10 Reasons El Salvador Should Be Your Next Surf Trip in 2026 and 2027

When you think about a surf trip, a few places probably come to mind first: Hawaii, Mexico, Costa Rica, Bali. I've lived on Hawaii's North Shore and surfed up and down California, and I'm here to tell you it's time to add one more to that list, because El Salvador has everything it needs to become this generation's prime surf destination.

The waves were always here, but not the infrastructure. First, some history worth knowing. Surfers were riding the long rights at Punta Roca back in the 1970s, but between a civil war that ran until 1992 and the gang violence that followed, most traveling surfers flew right over El Salvador on their way to Costa Rica.

That's changed...

A government crackdown on gangs that began in 2022 made the coast far safer, and the government's Surf City program brought new roads, beach access and coastal infrastructure, with hotels and surf schools following close behind.

Today El Salvador hosts some of the sport's biggest contests, and in 2025 it drew a record 4.1 million international visitors. When I surfed here, what stood out most was how easy it all was, from the short drives between breaks to traveling with my kids.

Here are 10 reasons El Salvador should be your next surf trip in 2026 and 2027.

1. A Wave for Every Skill Level

El Sunzal is a long, forgiving right that's perfect for beginners, kids and longboarders. La Bocana next door is a punchier river mouth break, El Zonte is a fun right point 15 minutes west, and Punta Roca is the heavy one, a fast, hollow right over rock.

Photo courtesy ISA

Ever been on a trip where your buddy who rips is bored out of his mind while you're getting worked? That doesn't happen here.

I've got kids now, so I know how important it is to find a place where the waves aren't just a barrel fest, and where there's something mellow enough for them to learn on while the rest of us chase the heavier stuff down the road.

2. Punta Roca Is One of the Best Waves on the Planet

The WSL Championship Tour's Surf City El Salvador Pro ran at Punta Roca this past June in waves six to eight feet on the face. Carissa Moore won the women's final for her 30th career CT win, and Italy's Leonardo Fioravanti beat world No. 1 Italo Ferreira for his first CT victory. When the contest isn't running, that same point is open to you.

3. Surf City 2 Has Opened Up the East

The government's Surf City 2 project built a new coastal road, about 13 kilometers long, connecting 11 beaches in the east, including Punta Mango, the other famous right point in the country, and Las Flores, a long right that's great for intermediate surfers. The crowds are thinner out here, and a new international airport planned for nearby La Unión should make the east even easier to reach.

Photo courtesy ISA

4. The Best Window of the Year Is Open Right Now

The dry season, November through April, brings offshore mornings and clean, consistent surf on the smaller side, which is ideal for mixed groups. The wet season, May through October, brings bigger south swells, with rain that mostly falls in the late afternoon. If you're planning a trip this winter, book anywhere between now and April and you're traveling in peak conditions.

5. The Best Contests in the Sport Go Down Here

El Salvador has become the place where the world's best surfers come to compete. This fall alone, it hosted the ISA World Junior Surfing Championship, which brought 428 athletes from 56 countries to La Bocana and El Sunzal in September, and then the ISA World Longboard Championship at El Sunzal in October, the fourth year in a row the event has been held there.

Next year is even bigger: the WSL Longboard Tour's world titles will be decided at El Sunzal March 13 to 21, 2027, and the ISA World Surfing Games, the first ISA event to qualify surfers by name for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, come to La Bocana and El Sunzal May 22 to 30.

If you want to watch, book early, since hotels on the La Libertad coast sold out during the World Juniors. If you'd rather have the lineup to yourself, plan around those dates.

6. There's a Place to Stay for Every Budget, Right on the Waves

Most of the good hotels here are within walking distance of a lineup. Around El Tunco, Boca Olas Resort & Villas is steps from the main breaks, Hotel Roca Sunzal sits on a cliff right above El Sunzal, and La Guitarra is a social hostel for anyone on a budget. In El Zonte, Palo Verde is an eco resort with one of our favorite restaurants on the coast, and out east, Los Mangos Hotel is perched above Punta Mango itself.

Our advice: split your week between El Tunco or El Zonte and the empty right points out east.

7. The Food Is a Reason to Go on Its Own

Man, the food...

We've been on surf trips where we lived on beans and rice all week and were nervous about every glass of water, but El Salvador is different, and the food here ended up being one of the highlights of the trip (just stick to bottled water).

It starts with pupusas, thick corn tortillas stuffed with cheese, beans or pork and served with a tangy cabbage slaw called curtido, and after a long morning session we can't think of anything better. Some of our favorite spots are Pupusería El Milagro in El Tunco and Pupusería Lita in El Zonte, Pargos in El Tunco for seafood with a view of the La Bocana lineup, and Wipeout Surf House in El Zonte for a sunset beer.

8. It's Easier to Get There Than Ever

You can fly nonstop to San Salvador from all over the U.S., with American out of Dallas, United out of Houston and Newark, Frontier out of Dallas and Washington Dulles, and nonstops out West from Los Angeles and San Francisco too. From Miami you're in the air for about three hours, and most beaches are an hour from the airport, so you can leave the East Coast in the morning and paddle out that afternoon. El Salvador also uses the U.S. dollar, so there's no currency to exchange.

Photo courtesy ISA

9. It Now Has the Safest Travel Rating There Is

In June 2026, the U.S. State Department gave El Salvador its safest travel rating, which ranks it safer than many of today's popular surf destinations, including Costa Rica.

10. Go Now, Before Everyone Else Does

Word is getting out, and right now the roads, hotels and flights are better than they've ever been while the lineups outside the main contest breaks are still manageable.

We've watched other surf towns go from hidden gem to packed shoulder to shoulder in just a few years. If El Salvador has been on your list, this season is the time to cross it off.

Pack nothing heavier than boardshorts and a rashguard, and we'll see you in the water.