Apaneca, a Ruta de las Flores Town in El Salvador

At a glance

Source: BCR and ONEC: VII Population Census 2024, population by department, municipality and district, urban and rural (Excel, in Spanish); El Salvador Travel (Ministry of Tourism): Apaneca; El Salvador Travel: the Ruta de las Flores, nature, adventure, coffee and food^4,1,2

Map

What to see

• Lakes and trails: the Laguna Verde and the Laguna Las Ninfas are places for hiking.
• Adventure: canopy, mountain biking and buggy rides.
• The Albania maze and the Hoyo de Cuajusto: a hedge maze on a coffee farm, and an old volcanic crater.
• Food: traditional dishes such as hen soup (sopa de gallina india), roast hen and quesadillas, with local coffee.

Source: El Salvador Travel (Ministry of Tourism): Apaneca¹

Coffee and the biosphere reserve

• Apaneca lies in the Apaneca-Ilamatepec mountains, a UNESCO biosphere reserve where almost 4,000 ha of core zones are linked by about 39,500 ha of shade-grown coffee.

Source: UNESCO Man and the Biosphere Programme: Apaneca-Ilamatepec biosphere reserve³

Visiting

Opening hours of museums, markets and food fairs change. Check with the town hall or the Ministry of Tourism before you travel.

For investors

Small hotels, cafés, restaurants and coffee tours serve the visitors of these towns, and tourism projects can apply for the incentives of the Tourism Law. In historic centres, building work on old houses can need permits from the Ministry of Culture; ask your lawyer and the town hall before you buy.