western El Salvador. The town is known for keeping indigenous traditions alive and for its local hand crafts. It is one of the towns on the popular Ruta de las Flores tourist itinerary.

Get in

By bus

Chicken buses are the easiest and cheapest way to get around in El Salvador. From the Terminal Occidente in San Salvador, take the ruta 205 bus toward Sonsonate (usually painted a shade of dark aqua green). The trip will take over 2 hours and costs about US$2. In Sonsonate, take the ruta 53D bus to Nahuizalco (red buses departing every 15 minutes). Nahuizalco is the southern end of the Ruta de las Flores. It's about an hour from Sonsonate to Nahuizalco and will cost less than $1.

Get around

Nahuizalco is small enough to walk around in. A taxi sitio is near the zocalo and there are moto-taxis (tuk-tuks) throughout the town.

See

• 1 Parque Central de Nahuizalco, 1 Avenida Sur. The town's main square is a busy urban park with paved walkways, towering palm trees, manicured shrubbery, a central fountain and lots of people milling around, especially on Sundays. Nearby artesania shops sell local handcrafts. 

• 2 Nahual-Pipil Museum, 3 Calle Pte.. Tu-Su 08:00 - 17:00, closed M. Small regional history museum focused on the indigenous cultures of the region, particularly the original Maya peoples and the Nahua, who were forced in bondage from Mexico to migrate and build Spanish settlements in the 16th century. A special exhibit tells the story of an indigenous uprising in 1932 and the subsequent massacre of indigenous protesters by the Salvadoran government. Free. 

• 3 Parroquia San Juan Bautista (St John the Baptist Church). The town's main church was established in the 18th century but was damaged by an earthquake in 2001 and rebuilt as a modern neoclassic structure with a single belfry and a dome over the altar. The inside is relatively austere but features beautiful wood ceilings in the nave and the dome. 

Do

• 1 Cascadas La Golondrinera, Nahuizalco. A 2 km hike from town takes you to a mystical canyon area with a 65-meter high waterfall. 

Festivals

• Festival of San Juan Buatista - the town's patron saint is honored between June 19 and June 25. Parades, music and dance, and regional foods.

Buy

Nahuizalco is known for its night market, a tradition in which local craft vendors display their wares by candelight from early evening to about 22:00.

• 1 Mercado Municipal. Daily 05:00 - 23:00. The town's main marketplace. Vendors from farms bring produce and fresh dairy and meats to the market for sale. A variety of crafts and household items are also available. Several vendors prepare delicious regional recipes that are the most authentic you can buy. 

Eat

A variety of traditional regional foods can be found in Nahuizalco. Try the canchules, a traditional tamale served during Day of the Dead festivities

• 1 Pupuseria Lucy, 1 Avenida Sur, ☏ +503 2406 8015. M-Sa 09:00 - 21:00, Su 13:30 - 21:30. Popular place with the best pupusas in town. Plantains and other central american dishes available. Reasonable prices. US$2. (updated Mar 2024)
• 2 Cajetes, Rapida y Tipica, Calle Principal, ☏ +503 6428 6140. W-M 12:00 - 21:30, closed Tu. Comfortable casual restaurant serving tacos, taquitos, pupusas and more. Fresh juices including pineapple. US$5. (updated Mar 2024)
• 3 Pupuseria Norma, Calle Poniente. M-Sa 09:00 - 22:00, Su 17:00 - 22:00. Street food pupuseria with tasty pupusas, horchata, and other foods. Try the shrimp pupusas. (updated Mar 2024)

Sleep

• 1 Nahui Hostal, 3 Avenida Sur No 128, ☏ +503 2453 0131, nahuihostal@gmail.com. Check-in: 14:00, check-out: 12:00. Small, comfortable hostal close to downtown. Cozy courtyard area. Rooms with fans and air conditioning available at extra cost. US$20. (updated Mar 2024)

Go next

• Ruta de las Flores
• Sonsonate
• Concepción de Ataco
• El Imposible National Park