Punta Roca gets the WSL contest, the headline, and most of the international surf tourism that reaches El Salvador. It is the country's most famous right point. It is also not the only one. East of La Libertad — past the El Tunco / El Zonte cluster covered in earlier ZealZag guides — the El Salvador coast continues for 200 kilometres to the Honduran border with two world-class waves and a half-dozen quieter spots in between.
Las Flores and La Bocana are the two essential names for surfers who want El Salvador's right-point experience without the contest-week crowd at Punta Roca.
Las Flores
Las Flores sits 175 kilometres east of San Salvador in the department of La Unión, at the end of a coastal road that dead-ends at a small village above a long, perfect right-hand point break. It is one of the longest right points in Central America — 250–300 metre rides on a good south swell — and one of the most consistent. Las Flores breaks year-round, picks up southern hemisphere groundswell from April through October, and accepts both shoulder-high and overhead surf with equal cleanness.
The wave: a right point that wraps around a basalt headland, with a steep takeoff zone, a long open shoulder, and a final inside section that backs off into a workable closing turn before the inside reef. The takeoff is the hard part — steep, hollow on bigger days, and dependent on positioning relative to the headland. The middle and the inside are accessible to intermediate surfers who can read a long-wall point.
Crowds. Smaller than Punta Roca by a factor of ten. Even in the WSL contest window, Las Flores typically has fewer than thirty surfers in the lineup. Local rules apply — the head locals get priority — but the lineup is friendly and shares.
Conditions. The optimal swell is south at 200°–230°, 1.5–2.5 metre period 13–16 seconds. The break works on smaller swells but loses its top-to-bottom shape. Light north winds (offshore) hold the wave clean through the morning, typically switching to onshore by mid-afternoon. The optimal months are May through October.
Access. From San Salvador, drive 3.5 hours east via the CA-2 coastal highway to El Cuco, then continue 12 kilometres on the dirt road to Las Flores. The road is rough but rideable in a 2WD rental car in dry season. In rainy season (June–October) a 4x4 is safer. From La Unión airport (if it ever reopens to international flights — currently it is closed) Las Flores is a 30-minute drive.
Stay. Punta Mango Resort is the established surf-camp at Las Flores — Brazilian-American owned, all-inclusive surf packages with boards, food, and shuttle to the break. Mira Olas is a smaller boutique alternative. Both are walking distance from the wave.
La Bocana
La Bocana — Spanish for "the mouth" — is the river-mouth wave at the edge of El Tunco beach, formed where the Sunzal river meets the Pacific. It is a left-and-right peak that depends on the river sandbar formation, which varies year to year depending on the previous rainy season's flow. In a good year (and 2026 is a good year), La Bocana is one of the best beach breaks in Central America — hollow, fast, and high-performance.
The wave. Both lefts and rights, with the right typically the better-shaped wave. Hollow takeoff, fast wall, sandy inside. The wave can hold significant size — overhead and bigger on a strong south swell — and turns into a serious paddle situation on the largest days.
Crowds. Larger than Las Flores, smaller than Punta Roca during a contest. La Bocana is the main alternative wave for surfers staying in El Tunco who want a change of pace from the right point. Saturdays and Sundays bring San Salvador weekend surfers — the largest local crowds are weekend mornings.
Conditions. The river-mouth sandbar requires south swell to fire properly. North winds offshore through the morning. The wave breaks year-round but is best from April through October.
Access. A 5-minute walk from El Tunco beach. The break is at the river mouth visible from any El Tunco hotel.
Stay. Tunco Lodge, Boca Olas, or the new La Cocotera Resort (10 minutes inland but with shuttle). El Tunco itself has the most surf infrastructure in El Salvador — board rental, surf schools, repair shops.
Connect with training partners, earn travel miles, and discover terrain worth crossing borders for.
Join ZealZagFollow us on InstagramA Week-Long Itinerary
Day 1 — Arrival. San Salvador airport, drive to El Tunco (1 hour). Settle in. Surf El Sunzal in the afternoon (the gentlest of the El Tunco area waves, a good warm-up).
Days 2–3 — El Tunco area. La Bocana mornings, El Sunzal or El Zonte afternoons. Both villages have evening surf scenes — eat at one of the boardwalk restaurants in El Tunco.
Day 4 — Punta Roca day trip. 30 minutes west of El Tunco. Surf in the morning when the wind is offshore, lunch in La Libertad, return.
Day 5 — Drive to Las Flores. 3.5 hours east on the CA-2. Arrive late afternoon, settle in at Punta Mango or Mira Olas.
Days 6–7 — Las Flores. Sunrise sessions when the wind is offshore. Las Flores at sunrise is one of the great morning surf experiences in Central America — empty, glassy, and on a south swell, almost mechanical in its rhythm.
Day 8 — Departure. Drive back to San Salvador (4 hours direct), fly out.
Logistics
Currency. El Salvador uses the US dollar. ATMs are reliable in San Salvador, less so on the coast — bring cash for Las Flores.
Boards. Bringing your own quiver is the standard approach. Rental boards available at El Tunco; minimal rental infrastructure at Las Flores.
Safety. El Salvador's security situation has improved significantly in the past three years. The Pacific coast surf zones are heavily policed and tourist-friendly. The previous warnings about coastal travel have largely been retired. Use standard travel sense; do not drive coastal roads at night; do not carry large amounts of cash.
When to go. May through October for the best surf. April and November are shoulder seasons with smaller crowds and still good surf. December through March is northern-hemisphere swell season — Punta Roca and La Bocana still work, but Las Flores is at its quietest.
For WSL El Salvador Pro 2026 contest coverage, see our Day 4 quarterfinals field report. For the surf destination guide to El Tunco and El Zonte, see our El Salvador surf destination guide.