The Ruta de las Flores

The Ruta de las Flores is a stretch of highway running about thirty-six kilometres through the coffee highlands of the west, linking Nahuizalco, Salcoatitan, Juayua, Apaneca and Concepcion de Ataco. The name refers to the coffee blossom and the wild flowers that come out between October and February. Each town has taken a different line: Nahuizalco has a night market and wicker work, Juayua a weekend food fair, the feria gastronomica, that fills the plaza on Saturdays and Sundays, Ataco has painted murals on almost every wall and coffee shops, and Apaneca has the highest altitude and the crater lakes above it. Coffee estates along the route run mill and tasting visits.

What you actually see

• Juayua food fair - the weekend gastronomic market on the plaza.
• Ataco murals - the painted walls through the town.
• Coffee estates - the mills and tastings along the route.
• Nahuizalco night market - the evening market and wicker workshops.

When to go

November to April in the dry season; coffee blossom comes out from around October to February. The food fair runs Saturdays and Sundays in Juayua. Weekends are when the towns are alive and also when they are crowded.

Honest expectations

The towns are small and the whole route can be driven in an hour, so the visit is about stopping rather than the road. Weekends are busy and midweek some places close. The murals in Ataco are heavily commercialised. Coffee estate visits need arranging.

Nearby

Los Chorros de la Calera lie below Juayua; Santa Ana is northeast.