Is El Refugio safe? El Salvador travel risk
Is El Refugio safe right now? Checked 16 October 2026
El Refugio scores 56/100 on our travel risk index (Elevated). The US State Department rates El Salvador Level 1 (Exercise Normal Precautions, updated 25 Jun 2026); the UK has no advice against travel; Canada says: exercise a high degree of caution. No GDACS or USGS hazard events within 100 km in the last 14 days. No change in government advice in the last 7 days.
El Refugio scores 56/100 (Elevated). The score combines security, crime and scams, health and medical access, natural hazards and current alerts measured for this location and El Salvador (how it is calculated). The sections below are specific to El Refugio: nearest emergency and transport facilities, local climate normals, 5-year natural hazard history within 100 km.
Driven by: natural hazards (83/100) and security (50/100).
A score of 56 is higher than the scores of 80% of the 241 countries we cover.
Consult the El Salvador travel risk page for nationwide security advisories, entry protocols, and consular warnings.
Location & Spatial Data
Geographically located in Ahuachapán (13.9750° N, 89.7072° W), El Refugio sits 63.6 km ESE from San Salvador at lowland elevation.
Ahuachapán
13.9750° N, 89.7072° W
Lowland
UTC
10,348
Transit Links & Medical Facilities
Proximate Regional Communities (El Salvador)
Climate by Month
Hottest: April (31 °C avg high); Wettest: September (189 mm).
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High °C | 28° | 29° | 30° | 31° | 29° | 28° | 28° | 28° | 28° | 27° | 27° | 27° |
| Low °C | 17° | 17° | 18° | 19° | 20° | 20° | 19° | 20° | 20° | 19° | 18° | 17° |
| Rain mm | 5 | 6 | 14 | 58 | 131 | 160 | 162 | 178 | 189 | 114 | 45 | 12 |
Normals: Jutiapa (39.6 km away).
Natural Hazard Calendar & History
5-Year Hazard Calendar (100 km Radius)
| Hazard | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Floods | 1 | — | — | 1 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 1 | — |
| Tropical Cyclones | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Earthquakes (M5.5+) | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | 4 | 2 | — | — | 4 | — |
Most flood events within 100 km of El Refugio happened in September (5 of 20 in five years).
Source: GDACS, USGS; five years to October 2026.
Significant Earthquakes (USGS M5.5+ within 150 km)
13 major seismic events recorded within 150 km over the past 5 years.
- Largest: M6.2 on 5 Jan 2025 (123 km away) — USGS details
- Most recent: M6.0 on 23 Aug 2025 (129 km away) — USGS details
For consular advice on women's safety, LGBT+ travel, and local laws, see the El Salvador travel advice & laws.
Check the official entry requirements for your nationality before you travel. See the El Salvador entry requirements.
Surrounding Places with Full Dossiers
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