Is El Salvador safe for solo female travelers?
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How safe is El Salvador for female travelers?
Travel safety index
based on 8 experiences from female travelers
Ellen
Belgium
Santa Ana, Family travel
Santa Ana is the perfect city to base yourself for a lot of daytrips. We did a city tour with Carlos via the website 'Guru' which included a lot of typical salvadorian food. The other days we went to Salto de Malacatiupan, Concepcion de Ataco, Lago Coatepeque and Tazumal. We rented a car for this which made it easier to come and go since we're a family of six.
Posted: September 28, 2025Experienced: August, 2025El Salvador, Group travel
I felt safe overall. I chose accommodations in safe areas like El Tunco and Santa Ana. People were very welcoming, and I didn’t face any issues. What I recommend: Hike Santa Ana Volcano (amazing view, not too hard). Go to El Tunco (beach town, great for surfing), Discover Ataco (small village), relax in Salto de Malacatiupan. El Salvador is very budget-friendly. I stayed in Airbnb's, except when I was in the capital city where I used Hotel Villa Florencia Centro Historico (great hotel!). For transport, I only used a rental car. Walking around towns felt safe in the daytime and evening time. Here's a rough outline of my 2-week trip: Day 1–3: El Zunto/El Tunco Day 4–5: Ataco Day 6–8: Antigua Guatemala (for Easter weekend) Day 9–11: Lago de Coatepeque + Volcano Santa Ana Day 12–14: San Salvador
Posted: July 19, 2025Experienced: March, 2025
Jackie
United States
El Salvador, Family travel
This is my second time going to El Salvador. My family is from El Salvador. My mother left in 1989 when she was pregnant with me, during the civil war. It was her first time going back to her home country since she left. It was a surreal experience to her, seeing how much her country as changed. El Salvador is beautiful and welcoming.
Posted: July 6, 2024Experienced: February, 2024El Salvador, Solo travel
I traveled alone to El Salvador and it was an amazing surprise. It's beautiful, and people are very friendly and hospitable. I never felt unsafe, even at night in San Salvador. I really enjoyed it.
Posted: October 17, 2023El Salvador, Group travel
The people I met were super nice, the landscapes, activities, everything was very beautiful. The only thing is that because they use the American dollar, the prices seemed high to me. But the place is definitely worth it. I highly recommend renting a car as well. We were there for 9 days, and I think that was too much, 7 days is perfect to see everything.
Posted: September 18, 2023How safe is El Salvador for women?
Local safety index
Based on 8 local experiences
Local crime index
Based on 8 local experiences
El Salvador
I felt very safe in El Salvador. I was travelling with a friend and everyone was telling us „please don’t go, it’s dangerous,…“. It was my favourite trip of all the trips I did and the people are really friendly and helpful. Of course there are some points you should avoid- alone in the middle of the night. But you have that in almost every country. We felt very safe and it’s a wonderful country. A lot of nature with hot springs and culture. I hope that your experience will be great and safe!
Posted: August 24, 2025
KT
El Salvador
I think being alone as a woman you are always more aware of people. But this country is the safest one I have been in, in all of South and Central America. People are so happy to see tourists. But you do always need to be smart!
Posted: April 14, 2025
Maggie
San Salvador
El Salvador is considered very safe now and I can agree there has been a lot of positive changes, nonetheless this a city built for cars so walking around feels lonely and not lively at all, you won’t find many people walking next to you at night so it can be nerve wrecking. Nonetheless, if you stay in the nicer areas I can assure you are safe, kidnappings are unheard of here and murders as well, but as a woman I am still cautious of men nonetheless.
Posted: March 23, 2025Antiguo Cuscatlán
Antiguo Cuscatlán is one of the safest areas in El Salvador and is located right next to the safest and most beautiful parts of San Salvador, the capital city of El Salvador. You can find all types of fun places to visit, catering to all ages and genders.
Posted: December 27, 2024San Salvador
We are in a current state of exception which has moderate the violence. It used to be a really dangerous place but now is very secure for travelers. Since our country is very small you can easily move from place to place and the people here are very welcoming
Posted: December 25, 2024Safety in El Salvador
