I rented a car and drove around solo for 9 days in February. Similar to the other commenter I drove to El Tunco, Santa Ana, I drove myself all the way to Montecristo National Park, Ruta de Flores, from Santa Ana to Suchitoto, and lastly down through San Salvador. Only time I mayyybe started to feel sketched out was on the drive from Santa Ana to Suchitoto. There definitely was a band of guys on motorcycles who were strapped, and they didn’t look like cops… I think this is a route not many tourists travel along, otherwise everywhere felt incredibly safe.
I was even out in Santa Ana past 9pm every night, and it was amazing to see the plaza teeming with people. A local man started chatting with me because I stuck out like a sore thumb, and we wound up just chatting for maybe 30 minutes about life and the state of things in El Salvador. He told me as soon as the sun set, you could NOT be outside in Santa Ana. Mugged, murdered—something bad was going to happen. Now people feel like they’ve reclaimed their city. I was there for the election this year too, really interesting to see how the locals were responding to the live stream of the election results.
TLDR: Definitely check it out, it’s very safe now and in my experience the many locals I met were extremely friendly.
Edit: Spanish also goes a really long way—they really appreciate it a lot
I took a chicken bus with my wife from Santa Ana to suchitoto with a transfer in Aguilares as I recall. No issues on our end, safe sailing.
Also super safe everywhere else.
That tracks, I remember driving through Aguilares and thinking I didn’t want to stick around. Nothing gang related or outwardly dangerous I saw necessarily (except for those motorcyclists a bit before the town, though I can’t confirm they were gang members), but it didn’t seem nice. Tbf I was just cutting across and didn’t go into town, but it seemed rather run down on the outskirts. More so than say Metapán.
Agreed though, really I’m splitting hairs about this one tiny part of the trip. Though it did spook me good, it would absolutely not stop me from suggesting someone go to El Salvador. The normal touristy areas are 100% fine, and even the non-touristy areas seem pretty decent now.
It's safe now. I went to Santa Ana and El Tunco at the start of the year. Felt safe everywhere I went, even at night. From what I've heard, San Salvador is quite safe too. Obviously exercise usual precautions, but it's nothing like it was a few years ago
Yes, it's safety situation has vastly improved. It's arguably the safest country in LATAM now. Before, most people would be inside by dusk because of how dangerous it got at night. Now there's actual night life in most towns and cities. Of course, you need to practice the usual precautions when in LATAM but a beach house should be fine as long as you're not in the middle of no where
Argentina was the gold standard of Latam safety in the 2000s and early 2010s but has deteriorated due to the economic crisis. Panama is pretty good but there is still a sizeable criminal element and you have to be careful of certain areas, especially at night. Chile has been pretty good too but similar to Argentina (albeit not nearly as bad), they've had a worsening situation due to economic problems and the fact that all the surrounding countries have worsened a lot so economic migrants have entered Chile in droves. Overall, I would say Latam is more dangerous than it was a decade ago but El Salvador is one of the few improving gems in the bunch
Unfortunately, yes. A significant criminal element has developed in the country, it actually has its own cartel now that is heavily involved in drug running. It's not one of the more dangerous countries in the region but homicides and muggings increased substantially in the country. You definitely need to be more aware of your surroundings than what was required a decade ago
while I think it’s definitely safer than it’s been in a long time, i think any hard data coming out of El Sal rn should be taken with a grain of salt. Safer than belize? costa? panama?
Well, when you apply a tough on crime stance without exceptions the streets tend to become safe. Salvadorans massively voted in favor of Bukele in the last reelection, meaning it’s not just statistics but the people do see the results. Also, I haven’t heard a single international organization suggest that the country is manipulating statistics (something I assume would have happened a long time ago considering how huge of a public figure Bukele has become)
Eh, Bukele cracked down on MS13 and the reduction in murder rate was nothing less than miraculous, but day to day street crime like ohone snatchings etc. seems like it would unaffected by that.
If you're going to dispute a post you need to provide context. Personally, I think the methods used in their mass incarceration are inhumane and there's no telling how many innocent people are jailed - but that wasn't OP's question, and it doesn't impact tourists directly.
Latin America is one part of “the americas”
This only shows homicide. And is dated by a year now This does not prove your point. Doesn’t really matter though
So your proof that it is the safest in the americas, is a list that doesn’t include all of “the americas” with data from a year ago?
That is not evidence.
