El Salvador Master Thread

[Yaalili]

Recently returned from a trip to El Salvador, and figured would start a thread as there is none currently.

Can be useful for the DDF'ers who got in on the 6,000 Miles First Class deal on Delta, from a few months back. (https://forums.dansdeals.com/index.php?topic=125625.0).

El Salvador Fact Sheet

• El Salvador is one of a few countries outside of the USA, that uses the US dollar. It is very convenient not to have to change money when visiting.
• Outlets are similar to the USA, so no adapter is needed.
• Proof of vaccination or negative PCR test within 3 days, currently required to visit.
• Uber is available at the coast, airport and San Salvador area and is very affordable.
• Buses can take you almost anywhere in El Salvador and are very cheap. Be cautious though, as gang-related crime has often targeted buses and bus station areas.
• San Salvador used to be known as the "Murder Capital of the World" until a few years ago. Things have been steadily improving the last few years, and that title has been taken now by nearby San Pedro Sula in Honduras.

Airport

There is only 1 commercial airport in this small country, and it is located about 45 minutes south of the capital San Salvador, or about 30 minutes north of the coast area. You will pay $12 (USD or CC) to get the visa sticker, which is valid for 3 months. Once you have that, you proceed to what felt like the slowest immigration line I have ever seen. There was not actually that many people, but they really take their time with each person.

The Priority Pass lounge at the airport is located post-security, turn left. Highlight of the lounge was the fast Wi-Fi connection. There are also 2 (very basic) showers, though no toiletries are provided. The lounge does not have any sunlight or plane views.

While you can call Uber at the airport, they cannot pick up (or drop off) directly at the terminal. You will need to walk about 5-10 minutes to the parking lot area and meet your driver and car there. Uber from the airport to the coast or San Salvador area, should be about $18-22 USD.

Points Hotels

There are 3 Marriott's, 3 IHG, 1 (future) Hyatt, and 1 (future) Hilton in the San Salvador area.

(Cat 2) Courtyard San Salvador - https://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/salcy-courtyard-san-salvador/
(Cat 2) Fairfield by Marriott San Salvador - https://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/salfi-fairfield-san-salvador/
(Cat 3) Sheraton Presidente San Salvador - https://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/salsi-sheraton-presidente-san-salvador-hotel/

Crowne Plaza San Salvador - https://www.ihg.com/crowneplaza/hotels/us/en/san-salvador/sslcp/hoteldetail
Holiday Inn San Salvador - https://www.ihg.com/holidayinn/hotels/us/en/san-salvador/sslrc/hoteldetail
Intercontinental San Salvador - https://www.ihg.com/intercontinental/hotels/us/en/san-salvador/sslhb/hoteldetail

(Cat 2) Hyatt Centric San Salvador - https://www.hyatt.com/en-US/hotel/el-salvador/hyatt-centric-san-salvador/salct
Hilton San Salvador - https://www.hilton.com/en/hotels/salsahh-hilton-san-salvador/ (opening 2023).

There are no major chain hotels along the coast or in the other cities and towns.

Kosher & Shuls

Chabad has not yet reached El Salvador (that I know of). There are 2 Shuls in the San Salvador area according to Google Maps, though did not have a chance to check either of them out. They seem to be Orthodox with Sephardic Nusach. One of them is located just a short walk away from the Crowne Plaza hotel area. More information on that one below.

Sinagoge Beit Israel has establish a small kosher makolet and you can find kosher chicken and other products from USA and Israel. Source: https://sansalvadorshul.org/pages/visit-us. Sinagoge Beit Israel offers Tefillah (Jewish prayers services) on weekday and on Shabbat. A Minyan is always available especially if you are going to be traveling and require a Minyan. Sinagoge Beit Israel is an Sephardic orthodox Sinagoge. Our traditions of Tefillah is a mixture of Spanish and Morocco style and lead by our Rabbi. Synagogue Beit Israel is a Jewish community in El Salvador, Central America. Founded in 2013 as a joint effort of diverse groups of people, it is constituted as a dynamic and joyful community but above all with a great love for the Torah. Made up of 60 families, the community has daily services, a mikvah, a mini kosher supermarket, and the country's first center for Jewish studies (kolel) called Ahuvim. Purpusa are the national dish of El Salvador. Beit Israel is the only place where you can enjoy Kosher Pupusas. The most exotic fruits of El Salvador are Anonas, Jocotes, Nances, Mamones, Maraņones, Guayabas, Zapotes, Paternas, mameys, and Pepetos.

Attractions & Sights

• Parque Nacional El Boqueron - about 30 minutes northwest of San Salvador, can get there with Uber for about $6-7, but Uber to return to San Salvador may be choppy. $2 entrance fee.
• Downtown San Salvador - spend a few hours exploring the markets and street vendors, and experiencing the hustle and bustle of downtown SS.
• Puerta del Diablo - beautiful hiking area with volcano and city views, south of SS.
• Lake Ilopango - about 20 minutes east of SS. Check around before going, as the areas nearby have some dangerous neighborhoods.
• Tazumal - Mayan ruins of El Salvador. Seems to be a lower key version of Tikal of Chichen Itza.
• El Tunco - one of the major tourist draws of El Salvador is surfing, and El Tunco is the best area for this.
• Suchitoto - A colonial town about 35 minutes north of San Salvador, cobblestone streets, old buildings, central marketplace and more.

