We arrived in El Salvador after a long night in a mini van. The day started already at 2AM for us in León, Nicaragua. But that wasn’t the worst; honestly I was a bit frightened to enter the Central American country. El Salvador doesn’t have a pretty reputation after all, but we were in luck: both the border crossings by sunset went very smooth, there were some empty spaces in the van (guaranteeing some sleep for all of us), only one of the seven travellers had diarrhoea ánd only one was drunk. Not too shabby aight?
Sceneries of mountains and arid plains flew by and at noon we arrived at El Tunco, town on the shores in the north, famous for its waves. El Tunco is the most developed beach in El Salvador and I expected to find a sort of Cancun, yet the streets were pleasantly calm. The crowd was a fun mix of both locals and (surfing) backpackers. No -smells like teen spirit- at all. The surfspirit on the other hand was to be felt everywhere. The beaches are black and quite beautiful, absolutely worthy for a stopover if you’re going to Guatemala or the other way round to Nicaragua. If only it were to break the drive of that miserable night bus. Here some tips on how to spend your time in the little town:
Go surfing!
Though you might not come to El Salvador to surf, I can’t skip this activity. In fact, I have to put it at number one. Surfing over here is known for the sweet breaks and you can do it the entire year. A ride usually last between 5 to 10 seconds. ‘La Bocana’ is the place to be for advanced surfers. Moderate surfers should take ‘La Bocanita’, a beach break on the left side of the El Tunco rock. You can rent surfboard in town for $10,-, for an entire day(!). If you hate waves, watching the pros from the side can be pretty relaxing too.
A lovely sunset walk
I think I enjoyed El Tunco the most during sunset. Everyone gathers on the beach as the sun turns red. Children play in the sea and backpackers drink their Pilseners. Just plain good.
La Libertad
If you’re up for exploring the area, you might consider going to La Libertad. It’s a port city, somewhat 9 km from El Tunco. The port offers a ‘malecón’ (boulevard), an amphitheater, restaurants, bars and of course more waves to conquer.
Release your inner caveman
Around the village there are some nice caves to visit. Go at low tide, since you don’t want to be trapped by the sea once you get out. To get there, simply walk to the left side (that is southwards) for about 10 minutes.
Cascada de Tamanique
If you’re planning to stay for a longer time it might be a cool idea to travel a bit farther inland. A small ride from El Tunco, there are a number of waterfalls: a nice option if you’re a bit tired of beach bumming. Cascada Tamanique is one of them and it requires a hike through the mountains to get to this isolated waterfall. Go in the early morning with the Tamanique bus from La Libertad. It might be too hot to do the hike in the afternoon, though you can take a refreshing dive in the bright waters of the waterfall.
Have a break (of your terrible day at the beach) and drink a smoothie
At the very end of the village, situated in an alley across Restaurante Erika, is a very nice simple wooden stall. In here they serve the best smoothies of them all. For some $3,- you get a giant cup and if you add some oats to them to, you just got yourself a very lavish breakfast. I only had two of them during my stay, but I wish I could have tried out the entire menu. Walk a couple of meters down the road and enjoy your drink while watching the waves.
Here’s where to find the spots in El Tunco!