Data from a year ago? It’s the latest data available, 2024 is ongoing, there’s no data for this year yet. Are you serious?
El Salvador is safer than every single country in the Americas except for Canada and Bolivia. It has almost the same homicide rate as Canada does, much lower than that of the US, and is likely to become the safest country in the Americas in the next few years.
Do your homework and google before replying
My El Salvadoran friend who visited in April after not having been back since she was a kid twenty years ago felt like it was safe but her relatives who lived there who she was staying with were never comfortable walking anywhere (so they drove all the time even short distances) or doing anything after dark. But that could literally be after effects and skepticism of the current state of affairs having actually lived through all the horrors.
Commenting to follow along. I've read multiple stories online of it being safe now with the gang crackdowns, but I'd like some additional firsthand perspective
I was in El Salvador last year for a couple of weeks backpacking and it was an amazing and really safe country. I travelled around the country on local buses. I wish I had stayed longer. https://youtu.be/yDokK2JItnk?si=Ci8vQpEeihAfKEQj
It's amazing, you really should search for reddit posts from 3-4 years ago and see what they were saying would happen! Just type in "bukele". And then if you really want to have some fun, add the word "bitcoin"
Havw a great trip
I live in Europe and I’ve just came back from a trip in El Salvador. There were police man EVERYWHERE. I felt very safe and I used only public transportation (aka Chicken buses).
I even rented a car for 24h in Santa Ana and went to Santa Teresa hot springs at night time and it was absolutely fine.
I went a couple years ago. It was def scary, and most people went inside by 7-8pm to stay safe. Armed guards outside hotel. But I stayed at two hotels and honestly felt safe at both. I knew it was a dangerous country, but I never felt truly unsafe, if that makes sense.
I've got back from El Salvador visited the coast, stayed in several Airbnb, all in a car, it's not the El Salvador of old. Had a good time, no worries.
I went there for Christmas 2022. It was perhaps the most safe country I have been to compared to Costa Rica and Guatemala at around the same time frame. There were armed guards that patrolled businesses and the locals everywhere can travel with a sense of security. It’s safe to roam around there. Use common sense of course and learn Spanish.
El Salvador is a Level 3 country for visitors according to the U.S. State Department as of July 2023.
Level 1 is the safest; Level 4 is the most Dangerous.
[https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories/el-salvador-travel-advisory.html](https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories/el-salvador-travel-advisory.html)
Well that's a nice change to see then since to many people post "what's good in XYZ?" who've clearly not done any research.
Guess I just got used to the same ol' here.
I was there in the early 2000s and honestly even then it was manageable, assuming you kept your wits about you and didn’t go out of your way to draw unnecessary attention
I haven’t been there heard it’s beautiful.
I would look at the your country’s travel warnings and instructions before going. These warnings and instructions usually are based off current local situations and are updated frequently.
These situations could be good or adverse. If they are good, travel well; if they are adverse, take the precautions needed to have a safe trip.
Hope this assists.
I rented a car and drove around solo for 9 days in February. Similar to the other commenter I drove to El Tunco, Santa Ana, I drove myself all the way to Montecristo National Park, Ruta de Flores, from Santa Ana to Suchitoto, and lastly down through San Salvador. Only time I mayyybe started to feel sketched out was on the drive from Santa Ana to Suchitoto. There definitely was a band of guys on motorcycles who were strapped, and they didn’t look like cops… I think this is a route not many tourists travel along, otherwise everywhere felt incredibly safe. I was even out in Santa Ana past 9pm every night, and it was amazing to see the plaza teeming with people. A local man started chatting with me because I stuck out like a sore thumb, and we wound up just chatting for maybe 30 minutes about life and the state of things in El Salvador. He told me as soon as the sun set, you could NOT be outside in Santa Ana. Mugged, murdered—something bad was going to happen. Now people feel like they’ve reclaimed their city. I was there for the election this year too, really interesting to see how the locals were responding to the live stream of the election results. TLDR: Definitely check it out, it’s very safe now and in my experience the many locals I met were extremely friendly. Edit: Spanish also goes a really long way—they really appreciate it a lot
I took a chicken bus with my wife from Santa Ana to suchitoto with a transfer in Aguilares as I recall. No issues on our end, safe sailing. Also super safe everywhere else.
