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El Sunzal, El Salvador

Stay in El Tunco: see the trip Its beds, the way there and every spot near it.

Also within 20 km of El Tunco

All 15 on El Tunco's map

Watch this spot We email you when El Sunzal is worth the trip.

El Salvador - La Libertad, El Sunzal - panoramio
El Sunzal. Photo: randreu, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

About El Sunzal

Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated. Facts: verified, surf details estimated.

The spot faces S (189°), so it takes swell from the S. The wind blows offshore from the N (9°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–8 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 450 m out (1 in 45). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would crumble. The sea is about 28°C in January, its coldest month (no wetsuit), and 30°C in April, its warmest (no wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually March, April, May and July, with about 6 good days in 7; in January and December, about 4. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is El Tunco, 1 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 6 surf spots.

Water about 30°C: no wetsuit. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.

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Book the trip

From Chicago: about 9 h 30 door to door, one way. An estimate; the journey never changes the score.

  1. Fly. Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD) to SAL, direct.

    See flights ORD → SAL · Skyscanner from about £235 returnAd

  2. Getting there. 1 h from the airport to El Sunzal.

    Car hire · Discover CarsAd

  3. Accommodation.

    Stay in El TuncoAd

    Typical prices for a double room that month, not a quote.

    Room photos are examples, not these hotels (credits).

    See all places to stay on Booking.com →

    Closest towns to stay in

    Typical prices for a double room that month, not a quote. Drives are estimates.

  4. Hire and lessons.

    Surf lessons in El Tunco · GetYourGuideAdBoard and wetsuit hire in El Tunco · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

El Sunzal on Google Maps · Directions

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One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Forecast

The score for intermediates, coloured as on the area pages:GoodFairPoorToo bigToo small

DayScoreSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 18Oct585 ft13 scrumbling808kJ28°C
Mon 19Oct595 ft11 scrumbling466kJ29°C
Tue 20Oct674 ft10 scrumbling314kJ28°C
Wed 21Oct674 ft11 scrumbling310kJ28°C
Thu 22Oct714 ft11 scrumbling389kJ29°C
Fri 23Oct694 ft12 scrumbling419kJ29°C
Sat 24Oct643 ft11 scrumbling276kJ29°C
Sun 25Oct483 ft11 scrumbling176kJ29°C
Mon 26Oct292 ft10 scrumbling76kJ29°C
Tue 27Oct302 ft12 scrumbling117kJ29°C

Day scores here are the conditions out of 80; a trip's score on the results is the same conditions out of 100. The journey never scores. The forecast reaches about 10 days. Energy is the swell's power in kJ per metre of wave, from its height and interval: it grows with the square of each, so a long-period swell hits far harder than a short one the same size. The word under the swell is the wave's shape, our estimate from the sea floor. Wind is in knots: 10 kn is about 19 km/h. The arrow points where the wind blows to; offshore wind, blowing from the land out to sea, is green and says so.

Your trip, day by day

6 nights from Mon 19 Oct, leaving from Chicago, for intermediate surfers. Change dates

  1. Mon 19 Oct
    Travel out

    Direct flight ORD to SAL, then 1h by road. About 9h 30 door to door

  2. Tue 20 Oct
    Surf El Tunco

    Best 15:00 to 18:00 local time: 4 ft at 10 s, offshore wind.

  3. Wed 21 Oct
    Surf El Tunco

    Best 06:00 to 09:00 local time: 4 ft at 11 s, wind 4 kn (7 km/h).

  4. Thu 22 Oct
    Surf Cemetery

    Best 15:00 to 18:00 local time: 4 ft at 11 s, offshore wind.

  5. Fri 23 Oct
    Surf El Tunco

    Best 06:00 to 09:00 local time: 4 ft at 12 s, offshore wind.

  6. Sat 24 Oct
    Surf El Sunzal

    Best 06:00 to 09:00 local time: 3 ft at 11 s, offshore wind.

  7. Sun 25 Oct
    Travel home

    Direct flight ORD to SAL, then 1h by road. About 9h 30 door to door

The plan picks the best of 10 spots near El Tunco each day: Cemetery, El Sunzal, El Tunco, Playa El Cocal, Playa la Paz, Punta Roca, Punta Roca La Libertad, Restaurants, Rio Grande - La Bocana, San Blas.

The trip from El Tunco, with every spot near it

Rough cost

About £625–£1,175 each for 6 nights, 2 people sharing a room. A guide from typical prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book.

WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn ORD to SAL, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bag£235–£490
To the UK airportparking or the train, there and back£35–£65
Hire car6 days, shared£55–£90
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, shared£125–£210
Food7 days eating out£120–£230
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about £85 to fly your own£55–£90
Total£625–£1,175

Prices from public sources, checked in 2026: where they come from. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra.

Places to eat near El Tunco

  • Tunco Veloz PizzeriaPizza · 0.1 km from the centre
  • Café SunzalSeafood · 0.8 km from the centre
  • Km 59 El SalvadorMexican · 0.1 km from the centre
  • MopeliaPizza · 0.1 km from the centre
  • MamaguayaSeafood · 0.2 km from the centre
  • Restaurante ErikaSeafood · 0.3 km from the centre

Within 2 km of the town centre, listed by how complete the listing is (website, opening hours, cuisine) and whether two sources name it. Not a judgement of the food: we have no reviews. Listings © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) and Overture Maps Foundation. Credits

Book the trip

Getting thereAd

Flights · Skyscanner Car hire · Discover Cars

Where to stayAd

Places to stay · Booking.com

In the waterAd

Surf lessons · GetYourGuide Board and wetsuit hire · GetYourGuide

Links marked Ad may pay us a small commission if you book. You pay the same price, and it never changes a score.