Our First Impressions of El Salvador: Cruising into Volcano Country

Welcome to El Salvador

“How sporty?”

“It’s going to be a little sporty.”

“How sporty?”

“A little.”

We were drawn to this often-overlooked Central American country for its protected summer anchorage, natural beauty, and the promise of some serious inland adventure. It was only a two-day hop from Mexico, so we figured—why not?

Why not, indeed.

After months of movement, we were craving stillness. El Salvador looked like the right place to drop the hook for a while. But first, we had to get across the bar.

The Arrival: Crossing the Bar at Bahia del Sol

The bar crossing at Bahia del Sol is legendary among cruisers. Reactions range from “the most fun thing I’ve done on the boat” to “You’re crazy. You’ll lose the boat.” And yes, a boat was lost at the bar recently. Since then, new safety regulations have been put in place, and local pilot boats guide vessels across. Still, it’s a surfy ride. One you have to commit to.

We happened to arrive on a day when the swell was at the max (and slightly above). We could have lingered at sea for better conditions, like our friends did, but we were over it. After a long month of travel, we just wanted the anchor down.

The pilot boat met us at the bar and led us in. We surfed Raicilla down a couple of waves with the chartplotter briefly showing double our hull speed. Mark maintains it was no worse than bar crossings on the West Coast of the U.S. I maintain it was definitely worse.

Either way, we made it. But it’s a story best told over a beer.

Crossing the bar

The Cruiser Welcome: Moorings, Pupusas & New Friends

After the adrenaline faded, we were greeted dockside by immigration officials, a welcome drink, and a handful of friendly cruisers already settled in. Mark cleared us through immigration quickly, and we spent our first night on the dock, recovering and going through all of the information Bill gave us.

The next day, we moved to the Bahia del Sol mooring field, managed by Bill and Jean—the unofficial (probably official) hosts to all the cruisers. They’re a wealth of information and help coordinate everything from weekly cruiser events to fuel deliveries. Their weekly pupusa night has already become a ritual for us.

The anchorage itself is calm, scenic, and affordable—an ideal base for cruising El Salvador, even if the sailing here is minimal.

Exploring Ashore: What Surprised Us About El Salvador

Naively, we assumed El Salvador would be similar to Mexico. They’re neighbouring countries, after all. In reality, they couldn’t be more different.

Food

First surprise: no tacos, no spice. Instead, we found pupusas—a rice or corn flour flatbread stuffed with cheese, beans, meat, or veggies. Delicious, filling, and usually just $0.75 a pop. But unlike Mexico, where street food is constant, pupusas are only available at specific times: breakfast or after 5 PM. That took some adjusting. Honestly, it took weeks, and a fair amount of frustration, before we figured it out.

Language

Yes, both countries speak Spanish—but Salvadoreño Spanish has its own flavour. Slang, accents, and pricing terms are all different. Early on, I handed vendors random coins and hoped for the best. “Dos quarters” is a common price, and figuring that out on the fly took practice.

People

Like Mexico, the people here are incredibly warm and helpful. Very few speak English, but between Google Translate, hand gestures, and plenty of patience (on their end), we’re making it work.

Safety

Once labeled the murder capital of the world, El Salvador has undergone a massive transformation. Whatever your opinions on the politics, crime here feels nearly non-existent. In fact, we feel safer here than we did in several Mexican, Canadian and American ports.

There’s nothing

Volcano Views & Inland Travel

We caught our first glimpse of El Salvador’s volcanoes on the sail in, and we were immediately hooked. This country is made for land travel.

Thanks to cheap gas, rental cars, and Airbnbs, exploring inland is easy and affordable. So far, we’ve visited:

• Ruta de las Flores (a charming, artsy highland route)

• Santa Ana (home to one of Central America’s most photogenic volcanoes)

• San Salvador (surprisingly modern and lively)

• Suchitoto (a colonial town with cobblestones and charm)

Driving in El Salvador is… intense. The cities are chaotic, the road rules flexible, and the speed bumps vicious. But once you adjust, it’s all part of the adventure.

Closer to the boat, we’ve taken colourful local buses into the closest bank machine. They cost $0.50 and are equal parts entertaining and chaotic—complete with hammocks, blaring horns, onboard snack vendors and shouting bus attendants.

Volcano!

Cruising Life in El Salvador

Here’s the truth: there’s not much sailing in El Salvador. Boats come here to hide from hurricanes, rest, and repair. That’s exactly what we’re doing.

That said, the anchorage at Bahia del Sol is one of the most comfortable we’ve been in. For a small fee, we get access to the local resort pool, showers, and bar (with cheap cold beer). A nearby restaurant lets cruisers use their dock, and of course, there’s Bill and Jean’s island dock—home to Pupusa Night and endless local knowledge.

Weirdly, there’s also a pickleball court nearby. We’ve taken it up. We’re those people now.

Life here has a rhythm: early-morning walks to the beach for exercising before the heat sets in, work (boat and non-boat kind) in the afternoons, and relaxing again in the evenings as thunderstorms roll in almost nightly. On other days we head out to explore El Salvador’s mangroves, grab roadside lunch, or hop a bus down the road.

While El Salvador’s anchorage doesn’t offer much variety, it’s safe, social, and scenic—and that’s more than enough.

One of the many dinghy docks

Early Takeaways & What We’re Looking Forward To

We came to El Salvador for a safe summer anchorage. A place to rest and reset between cruising seasons. But already, the country has delivered more than we expected.

What it lacks in sailing variety, it makes up for with affordable travel, incredible landscapes, safe waters and a homey feel.

We’ve got six months here, and our list of inland adventures is only growing. This may not be the typical “cruising Central America” stop, but for us, it’s the pause we didn’t know we needed.

We came for a safe weather window—but we might just stay for the pupusas and volcanoes.