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The coast at the port of La Libertad, next to the Punta Roca surf point

Surf City

Punta Roca Surf Point, La Libertad, El Salvador

Punta Roca, called La Punta by local surfers, is on the edge of the port town of La Libertad. Its fast right-hand wave breaks over rock about 300 m offshore and is for advanced surfers only. It is best from March to April, and has hosted world masters and Latin American contests.

Updated November 2026 · Figures checked 9 November 2026

Photo: feinteriano, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Distance of the break from the shore
300 m1
Distance of the break from the shore
Best wave height; up to 4 m
1.5–2.5 m1
Best wave height; up to 4 m
From San Salvador to the port by highway
20 km1
From San Salvador to the port by highway

Punta Roca Surf Point, La Libertad, El Salvador

At a glance

At a glance
Punta Roca
District La Libertad, La Libertad Costa
Population of La Libertad 44,761 (2024 census)
Wave Fast right-hand point break over rock; advanced surfers only
Best season March to April, with south-west swells
Hazard The "mama rock", a boulder that shows at low tide

Source: El Salvador Travel (Ministry of Tourism): Punta Roca; BCR and ONEC: VII Population Census 2024, population by department, municipality and district, urban and rural (Excel, in Spanish)1,3

Map

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

The wave

  • Speed and power: the wave peels in a long line with a wide wall and barrel sections, and is rideable nearly all year.
  • Size: it can reach 4 m, but is best at 1.5 to 2.5 m with swells from the south-west, which are strongest from March to April.
  • Contests: Punta Roca has hosted a World Masters, events of the Latin American circuit (ALAS) and qualifying events for the World Tour.

Source: El Salvador Travel (Ministry of Tourism): Punta Roca1

Visiting

  • Getting there: take the highway from San Salvador to the port of La Libertad (about 20 km). Cross the town to the west and, one block before the Chilama River, turn left and drive about 800 m.
  • The port: La Libertad has hotels for all budgets, restaurants, supermarkets, banks and buses, the Mercado del Mar seafood market and the fishing pier.

Source: El Salvador Travel (Ministry of Tourism): Punta Roca1

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.4

Sources

  1. El Salvador Travel (Ministry of Tourism): Punta Roca
  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. 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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