I don’t do many Bikepacking.com routes and this one reminded me of one reason why. Extremely steep, rocky paths meant that I was pushing my bike most of the time, often taking hours to go a few miles. But this was probably far preferable to the heat, noise, and fumes of the paved roads. While there are many routes I didn’t try, I’m inclined to guess that El Salvador might be a terrible place to ride a bike. But given the wonderfully friendly people, stunning landscapes, and yummy food, it’s probably great for other things – I suspect a motorcycle trip could be really fun.

bikepacking.com/routes/trans-salvador/


Bike

The bike selection in Santa Ana, the second-largest city, left a lot to be desired. Nearly every available bike is a low-quality Corsario that is better-suited to short hops around town than cross-country adventures. Any other brands are quite overpriced. I was wandering the streets of the market when I passed a guy rolling a bike with a “Se Vende” sign. I paid him $40, then bought a $10 rack from a nearby stall, and paid the guy in the adjacent stall $1.50 to install it. This bike was in no way up to the task at hand and slowly disintegrated over the course of the trip, but it was at least very cheap to repair it – I got 2 sets of new brakes installed for $3.

It’s hard to imagine a bike that would be capable of riding many of the roads on this route, but here’s a wishlist: extremely lightweight, 29x2.2” tires with excellent tread, granny gears out the wazoo, disc brakes, a geometry conducive to carrying…

Since most of the transit options consist of old American school buses with no cargo bays, you would probably need to hitchhike with a truck if you ever wanted a break from riding. I gifted mine to a college friend of my brother’s, who had a resort in San Blas.


Food

It’s hard to imagine a more boring cuisine, but everything’s pretty tasty and easy to find for cheap.
Pupusas are ubiquitous and cost 75 cents nearly everywhere. You can either order the ready-made revueltas or cheese, or wait 20 minutes for ones with spinach, squash flowers, or a dozen other things.

Licuados are also nearly everywhere and tend to come in around $1.50. My go-to was banana with oats and milk, but you can order them with any number of fruits or syrup.

A cup of coffee is 35 cents, unless you go to a fancy coffee shop, where it costs the same as anywhere else in the world.

I got food (or water) poisoning on my last day. I have no idea where I picked that up.


Lodging.

It’s often possible to find an air-conditioned room with private bath for $20. I tended to get attacked by mysterious insects in the rooms without AC, so avoided those whenever possible. In the beach areas, hostels full of surfers tend to be the only affordable option, but the one where I stayed was exceptionally quiet.


Environment

Dry season means that there’s zero rain and fewer mosquitos, but this leads to an abundance of dust that turns your snot black and reduces traction. In theory, it’s exceptionally hot, but I never really noticed it under the dense canopy, and some of the windier nights actually merited a jacket.

I got lots of bug bites, but never managed to attribute a single one. I’m pretty terrified by the lethal kiss of the chagas bugs and all the diseases carried by mosquitos. A billboard on the way to the airport recommended taking an anti-parasitic twice a year.

I caught glimpses of a few colorful birds, two pacas, and an iguana. Dozens of dogs chased me, but none seemed particularly intent on eating me.


Flights

I bought my flight from Denver through Atlanta to San Salvador a few days beforehand using the GoWild pass for $39. The return flight through Dallas, also purchased on the pass a few days before, was $91. I think these were purely taxes and as cheap as it gets.

www.strava.com/activities/16917666848
www.strava.com/activities/16918616867