Cerro Verde National Park. Photo by If you’re looking for something to do in El Salvador, check out the 14 recreational parks managed by the Salvadoran Tourism Institute (ISTU). These parks offer visitors a mix of nature, adventure, and relaxation.
To help you narrow down the options, here are five of the most visited parks in El Salvador in 2024: Balboa Natural Park, La Puerta del Diablo (Devil’s Gate), Amapulapa, Cerro Verde, and Apulo.
1- Balboa Natural Park
The Balboa Natural Park is 12 kilometers from San Salvador in the Planes de Renderos area. According to ITSU, this park welcomed 1,048,318 visitors in 2024.
Balboa Park, founded in 1949, spans 44 blocks and offers entertainment areas, playgrounds, a synthetic soccer field, bike paths, picnic spots, a castle, and a labyrinth.
In addition to the entertainment areas, visitors can also admire pre-Columbian monuments, sculptures, and a plaza dedicated to Salvadoran national heroes.
Lastly, visitors can taste traditional pupusas and other on-site corn-based Salvadoran dishes.
2- La Puerta del Diablo or Devil’s Gate Park
Puerta del Diablo, or Devil’s Gate, is a geological park in Panchimalco that reopened in December 2023. This park is Located just 1 kilometer south of Balboa Park and opens daily from 8:00 AM to 10:00 PM.
La Puerta del Diablo, known for its dramatic rock formations and panoramic views, received over 500,000 visitors in 2024.
The site is steeped in legend, named after a tale of a young woman pursued by the Devil.
Reports indicate that its rock formations started by cataclysmic events between 1772 and 1781, and a storm in 1906 permanently separated the rocks, creating the current landscape.
The International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS) recognized Devil’s Gate Park in 2022 as one of the world’s 100 places of geological interest.
3- Amapulapa Recreational Park
The Amapulapa water park is a complex of volcanic soil from which many springs emerge. Amapulapa is an amusement family-oriented water park in San Vicente, 60 kilometers from San Salvador.
The park spans 33 blocks and is fed by natural springs, features four large pools, a water slide, children’s play areas, picnic spaces, cabins, and restaurants.
4- Cerro Verde National Park
Cerro Verde is a protected natural area in Santa Ana, 77 kilometers from the capital city, San Salvador. Founded in 1955, it covers 54 blocks and registered 495,632 visits last year.
Visitors to the park can explore three interpretive trails, hike to the Izalco or Santa Ana volcanoes, enjoy viewpoints, and observe diverse flora and fauna.
Cerro Verde also features an educational “Tourist Guides” program where local youth provide guided tours.
5- Apulo Recreational Park
Apulo Park, located 16 kilometers from San Salvador in Ilopango, is home to Lake Ilopango, the largest lake in El Salvador and an active volcanic caldera.
The park offers a boardwalk, pier, lighthouse, two pools, picnic areas, and restaurants. In 2024, it received 493,305 visitors.
Visitors can enjoy lakefront dining, which features mojarra, Pepescas, seafood dishes, and other traditional Salvadoran foods.
Boat tours provide breathtaking views of the volcanic lake formed by a massive eruption that once devastated several Mayan cities.
Other frequently visited parks in El Salvador last year included Los Chorros, Sunset Park, Atecozol, Ichanmichen, Sihuatehuacán, Apastepeque Lagoon, Costa del Sol, Walter Thilo Deininger, and Agua Fría.
