waterfalls in El Salvador
Chasing waterfalls in El Salvador – one of my favorite things to do.
Even though the country is very small, it offers many incredible and unique waterfalls that are waiting to be explored.
In this blog post I will share the waterfalls I visited during my stay and a list of additional waterfalls in the country.
1. Salto de Malacatiupan
Visiting this waterfall is one my TOP things to do in El Salvador. Salto de Malacatiupan easily makes it to my TOP 3 places in Central America – don´t miss out on this gem!
Salto de Malacatiupan is a big waterfall & river with hot water and many different natural pools to soak in. Not bad, huh?
The river has many different pools to soak and swim in and at the foot of the waterfall, there is one big pool as well as some small pools to soak in.
Adrenaline junkies can even jump from the top of the waterfall into the pool. When I visited, I was the only one there and the height seemed quite intimidating to me, so I did not jump.
Even though this place is quite well known and also well visited by locals, I had the entire place to myself for hours in the early morning.
It is also possible to camp on the grounds, if you are interested in that!
How to get there?
It is located in the North of El Salvador, close to the border to Guatemala.
Not so very easily reachable by public transportation, this place is definitely easier visited on your own terms with a car. However you can sure also rent a taxi or TukTuk to get you to the place from a closeby town.
How much is it?
The entrance fee is 1 USD per person + 1 USD parking fee per car.
If you´re into hot springs and/ or waterfalls, this place is a MUST VISIT in El Salvador
2. Cascadas El Chorreron
One of my favorite hidden gems in El Salvador is Cascada El Correron.
This waterfall is located right by the border to Honduras, close to the town of Perquin.
To get to the waterfall, you need to drive along a dirt road for a while, parking at a private home and hike down a relatively short but steep trail to the waterfalls.
The entrance fee is 1 USD and you can pay at a private house on the right of the parking lot, which is also where the trail starts.
Even though this place is not very popular, you can still expect a few locals when visiting on weekends and holidays.
How to get there?
Only reachable in your own car, no public transportation. From the town of Perquin, you continue North towards the border to Honduras. The road turns into a pretty bad dirt road and you will pass a military check point, as you are headed towards to the border to Honduras.
How much is it?
Entrance fee is 1 USD.
3. Cascadas Las Pilas & Cascada La Olomina
These two waterfalls both belong to the same place and can be visited together. They are located a short drive outside of the small town Mozote, known for a terribly brutal massacre that happened here during the civil war.
Both waterfalls require a short hike from the parking lot, nothing too exhausting.
Cascadas Las Pilas is a very pretty and large waterfall with many different streams of water.
There are many great photo opportunities at the waterfall, so make sure to bring your camera and take some photos!
Cascada La Olomina is a much smaller waterfall, with only one stream but with a great pool for swimming.
Both of the waterfalls are very unique and well worth a visit.
I visited on a morning and had them all to myself!
How to get there?
The waterfalls are quite a bit out of town and getting here with a car or taxi is the only option.
How much is it?
Compared to most other waterfalls in El Salvador, these are more expensive. The entrance fee is 2 USD per person and parking is 4 USD per car.
4. Cascada Los Tercios
This waterfall is located close to Suchitoto town, one of my favorite places in El Salvador. Strolling around this colonial town is one of the best things to do in El Salvador.
If you like waterfalls and are visiting Suchitoto, you should also make sure to visit the closeby Cascada Los Tercios.
It´s a very unique waterfall, with it´s stream running over basaltic prisms.
When I visited in November 2022, the water stream was very small but due to the basaltic prisms all around the waterfall, I still very much enjoyed my visit.
The basaltic prisms are cylinder shaped rocks formed by cooling lava many, many years ago.
I have only seen basaltic prisms in Iceland and Mexico before, so this is a pretty rare thing to see. Definitely add this waterfall to your must-see waterfalls in El Salvador.
How to get there?
Located only a 5 minute drive from downtown Suchitoto, this waterfall is easily reached by car, taxi or tuktuk.
How much is it?
The entrance fee for this waterfall is 1 USD.
5. Other waterfalls in El Salvador
Even though I have not visited more than the above waterfalls during my short visit to El Salvador, I have done some research on additional waterfalls to visit.
See a list other waterfalls in El Salvador below:
- Cascada San Antonio
- Cascada Tamanique
- Cascada Perol
- Las Siete Cascadas
- Cascadas de Don Juan
- Cascada La Golondrinera
- Cascada de Ivierno El Salto
- Cascada El Paraiso
- Cascada El Salton
- Cascada Las Lajas
- Cascada El Paso
- Las Cascadas de San Pedro
- Cascada La Bruja
- Cascada La Gualpuca
- Cascada Quelepa
- Cascada Caracol
- Cascada La Calera
Quite a lot of waterfalls for such a small country, right?
Make sure to visit some of these waterfalls in El Salvador when visiting!
Check out more El Salvador blog posts below to help you plan your trip:
