El Salvador surf spots string a south-facing coast and hoover up swell the whole wet season. Behold, the land of the tropical right-hand point break.
An introduction to El Salvador surf
Warm water all year. Check. South-facing coast that hoovers up the S wet-season swell, all of it. Check. Rock headlands that offer point break after point break. Check. Sounds like there’s surf on the menu in El Salvador. Boy is there! It just so happens that this downright amazing surf nation is tucked on the side of Nicaragua and Costa Rica. The plaudits – quite rightly – so often go to them that this one gets overlooked – not right.
El Salvador’s just about emerging onto the international surf scene, though adventurous rippers have been going for decades. La Libertad, a gritty port come beach resort south of the capital, is very much the kingpin of it all. Flaunting a seriously good right point, it’s now rammed with surf schools and whatnot. We prefer venturing out from there, especially to the east towards Punta Mango, which is a haven for regular riders on the hunt for tropical rights that are very rarely ridden.
There’s a limit to the surf season here that doesn’t happen in Costa Rica. The whole country faces south and that means E and N swells don’t do great. You basically HAVE to come in the wet season if you want waves.
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This guide is just one part of our complete guide to Central America surf
El Salvador surf at a glance
The good:
The bad:
What’s in this guide to El Salvador surf?
Where is El Salvador?
The Republic of El Salvador is tucked into the very heart of Central America. It’s north of Costa Rica and Nicaragua, bordering Honduras to the south and the west and Guatemala to the north and east. It’s a relatively small country – the smallest in the continental Americas, in fact – and kinda’ flat compared to the volcano-dotted nations that hem it in.
Aside from those that go overland, most travelers get here via a flight to El Salvador International Airport in Comalapa. It’s actually fantastically located for hitting the surf since it’s a mere four miles from the Pacific and only 17 miles from the main surf town of La Libertad.
A guide to the El Salvador surf spots
Before we get stuck into the surf spots in El Salvador, a little geography. There are two main surfing regions here: Oriente and La Libertad. The latter is the most famous, since it hosts the headline acts of El Sunzal and Punta Roca, the waves that first put this part of Central America on the map back in the 70s. Oriente is still being discovered. Its main break and surf community hovers around Punta Mango. We think it’s one of the best regions left in the Americas for off-road surf expeditions and seeking out new breaks.
Surf breaks in La Libertad
Mizata
An hour’s drive to the west of La Libertad city, Mizata is one of the most exposed spots on this side of the country. It’s a veritable magnet for anything flowing through the S-SW swell channels and basically works every single day in the wet season. On the push, paddle out to the main outside point to score hollow rides with sections that allow multiple turns off the top and the bottom. Midtide, the middle section – known as Tweeners – works best of all and is a fun right with fat shoulders to tear up. We’d be willing to bet that this town will become a lot bigger in the El Salvador surf community in the coming years. The only negative is that it can close out on anything over 11 foot.
K59
The first in a long, long line of right-hand points over cobblestone, K59 has the consistency and shape to rival any in the region. It’s named for the location – it’s marker 59km from the capital city. Usually attracts a few of the dedicated local shortboarders because it lends itself to performance surfing. Works best in good S swells but can handle SW pulses too.
El Zonte
Section after section of right-hand water beckons the rippers down to El Zonte. Long and uber-fun, the wave is both forgiving and inviting. Sit in the pocket and cruise the whole way if you like. It’s a shame, though, since this wave has hollow moments with occasional pits to notch up, along with big faces that you can bottom turn and rip off the lip. It’s very accessible.
El Sunzal
El Sunzal was the location that enchanted the lone rangers of the 70s to keep coming back here. But its days as best-kept secret of the Americas are now totally over. The place is riddled with surf camps and is always busy. We can see why…
One of the finest rights in the region, it’s really a product of the age that made it famous. Shallow cobble beds poke out some 100m or so, which means literally ANY south swell will give something to ride. But the angle of the shore and the deep-water bay that follows help to temper the power into something more akin to a cruisy Noosa rider. That’s why you’ll often see loggers and learners here in equal measure. With narrow-railed, big-rocker shortboards now in the quiver, it seems almost too easy to come tear El Sunzal to pieces. But we’d do it anyway. It’s fun.
So is the town right beside it, by the way. Cue El Tunco, a party hub on the weekends with some seriously fun surf camps.
Playa El Tunco
The wispy and mushy whitewash that flows through into Playa El Tunco has become a playground for the surf schools of the tow of the same name. This is where you’re likely to get your first lessons if you come on a camp to El Sunzal. It’s a good place to practice before graduating up to that famous right point.
La Bocana
Goofy eyes will pop when they see the hollowish point at La Bocana. It cruises into the bay from the rivermouth opposite El Sunzal and is one of the few seriously good lefts in the whole country. It’s also tricky, with steep and fast sections that get real punchy on midsummer swells. It’s intermediate up only.