If someone is heading to El Salvador / San Salvador and wants to know more, please post any questions or your experiences.

[Spoon]

Good info.

How safe is it?

[Yaalili]

Good info.

How safe is it?

Felt pretty safe there mostly. You just want to be aware of where you are, and not venture off to the wrong areas. Same logic that would apply in many Latin American large cities. A couple weeks ago there was a surge in homicides, and the President placed the military all over the capital. They had some checkpoints set up on the highway and were spot-checking too.

[Yaalili]

Views on approach to San Salvador, El Salvador.

[Saulius]

El Salvador saw a murder rate of 83 per 100,000 inhabitants, making it the most dangerous country for this kind of crime worldwide in 2021. https://www.statista.com/statistics/262963/ranking-the-20-countries-with-the-most-murders-per-100-000-inhabitants/

[RoshPinah]

A few years ago it's homicide rate was lower than Baltimore's. Google it now - it's a tiny fraction of that since all the gang members were locked up.
https://www.cbsnews.com/baltimore/news/fact-check-baltimore-murder-rate-higher-than-el-salvador-guatemala-honduras/

[gsquared]

I just returned from a week in El Salvador with Jewish community in san salvador. The community is known as an emerging community. It is made up of people who have converted orthodox. There are actually two such communities in El Salvador. The other is 45 minutes away in a town called Armenia run headed by a young man names Asher whatsapp is +503 7732 6794. The community in San Salvador is headed by Yehoshua also a you ng man with energy and enthusiasm for the community. He can be reached at info@sibi-sv.org. There is also is a Chabad in El Turco. About 1 hour away on the coast. This town is being developed as Surf City. It is in a very touristy hotspot famous for excellent surfing. This Chabad is mainly for Israeli backpackers etc.

I stayed with the community in San Salvador. The shul consists of a large house with a kitchen, shul, dining area, and a few rooms for rent. The rooms have ac, bathrooms, wifi etc. Pretty comfortable and obviously super convenient since shacharit is at 6am. The only regular minyan is Monday, Thursday and Shabbat. The cost of the room is very reasonable($60/night) and goes towards supporting the community. The meals are cooked by the ladies of the community and is very good and also reasonably priced and goes towards supporting their livelihood. They are flexible and you can have a chance to eat local foods as well e.g. popusas. There is no rabbi at the moment so the men of the community lead the davening and leining and follow syrian sephardi nusach. On Shabbat, most of the community moves into rooms in the shul since they live too far from the shul to walk. Each family brings their own food and sit at their own tables.  Everyone is very welcoming even though very few speak English. The community is mostly made up of people who are not well educated or financially well off but through great sacrifice decided this is the way to serve God.
El Salvador is a wonderful destination to visit. There are plenty of reasonably priced and direct flights from the US. Near the shul there is a Hilton as well as a few airbnbs. In Armenia there is also supposedly an airbnb. At the Armenia community, the members of the community live near the shul which is a large compound with a mikvah.  From what I understand about 15 years an organization called Shavei Isreal started working with groups in ES.   

There are about 40 families in each of the communities.

The airport in El Salvador is quite modern. The current president is pushing a very aggressive agenda for the country. The first thing he did was put gang members in jail which completely changed the country. It is now one of the safest countries in the world. He is also attempting to create a new economic reality starting with creating Surf City. Building new roads and infrastructure along the coast. 

Since El Salvador is a very small country it is easy to do multiple interesting day trips. There are coffee and chocolate farms, volcanos, beaches, charming towns, waterfalls,  turtles release, pre Hispanic sites. Hands-on activities e.g. indigo workshop, pupusa making. There is fishing, world class surfing, mountain biking, easy and harder volcano hikes.

You could rent a car but the driving could be tricky. Also this is not a good place to travel independently if your Spanish isn't great. There are plenty of tour agencies that provide private and group tours. The head of the Armenia community is trying to develop some sort of tourist infrastructure to enhance the communities economic viability. The best time to visit is in the winter otherwise it is likely muggy and rainy.

[trips99]

interesting I flew to el salvador about a year ago and next to me on the flight was an american embassy employee. She got very excited when I got my  kosher meal as she was hosting a multi faith conference the coming week at the embassy  and had been busy getting kosher food for the jewish contingent. She told me there was  an emerging jewish community in San salvador but i couldn't find any information about it online. Now i know what she was talking about.

I stayed in the hyatt centric 6500 points a night for the suite. I went to the Parque Nacional El Boqueron national park which is nothing special .I also hiked up the volcano which was very nice .
I Visited a number  of mayan ruins that i found slightly boring. The currency is the american dollar but almost nobody speaks english.
So many people told me that its night and day since they got the new president. They used to be afraid to walk around but now they feel very safe pretty much everywhere. 1 person told me that a few years ago they couldn't even make a phone call in public with a expensive phone because it would get snatched away.
I used uber to get around and it was very cheap.I don't remember a single one of my drivers knowing english. 1 thing over there was that you get a code to your phone when you order a uber and have to show it to the driver before he can drive anywhere. I'm not sure what the point of that is.