Visitor Information
Metapán Tourism Office (tel. 503/2402-3123; metapanturistico@hotmail.com) is located on the southwestern corner of the plaza and is open Tuesday to Saturday 8am to 5pm and Sunday 8am to noon. The staff has limited English, but is very enthusiastic and will help book accommodation and transportation in the surrounding area. There's a Scotiabank (tel. 503/2402-0039) at Avenida Ignacio Gómez, with a 24-hour ATM. The Hospital Nacional Metapán Arturo Morales (tel. 503/2442-0184) is on Carretera Principal, 400m (1,312 ft.) south of the town's entrance. For Internet access, head to Ciber Café (tel. 503/2442-4029) on 2 Av. Sur.
Border Crossing
The Guatemalan border is a 30-minute ride north of Metapán. Buses leave every 30 minutes to the border crossing at Ahguiatú and cost 50¢. The immigration office is open 24 hours, and it costs nothing to leave El Salvador or enter Guatemala. Here, you can catch a 1-hour bus ride to Chiquimula with onward connections to Guatemala City and Copa Ruinas in Honduras.
If you have the time, and the stomach, you can cross into Honduras via the border town of Citala-El Poy, 3 hours east of Metapán. There are only two buses daily at 5am and noon, and the trip costs $2. The trip is spectacular as you cross the mountains on an unpaved road, driving through dense forests and over high ridges, but it is not for the fainthearted, as the bus is old and rickety and the precipices high and vertigo-inducing. The border crossing is open 24 hours, and there is a charge of $3 to enter Honduras.
Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.