Punta Roca
Punta Roca looks a touch like a tropical Imsouane at times. A peeling right wall that forms on a cobblestone point at the western end of the main bay in La Libertad, it can go for a whopping 1,300 feet (400m) before fizzling out on the shallows of the main bay. It works on virtually any swell size in the wet season, though the character of the wave will change a lot depending on the size. If it’s >5 foot then you’re looking at cruisy logger and hotdogging sets. Over 8 foot and the barrel sections can begin, popping kegs and then solid, Kirra-esque shoulders one after the other.
The further out you go the longer you can ride it for, but the shallower and steeper the take-off. The spot right by the CafeTito La Punta Surf Camping ground is usually the hardest. Most stick somewhere in the middle of the bay. Beginners should limit themselves to the end section, which has come to be known as La Paz. It’s sandy and pretty easy for starters.
Oriente
El Pimental
There’s a little shelf of super shallow cobblestone and sand at this remote spot east of La Libertad that can give some fast lefts. They’re dumpy as hell and usually best for bodyboarding. Goofies don’t get too excited.
El Espino
A few low-tide breaks mark the rivermouth at El Espino. They’re not often ridden because they don’t hold well in bigger swells. One day, when there are more surf schools here, we see this one a potential playground for learners on account of the punchy secondary swell. For now, it’s usually empty.
Punta Mango
Punta Mango is the name for the main point break that hits the headland in front of La Periquera town. This is very much the heart of the Oriente surf zone. It’s actually a fine right hander that can rival any in the country on its day. The issue is that it’s nowhere near as consistent, needing bigger south pulses to get firing. When it’s on, it’s really on, because you’ll have loads of zip to work with down the line and there’s nice sections to get playful on. Punta Mango is one of the reasons that we recommend the Oriente region for more intermediate surfers than the beginners.
Las Flores
A super-high-quality right point that we think deserves a place up there with the likes of Kirra and Bells, this one’s the crème-de-la-crème of eastern El Salvador. It’s remote and not that busy, at least compared to the breaks around La Libertad. That only adds to the draws, though, because big S swells can churn out rolling peelers that march into the bay from the outer point with rides that can top 500 meters on the best days. The sections are like something out of a wave pool, starting hollow and tubey and mellowing into a triangular shoulder that’s simple fun from end to end.
Where to stay when surfing in El Salvador?
El Salvador is relatively new to the mass tourism scene in this region but it’s really going places. The hotel selection is improving year on year and we love the pick of boho surf lodges that’s popping up, in La Libertad and El Sunzal especially. There are remoter hotels near the breaks of Oriente, along with just a few organized surf-camp packages to boot. Let’s take a look at the best…
Casa de Mar Hotel And Villas
The days are great at the Casa de Mar Hotel And Villas. The peeling rights of El Sunzal roll around just outside the door. You’ve got rooms thatched with palm fronds, a come-chill-in-me-pool, and an onsite bar with cold beers. It’s one of our top places to stay in El Salvador full stop, let alone just for surfing.
Vista Las Olas Surf Resort
Score Las Flores – arguably one of the finest right handers on the planet – in style by booking into the Vista Las Olas Surf Resort. One of the rare surf resorts with sheer pizzazz down in Oriente (eastern El Salvador), this one’s decks overlooking the ocean, one of the nicest infinity pools we’ve ever seen, and even a whiff of the Costa Rican eco resort about it.
El Salvador Surf Houses
A set of convenient apartments with modern design await at the El Salvador Surf Houses, which puts you middle of the La Libertad surf territory – El Sunzal to the east and Punta Roca to the west. There’s a small pool for cooling off at on hot wet-season days.
Step-by-step guide to planning your El Salvador surf trip right now
Step one: Book flights to the El Salvador surf…Lately, we like Omio for searching flights. It’s a nice interface and has lots of airline options. We also use Skyscanner because that sometimes offers deals that even beat going direct to the carrier!
Step two: Book your surf camp Book Surf Camps is the numero uno online booking platform for fully-fledged surf-stay packages on the internet right now. Then there’s Booking.com. That has consistently unbeatable rates for hotels and a nifty map feature that lets you check EXACTLY how close your hotel is to a surf break.
Step three: Get insuranceThis is kinda’ important. Not just for surf trips but for any trips. SafetyWing is great for nomad travelers. They offer rolling contracts that cover amateur surfing.
Step four (optional): Rent a car If you’re surf camping then you might not need wheels. If you’re not then we’ll just say this: We’ve never been on a surf trip that wasn’t improved by having our own car. Use RentalCars – they’re the best.
Step four: Enjoy!
When to surf in El Salvador?
The El Salvador surf season runs parallel to the wet season in this part of Central America. There’s a good reason for that: The coast here all faces due south. That means there’s zero chance any of the NW-W swells that help Costa Rica stay pumping all year will sneak around in the drier months. So, you’re basically limited to surf trips between May and September in these parts. The best of those are right at the beginning of the season in May and early June, mainly because you can sometimes catch the end of the better weather with some southern swell action on top.
We might use affiliate links in this post. Basically, you click em’ and we get a little something from your booking or purchase. They help us keep offering more and more in-depth surf guides to awesome places all around the globe. So, thanks for that!