El Sunzal, SV

Sunzal is an important place to know about when discussing the beach towns in the northern part of El Salvador, but it's not big enough to warrant a full page of its own. So due to that, this is just going to be a more in-depth description of the place. But Sunzal isn't really a town per se. It's a place that a lot of people live, and a very popular surf spot, but not a town. It is an important landmark though. So Sunzal. It's well-known in the area for its surfing. The wave at Sunzal is one of the most consistent in the entire area, and a real swell magnet. When everything else is small, Sunzal is going to be bigger. Additionally, if you have come to El Salvador and are a novice surfer or want to just generally improve, then this is where you are going to be spending your time. The long and forgiving right-hand point break is just as perfect as it gets for improving. If you are a more advanced surfer, the waves on the outside when it gets bigger are enough to get your adrenaline going. Sunzal itself is a popular place for people to come and live and stay though. There's a number of little surf hotels right around the break. People who are coming to El Salvador specifically for a surf trip or for a little strike-mission might find themselves pretty frequently staying in and around Sunzal. So the options for housing here are good. It's also located just up the road from El Tunco, but you're just far enough out of the action to still feel really relaxed amongst the general chaos that can be El Tunco from time to time. So it's a good spot for people to come and stay on vacation. Additionally, a lot of the expats and locals in the surfing community live in and around Sunzal. So it's a hot-spot for accommodation — both vacation and long term. Being only about 1 km away from El Tunco, I guess you could call it a suburb of El Tunco.

GENERAL OVERVIEW

LOCATION - Sunzal is located almost immediately up the road from El Tunco. About 1 km. So it's the neighbor of El Tunco, and if you would like to know how to get there I would refer to the directions and location section on the 'El Tunco' page that is linked. Usually, if you are taking a shuttle in from either Leon, Antigua, or the airport for that matter, Sunzal will be an option for you as a drop-off point.

ACCOMMODATION - There's a lot of surf hotels that are clustered around Sunzal. Nothing is going to be very cheap, but a lot of nice options exist if you are interested in a more luxury surfing experience here in El Salvador. These places are going to be beautiful, with great views and nice amenities. A lot of nice villas here also if you are looking to come on a nice vacation with a big group.

EATS - Most of the eating options are going to be in the neighboring El Tunco, but there are a place or two right in Sunzal I could recommend.
- Kayu - There's a restaurant located right in front of the wave, which is where pretty much all the surfers leave their stuff, and come down from the highway through to go surf. They are really chill about people coming through the restaurant, and if you are hungry for some breakfast it's a good spot to grab a bite. The place is on both sides of the highway, if you are surfing you're going to want to go down the side towards the ocean. Obviously. It's guarded by a guy, and he will ask for a few dollars to go down.

NIGHTLIFE - Neighboring El Tunco has all the nightlife.

SIGHTS - The wave.

SURFING - One of the favorites among all levels of surfers in El Salvador is the famous El Sunzal. It's a beautiful and mushy wave breaking perfectly right. It's perfect for learners, and I would say one of the best learning waves in Central America. But on top of that, Sunzal is an amazing bigger wave spot. It not only attracts more swell than almost anywhere in this part of the country, but it holds big waves better than anywhere else. If it is gigantic, this is where to go, but also if the rest of everywhere else is small, you can come here too, and it will be a little bit bigger.
- In order to get to the wave I would recommend getting dropped off, or driving to Kayu. It's a restaurant that has one side right on the cliff in front of the wave. You can pay a few $'s, and they will let you go down through the restaurant and leave all of your stuff on their deck while you surf. It's the easiest way to access the wave, and a safe place to leave your stuff. There's also some surf instructors and some boards to rent down there if you need that.
- You can technically walk here over the rocks form El Tunco. It will only take about 10 minutes, but it gets really hot in El Salvador, so that might be a miserable walk.