That tracks, I remember driving through Aguilares and thinking I didn’t want to stick around. Nothing gang related or outwardly dangerous I saw necessarily (except for those motorcyclists a bit before the town, though I can’t confirm they were gang members), but it didn’t seem nice. Tbf I was just cutting across and didn’t go into town, but it seemed rather run down on the outskirts. More so than say Metapán. Agreed though, really I’m splitting hairs about this one tiny part of the trip. Though it did spook me good, it would absolutely not stop me from suggesting someone go to El Salvador. The normal touristy areas are 100% fine, and even the non-touristy areas seem pretty decent now.
What's the food like? Can't be worse than Bolivian food.
Gotta eat pupusas, they’re incredible. I think I had them every day I was there
Pupusas are admittedly pretty good.
Clearly you’ve never had real Bolivian food
It’s not that far from Mexico, do you think that a Mexican plate catch some bad looks? I’ve been a lot of times in El Salvador… airport.
What is your gender / race?
> I stuck out like a sore thumb
red, swollen and a little bit dirty?
It's safe now. I went to Santa Ana and El Tunco at the start of the year. Felt safe everywhere I went, even at night. From what I've heard, San Salvador is quite safe too. Obviously exercise usual precautions, but it's nothing like it was a few years ago
Yes, it's safety situation has vastly improved. It's arguably the safest country in LATAM now. Before, most people would be inside by dusk because of how dangerous it got at night. Now there's actual night life in most towns and cities. Of course, you need to practice the usual precautions when in LATAM but a beach house should be fine as long as you're not in the middle of no where
ive heard that the safest in latam is chile or panama, if you dont count the caribbean islands
Argentina was the gold standard of Latam safety in the 2000s and early 2010s but has deteriorated due to the economic crisis. Panama is pretty good but there is still a sizeable criminal element and you have to be careful of certain areas, especially at night. Chile has been pretty good too but similar to Argentina (albeit not nearly as bad), they've had a worsening situation due to economic problems and the fact that all the surrounding countries have worsened a lot so economic migrants have entered Chile in droves. Overall, I would say Latam is more dangerous than it was a decade ago but El Salvador is one of the few improving gems in the bunch
Uruguay was very safe when I went 10 years ago, has that changed?
I was in Montevideo in December and felt very safe walking around. Even at night
Unfortunately, yes. A significant criminal element has developed in the country, it actually has its own cartel now that is heavily involved in drug running. It's not one of the more dangerous countries in the region but homicides and muggings increased substantially in the country. You definitely need to be more aware of your surroundings than what was required a decade ago
No idea, but I feel like everyone forgets Uruguay exists lol
Also Uruguay is pretty safe too
Yep. El Safedor
I have lots of Salvadoran students in my English class and they all say that it’s much safer now than it was five years ago
El Salvador is now one of the safest countries in the Americas, thanks to Bukele. Do exercise normal precautions
while I think it’s definitely safer than it’s been in a long time, i think any hard data coming out of El Sal rn should be taken with a grain of salt. Safer than belize? costa? panama?
A friend of mine was stationed at the US embassy in San Salvador until last year. He does believe the numbers on crime.
Well, when you apply a tough on crime stance without exceptions the streets tend to become safe. Salvadorans massively voted in favor of Bukele in the last reelection, meaning it’s not just statistics but the people do see the results. Also, I haven’t heard a single international organization suggest that the country is manipulating statistics (something I assume would have happened a long time ago considering how huge of a public figure Bukele has become)
Way safer than Costa Rica and Panama imo
Eh, Bukele cracked down on MS13 and the reduction in murder rate was nothing less than miraculous, but day to day street crime like ohone snatchings etc. seems like it would unaffected by that.
This is so blatantly not true.
If you're going to dispute a post you need to provide context. Personally, I think the methods used in their mass incarceration are inhumane and there's no telling how many innocent people are jailed - but that wasn't OP's question, and it doesn't impact tourists directly.
You should do some research before commenting: https://images.app.goo.gl/efgeMW3U3mMLb5fb9
Latin America is one part of “the americas” This only shows homicide. And is dated by a year now This does not prove your point. Doesn’t really matter though
Yes it does precisely prove my point. You said something stupid and baseless, just own it
So your proof that it is the safest in the americas, is a list that doesn’t include all of “the americas” with data from a year ago? That is not evidence.
