How to get from Santa Ana to Juayua, El Salvador

A step-by-step guide to travelling from Santa Ana to Juayua on the Ruta de Flores!

I visited El Salvador in 2023 and it quickly became one of my favourite countries in Central America. The tourism scene is starting to blow up in El Salvador as the nation emerges from decades of gang violence. In the past few years, tourists have started to arrive and are welcomed warmly by the locals. Although people are friendly throughout Central America, the locals in El Salvador were next level.

There is so much to see in El Salvador from the charming colonial town of Santa Ana, to surf beaches like El Tunco and the beautiful Ruta de las Flores. Add to the mix that the food is delicious and it is one of the cheapest places to travel in Central America, El Salvador is a place that you have to get to, now!

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Table of Contents

Visiting the Ruta de Flores

The Ruta de las Flores is a series of small, colourful towns connected by a scenic road in the western highlands of El Salvador. It can be visited as a long day trip from Santa Ana, or you can base yourself in one of the towns like Juayua and explore a little slower.

The Ruta de las Flores is filled with charming cobblestoned streets, colourful murals and lush flower-filled landscapes. You’ll find coffee farms, waterfalls, and food markets and so much more to explore.

Visiting the Ruta de las Flores is the perfect way to get off the beaten path. Catching the local chicken buses around the winding roads and exploring these picturesque towns is an adventure and the perfect addition to an El Salvador itinerary.

Juayua: The hub of the Ruta de Flores

Juayua is the largest town on the Ruta de las Flores. It is the easiest town to use as a base to explore the area, and is worth spending an extra night or two to get a feel of authentic small town life in El Salvador.

Juayúa has a really cool vibe. The streets are leafy and green, the food is delicious and the locals were warm and friendly. While there are more tourists visiting the area than ever before, we saw very few other travellers in our time in Juayua. It made our time there feel very authentic and local.

On the weekends there is a food festival that takes over the main street of town. There was so much tasty local cuisine to try. We ended up having to take an afternoon nap to recover!

Don’t miss the nearby waterfalls. Hiking to them feels like stepping into a jungle paradise. If you’re into coffee, take a tour of a local coffee farm. It is really interesting to learn about how important coffee has been to the economy of El Salvador. The coffee is not bad either!

How to get from Santa Ana to Juayua

The easiest way to get from Santa Ana to Juayua is to take the local bus. There are two bus options you can take to travel from Santa Ana to Juayua.

The 238 bus departs from near the Gasolinera Uno gas station near the bus station in Santa Ana. The 238 goes directly to Juayua and is the fastest way to get from Santa Ana to Juayua. It takes about 1.5 hours however departures are fairly infrequent.

We opted to take the 210 bus to Ahuachapan and then take the connecting bus to Juayua. The 210 bus runs far more frequently. It leaves from the bus station and takes about 1 hour and 20 minutes to get to Ahuachapan. Tickets cost 5o cents.

Ahuachapan is the final stop. When you arrive in Ahuachapan, continue walking straight up the main road and cross over the road. There will usually be other people from the bus that will also be travelling to Juayua so you can follow along. On the first side street, you will see a big blue sign that says Ruta de Flores. Walk up that street about 150m and there will be buses to Juayua.

There are people that work on the buses that call out asking where you are going. Tell them Juayua and they’ll make sure you’re on the right bus. It takes about 40 minutes on the bus to get from Ahuachapan to Juayua. Tickets are 90 cents.

Local transport from Santa Ana to Juayua, El Salvador

Where to stay in Juayua

Although Juayua is a small town without a booming tourism scene, there are still some decent options for places to stay. Here are some of our top picks!

Budget – Hostal Dona Mercedes is a great budget accommodation option in Juayua. There’s nothing fancy about this hostel but it is clean, cheap and conveniently located. Perfect for a night or two.

Mid-range – Orquidea Loft is a cozy one bedroom apartment that is well-located close to lots of restaurants and bars. The apartment is clean and the bed is really comfortable.

High-end – For something a bit nicer, check out the Hotel Juayua. This beautiful boutique hotel is just on the outskirts of town but still walking distance to everywhere you need. There is a gorgeous pool with epic mountain views.