Layover tour San Salvador city and Volcano tour El Boqueron National Park

At first, I was just glad to have something to do on a 12 hour layover. This far exceeded those expectations. I’d seen tons of volcanoes in many countries. The way this park is presented made this unique. And the guide Rafael’s stories and knowledge of the history made not only the visit, but the drive there very engaging. The downtown area was just alive with energy and all the Christmas decorations being built. It looks like they are putting up a Christmas market that expands their main downtown area, and the scale would compete with European markets! The highlight was the church we visited. I wasn’t expecting much but a church. Rafael’s talk of its history and its architect made me a little interested. But upon entering, it is incredible. I’m not religious, but it was inspiring. My 1,000 places to see before you die book had no entries for El Salvador. This church needs to be on that book list. The guide Rafael was amazing all day. A natural storyteller who had something to share about just about everything we drove by. He was bright and ready for me as I exited the airport. Drove me to find a specialty coffee place (I’m a coffee snob!). Made sure I bought some local chocolate and got a local beer.

Osmaro was absolutely amazing. Our flight from LA arrived an hour early. We thought we would have to wait for the agreed upon time for the guide to pick us up. However, when we exited the airport there was a sign with our name on it. Osmaro was waiting an hour early as he took the trouble to look up when the flight would actually land. Even though he does this for a living everyday, he cared a great deal about making it the best experience for us. He explained everything about the places we were driving through and made sure we were having a good time. We even mentioned being a fan of the Little Prince and he took us on an unscheduled stop to the Little Prince park, which was not even on the agenda. He took us to a couple of other spots that were not on the agenda as our group didn't actually have a layover need to go back to the airport and therefore had some extra time. We went to some out of the way markets in the Historic Center and experienced some very cool things we would never have seen otherwise. He is extremely knowledgeable about everything, and just as important, always made sure to ensure the best customer service. Even took a video for us for the rainbow slide at Picnic Steak. If you get Osmaro, you will probably end up feeling like this is the best tour guide ever!

Rafael Zelaya from Eco Tours Petate was a really great tour guide. His extensive knowledge of the road, articulate and clear communication skills, pleasant, warm, and approachable manner, and expert management of logistics made the trip smooth, interesting, and enjoyable. I was coming from my 12 days bday trip from Ecuador when I decided to book a layover tour to San Salvador before ending my trip and going home to Canada. I was very anxious about doing the tour as I have never done a layover tour before and was afraid about missing my flight home. However, Rafa was in communication with me via WhatsApp before the tour and was very reassuring that I will get to my flight on time; he also made sure to keep my tour private so that there was no possibility that my airport return would be compromised in a bigger group. He was also very handy with the camera and made really nice video clips of my experience for me to have. Only disappointed with the fact that I was not able to visit the Rainbow Slide which was the inspiration for me to book the tour. Still, I was happy overall to have opted for the layover tour to get a chance to see 2 countries in 1 trip. The tour was short but enough to get exposure to both the natural and urban setting of the country. He also managed to take me to a local restaurant to get a taste of a local favorite dish...Papusas. Thanks Rafa!

The tour was amazing and really showed the great sites of San Salvador. We had a long layover and decided to see the city. Osmaro was an amazing tour guide, very accommodating and answered all our curious questions regarding El Salvador. One of the coolest cities we’ve seen, and great local food. You will not be disappointed.

The tour was 6 hrs and so the 5 to 7 hr estimation is on point. My guide was full of life and energy and it was SO much fun! Definitely book for a layover with them!!!

My guide was so informational and fun of life and energy! Mine was about 6 hrs so the 5 to 7 hr estimate us pretty spot on. The views and sites are incredible!

Our tour guide, Osmaro, turned a long layover into a memorable experience. In just seven hours, he introduced us to the culture and scenery of his country.

Loved this tour. The volcano was an easy trek and we got great photos. Downtown San Salvador was great to see. Glad we had someone with us to share it. We also tried papusas the first time with Ricardo and it was incredible. Ricardo was a great tour guide and very kind to us. We left some things in his car and he returned it to us. He also gave us great suggestions in the area. Thankful for such a kind and knowledgeable tour guide. Thanks again Ricardo!

The tour was a great way to see some of El Salvador on our layover. Osmaro was a super greta guide! He was very professional and kind. He taught us a lot about the history and culture of El Salvador.

Our guide Rafael was excellent! Safe driver, very knowledgeable and entertaining. The country and Capital city are very underrated destinations and a worth a visit.