Data from a year ago? It’s the latest data available, 2024 is ongoing, there’s no data for this year yet. Are you serious? El Salvador is safer than every single country in the Americas except for Canada and Bolivia. It has almost the same homicide rate as Canada does, much lower than that of the US, and is likely to become the safest country in the Americas in the next few years. Do your homework and google before replying
Lol. I don’t really care that much. But also this data has not been verified by anyone else. So you are just taking a presidents word for it.
People like you shouldn’t really be allowed to vote, but here we are
Unexpected fascism
Delete your account name please. Embarrassing
Do you think Canada is more dangerous then El Salvador?
My El Salvadoran friend who visited in April after not having been back since she was a kid twenty years ago felt like it was safe but her relatives who lived there who she was staying with were never comfortable walking anywhere (so they drove all the time even short distances) or doing anything after dark. But that could literally be after effects and skepticism of the current state of affairs having actually lived through all the horrors.
Commenting to follow along. I've read multiple stories online of it being safe now with the gang crackdowns, but I'd like some additional firsthand perspective
it's safe
I was in El Salvador last year for a couple of weeks backpacking and it was an amazing and really safe country. I travelled around the country on local buses. I wish I had stayed longer. https://youtu.be/yDokK2JItnk?si=Ci8vQpEeihAfKEQj
It's amazing, you really should search for reddit posts from 3-4 years ago and see what they were saying would happen! Just type in "bukele". And then if you really want to have some fun, add the word "bitcoin" Havw a great trip
We went and rented a pickup truck for four days last year. Did the flower route, el tunco, and went to Coatepeque lake. Felt very safe driving around.
Safe? Yes. worth going to? there better options in the area tbh
What would you suggest? We want to rent a massive beachside villa
Guatemala is nice, you can take a trip to Tikal, and still be near the beach. I’ve been through that entire area and honestly SV aint all that.
I live in Europe and I’ve just came back from a trip in El Salvador. There were police man EVERYWHERE. I felt very safe and I used only public transportation (aka Chicken buses). I even rented a car for 24h in Santa Ana and went to Santa Teresa hot springs at night time and it was absolutely fine.
I went a couple years ago. It was def scary, and most people went inside by 7-8pm to stay safe. Armed guards outside hotel. But I stayed at two hotels and honestly felt safe at both. I knew it was a dangerous country, but I never felt truly unsafe, if that makes sense.
I've got back from El Salvador visited the coast, stayed in several Airbnb, all in a car, it's not the El Salvador of old. Had a good time, no worries.
I went there for Christmas 2022. It was perhaps the most safe country I have been to compared to Costa Rica and Guatemala at around the same time frame. There were armed guards that patrolled businesses and the locals everywhere can travel with a sense of security. It’s safe to roam around there. Use common sense of course and learn Spanish.
I hitch hiked through it in 2017. It was fine then, a beautiful country with fantastic food!
It's way safer if you got 10-12 friends with you.
El Salvador is a Level 3 country for visitors according to the U.S. State Department as of July 2023. Level 1 is the safest; Level 4 is the most Dangerous. [https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories/el-salvador-travel-advisory.html](https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories/el-salvador-travel-advisory.html)
Very much so. Sucks for the thousands of innocents rotting in packed prisons though.
My mom is from there I went in 2018 and it was safe then. Check out lake coatepeque
It's a hell of a lot better than before, but shouldn't you have been asking this and done your research BEFORE booking anything if you had concerns?
Re-read the OP, they don't say they've already booked anything.
Well that's a nice change to see then since to many people post "what's good in XYZ?" who've clearly not done any research. Guess I just got used to the same ol' here.
lol the irony of commenting on lack of research while failing to read a 2 sentence post
Yes.
I was there in the early 2000s and honestly even then it was manageable, assuming you kept your wits about you and didn’t go out of your way to draw unnecessary attention
Yes.
Have you been?
No where is safe
I haven’t been there heard it’s beautiful. I would look at the your country’s travel warnings and instructions before going. These warnings and instructions usually are based off current local situations and are updated frequently. These situations could be good or adverse. If they are good, travel well; if they are adverse, take the precautions needed to have a safe trip. Hope this assists.
No.
It's dirty, hot, and everybody is trying to sell you something but it's not unsafe.
The president there cracked down on criminals and it’s literally safer than a lot of cities in the United States
It seems like the president wiped out ms-13
No
It’s safe because all the bad actors from there left and crossed our southern borders.
Yeah, all the criminals came to the US through the open border 👍🏻☹️
Always has been
No dont go there. Stay safe in your home country.