Skip to content
The Salvadoran surfer Bryan Pérez on a wave on the coast of El Salvador

Regions

Surf City, El Salvador: The Coastal Tourism Programme and Its Beaches

Surf City is the Ministry of Tourism programme for the coast. It has 5 phases across the country: the first funded boardwalks, parks and water treatment on the coast of La Libertad, and the second, with a $106 million loan from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), works in the east. El Salvador received 4,123,892 international visitors in 2025.

Updated November 2026 · Figures checked 9 November 2026

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

Phases of the programme across the country
51
Phases of the programme across the country
IDB loan for Surf City II in the east
$106 million1
IDB loan for Surf City II in the east
Surf destinations listed by the Ministry of Tourism
102
Surf destinations listed by the Ministry of Tourism
International visitors in 2025
4,123,8924
International visitors in 2025

Surf City, El Salvador: The Coastal Tourism Programme and Its Beaches

Map of the surf beaches

Surf City beaches in El Salvador 1 El Zonte 2 El Sunzal 3 El Tunco 4 Punta Roca 5 Costa del Sol 6 Punta Mango 7 El Cuco 8 Las Flores 9 Los Cóbanos 10 Gulf of Fonseca
Surf destination Places are approximate, from Wikidata and OpenStreetMap. Boundaries: geoBoundaries SLV ADM1 (OpenStreetMap contributors, CC BY-SA 2.0)2,3
  1. 1 El Zonte Chiltiupán, La Libertad Costa; km 53 of the coastal road
  2. 2 El Sunzal Tamanique; a long right point break
  3. 3 El Tunco Tamanique, La Libertad Costa; 7 km west of the port of La Libertad
  4. 4 Punta Roca La Libertad Costa, next to the port
  5. 5 Costa del Sol La Paz Centro, a long sandy beach
  6. 6 Punta Mango Usulután Este
  7. 7 El Cuco San Miguel Centro, 170 km from San Salvador
  8. 8 Las Flores Chirilagua, San Miguel Centro; right point breaks
  9. 9 Los Cóbanos Acajutla, Sonsonate Oeste; a fishing village near the port
  10. 10 Gulf of Fonseca La Unión; islands shared with Honduras and Nicaragua

Surf City I

The Ministry of Tourism lists these projects of the first phase:

  • Improvement of the tourist boardwalk (malecón) of the port of La Libertad
  • The Sunset Park amusement park
  • A treatment plant and tourism works at El Tunco beach
  • The Surf City Walter Thilo Deininger adventure park
  • A wastewater treatment plant at Puerto El Triunfo and Jiquilisco
  • A boardwalk and pier at Puerto Parada
  • Non-repayable grants for small tourism businesses

Source: Ministry of Tourism: Surf City programme1

Surf City II

The second phase, financed with the $106 million IDB loan, covers the east of the country:

  • Urban tourism corridors and cycle routes at El Cuco and Las Flores, in Chirilagua, San Miguel
  • Ecological boardwalks, viewpoints and tourist signs
  • Toilets and public showers on beaches, and wastewater treatment plants
  • Improvements to the Altos de la Cueva adventure park, with a Gastro-Lab
  • A high-performance sports centre

Source: Ministry of Tourism: Surf City programme1

The programme also lists international surf contests, staff training and a beach certification programme.1

The beaches

The beaches
Beach Location What the Ministry of Tourism says
El Tunco Tamanique, La Libertad Costa The best-known surf beach, named after a rock shaped like a pig; at km 43 of the coastal road
El Zonte Chiltiupán, La Libertad Costa A small coastal community at km 53 of the coastal road
El Sunzal Tamanique Possibly where surfing began in El Salvador, in the late 1960s
Punta Roca La Libertad Costa On the edge of the port town of La Libertad
Costa del Sol La Paz Centro A sandy beach in a valley, unlike the rocky coast to the east and west
Punta Mango Usulután Este A remote surf point in the east
El Cuco San Miguel Centro A long black-sand beach, 170 km from San Salvador
Las Flores Chirilagua, San Miguel Centro A small inlet followed by rocky points with right-hand waves
Los Cóbanos Acajutla, Sonsonate Oeste A fishing village near the port of Acajutla
Gulf of Fonseca La Unión Islands where El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua meet

Source: El Salvador Travel (Ministry of Tourism): Surf City beaches; El Salvador Travel (Ministry of Tourism): El Tunco2,3

For investors

Hotels, rentals and restaurants near the Surf City beaches can apply for the incentives of the Tourism Law. The beach itself is public, and land next to it must leave a public strip; the beach property guide explains the rules and the asking prices for coastal land.

The beaches, one by one

  • El Tunco

    The surf town at km 43 and the La Bocana wave.

    km 43 Of the coastal road (Litoral)

    Read more

  • El Zonte

    A point break at km 53 and the Bitcoin Beach project.

    km 53 Of the coastal road (Litoral)

    Read more

  • El Sunzal

    A long right point break, surfed since the late 1960s.

    300 m Longest ride, from the outside to the inside section

    Read more

  • Punta Roca

    A fast right over rock, at the edge of the port.

    300 m Distance of the break from the shore

    Read more

Sources

  1. Ministry of Tourism: Surf City programme (in Spanish)
  2. El Salvador Travel (Ministry of Tourism): Surf City beaches
  3. El Salvador Travel (Ministry of Tourism): El Tunco
  4. Ministry of Tourism: tourism statistics report 2025 (in Spanish)

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

Next step

Meet the Companies in Your Department

Lawyers, accountants, office landlords and recruiters, listed in the InvestSalvador.com directory by department and city.

Browse the Directory Add Your Company