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Sunset over the sea at El Tunco, with the rock that gives the beach its name

Surf City

El Tunco Beach, El Salvador

El Tunco is a surf town in Tamanique, La Libertad, at km 43 of the coastal road and 7 km west of the port of La Libertad. Its name comes from a large rock on the beach that once looked like a pig, a tunco. Its best-known wave, La Bocana, hosted the ISA World Surfing Games in 2023 and 2025.

Updated November 2026 · Figures checked 9 November 2026

Photo: Rebevon11, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Of the coastal road (Litoral)
km 431
Of the coastal road (Litoral)
Height the La Bocana waves can reach
3.5 m1
Height the La Bocana waves can reach
Participants in the 2025 World Surfing Games at La Bocana
4585
Participants in the 2025 World Surfing Games at La Bocana

El Tunco Beach, El Salvador

At a glance

At a glance
El Tunco
District Tamanique, La Libertad Costa
Population of Tamanique 14,068 (2024 census)
Access Km 43 of the coastal road, 7 km west of the port of La Libertad
Main wave La Bocana: left-hand, up to 3.5 m, for advanced surfers
Beginners Two smaller sections next to the rock
Contests ISA World Surfing Games, 2023 and 2025

Source: El Salvador Travel (Ministry of Tourism): El Tunco; BCR and ONEC: VII Population Census 2024, population by department, municipality and district, urban and rural (Excel, in Spanish); International Surfing Association: ISA world champions; International Surfing Association: Annual Report 20251,3,4,5

Map

El Tunco and the nearby surf beaches 1 El Tunco 2 El Zonte 3 El Sunzal 4 Punta Roca
Surf beach Places are approximate, from Wikidata and OpenStreetMap. Boundaries: geoBoundaries SLV ADM1 (OpenStreetMap contributors, CC BY-SA 2.0)1,2
  1. 1 El Tunco Tamanique; km 43, the La Bocana wave
  2. 2 El Zonte Chiltiupán; km 53, point break and Bitcoin Beach
  3. 3 El Sunzal Tamanique; a long right point break
  4. 4 Punta Roca La Libertad Costa, next to the port

The waves

  • La Bocana: a left-hand wave, rare on a coast of mostly right-hand waves, that breaks at the rocky mouth of the Río Grande. Waves reach up to 3.5 m, with long rides and occasional barrels, and it works nearly all year. It is for advanced and expert surfers only.
  • Next to the rock: two other sections have smaller, gentler waves for beginners. Boards can be rented and instructors give lessons.

Source: El Salvador Travel (Ministry of Tourism): El Tunco1

World contests

  • 2023: the ISA World Surfing Games, a qualifier for the Paris 2024 Olympics, were held at La Bocana and El Sunzal from 30 May to 7 June 2023.
  • 2025: the World Surfing Games returned to La Bocana from 5 to 14 September 2025, with 458 participants from 61 nations.

Source: International Surfing Association: ISA world champions; International Surfing Association: Annual Report 20254,5

Visiting

  • Getting there: from San Salvador take the highway to the port of La Libertad, then the Surf City bypass, and drive west on the coastal road to km 43.
  • Services: hostels and private hotels, restaurants and bars, small shops and pharmacies, travel agencies, parking, and rental of bicycles, scooters and cars.

Source: El Salvador Travel (Ministry of Tourism): El Tunco1

Surf conditions change with the tide and the swell, and rocky bottoms and currents are dangerous. Ask local surf schools or lifeguards before you go in.

For investors

In 2025 the beaches of Surf City I, on the coast of La Libertad, received 2.1 million of the 4.1 million international visitors to El Salvador, according to the Minister of Tourism. Hotels, rentals and restaurants can apply for the incentives of the Tourism Law. The beach itself is public; ask your lawyer about the public strip, building permits and coastal hazards before you buy land on the coast.6

Sources

  1. El Salvador Travel (Ministry of Tourism): El Tunco
  2. El Salvador Travel (Ministry of Tourism): Surf City beaches
  3. BCR and ONEC: VII Population Census 2024, population by department, municipality and district, urban and rural (Excel, in Spanish)
  4. International Surfing Association: ISA world champions
  5. International Surfing Association: Annual Report 2025 (PDF)
  6. Diario El Mundo: Surf City 1 received more than 2 million international visitors in 2025, 13 March 2026 (in Spanish)

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

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