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Aerial view of Punta Mango and the Pacific coast of Usulután

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Beaches of El Salvador: The Pacific Coast from West to East

El Salvador has 307 km of Pacific coast and is the only Central American country without a Caribbean coast. The west has the reef of Los Cóbanos and the mangroves of Barra de Santiago; La Libertad has the surf points of El Zonte, El Tunco and Punta Roca; La Paz has the long beach of the Costa del Sol; and the east has Jiquilisco Bay, El Cuco, Las Flores and the Gulf of Fonseca.

Updated November 2026 · Figures checked 9 November 2026

Photo: Casa Presidencial El Salvador, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

Pacific coastline
307 km1
Pacific coastline
Surf destinations listed by the Ministry of Tourism
102
Surf destinations listed by the Ministry of Tourism
Jiquilisco Bay Ramsar wetland
63,500 ha4
Jiquilisco Bay Ramsar wetland
Los Cóbanos Ramsar wetland, with a coral reef formation
21,312 ha4
Los Cóbanos Ramsar wetland, with a coral reef formation

Beaches of El Salvador: The Pacific Coast from West to East

Map of the coast

Beaches and coastal wetlands of El Salvador 1 Barra de Santiago 2 Los Cóbanos 3 El Zonte 4 El Sunzal 5 El Tunco 6 Punta Roca 7 Costa del Sol 8 Estero de Jaltepeque 9 Bahía de Jiquilisco 10 Punta Mango 11 El Cuco 12 Las Flores 13 Gulf of Fonseca
Beach Coastal wetland (Ramsar) Places are approximate, from Wikidata and OpenStreetMap. Boundaries: geoBoundaries SLV ADM1 (OpenStreetMap contributors, CC BY-SA 2.0)2,4
  1. 1 Barra de Santiago Mangroves; Ramsar wetland of 11,519 ha
  2. 2 Los Cóbanos Fishing village and coral reef formation
  3. 3 El Zonte Surf; km 53 of the coastal road
  4. 4 El Sunzal Long right point break
  5. 5 El Tunco Surf town at km 43
  6. 6 Punta Roca Next to the port of La Libertad
  7. 7 Costa del Sol Long sandy beach in La Paz
  8. 8 Estero de Jaltepeque Ramsar wetland of 49,474 ha
  9. 9 Bahía de Jiquilisco Ramsar wetland of 63,500 ha
  10. 10 Punta Mango Remote surf point in Usulután
  11. 11 El Cuco Black-sand beach, 170 km from San Salvador
  12. 12 Las Flores Right-hand waves in Chirilagua
  13. 13 Gulf of Fonseca Islands shared with Honduras and Nicaragua

The west: Ahuachapán and Sonsonate

  • Barra de Santiago: an estuary and mangrove complex on the Guatemalan side of the coast, a Ramsar wetland of 11,519 ha since 2014.
  • Los Cóbanos: a fishing village 11 km from the port of Acajutla. Its Ramsar wetland of 21,312 ha holds the only coral reef formation between Mexico and Costa Rica.

Source: Ramsar Convention: annotated list of wetlands of international importance, El Salvador; El Salvador Travel (Ministry of Tourism): Surf City beaches4,2

The centre: La Libertad and La Paz

  • El Zonte, El Sunzal, El Tunco and Punta Roca: the surf points of the coast of La Libertad, the area of Surf City I. El Tunco is 7 km west of the port of La Libertad.
  • Costa del Sol: a sandy beach in La Paz, in a valley of sugarcane fields, next to the Jaltepeque estuary, a Ramsar wetland of 49,474 ha.

Source: El Salvador Travel (Ministry of Tourism): Surf City beaches; El Salvador Travel (Ministry of Tourism): El Tunco; Ramsar Convention: annotated list of wetlands of international importance, El Salvador2,3,4

The east: Usulután, San Miguel and La Unión

  • Bahía de Jiquilisco: the largest area of brackish water in the country, a Ramsar wetland of 63,500 ha and part of the Xiriualtique-Jiquilisco biosphere reserve, with more than half of the mangroves of El Salvador.
  • Punta Mango, El Cuco and Las Flores: surf points and long black-sand beaches; El Cuco and Las Flores are in the area of Surf City II.
  • Gulf of Fonseca: the islands of La Unión, in the gulf that El Salvador shares with Honduras and Nicaragua.

Source: Ramsar Convention: annotated list of wetlands of international importance, El Salvador; UNESCO Man and the Biosphere Programme: Xiriualtique-Jiquilisco biosphere reserve; El Salvador Travel (Ministry of Tourism): Surf City beaches; Ministry of Tourism: Surf City programme4,5,2,6

Buying near the beach

Beaches are public, and land next to them must leave a strip for public use. The beach property guide explains the rules, the Surf City projects and the asking prices for land and flats.

Sources

  1. CIA World Factbook archive: El Salvador, 2025 edition
  2. El Salvador Travel (Ministry of Tourism): Surf City beaches
  3. El Salvador Travel (Ministry of Tourism): El Tunco
  4. Ramsar Convention: annotated list of wetlands of international importance, El Salvador (PDF)
  5. UNESCO Man and the Biosphere Programme: Xiriualtique-Jiquilisco biosphere reserve
  6. Ministry of Tourism: Surf City programme (in Spanish)

Figures checked 9 November 2026. Prepared by InvestSalvador.com for general information. Figures come from the sources listed.

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