El Tunco is a small coastal town near San Salvador where you can enjoy surfing, but also simply stroll along the beach, party and have a good time.
It’s very close to ‘El Zonte’, a truly tiny beachside spot, yet ‘significantly’ larger. Like El Zonte feels like – and probably actually is – a single street leading down to the coast, with three side streets branching off to houses.
El Tunco has a whole street lined with bars, hotels, restaurants, souvenir shops and so on and so forth. The stretch of beach is also quite long and has bars and clubs right by the sea. So it’s also a bit more touristy and therefore a bit busier.
Plus El Tunco has one special feature: a rock jutting out of the sea just off the coast where I’ve also seen a few people fishing.

Go or not? I liked El Tunco. It’s more suited to a weekend trip or perhaps arriving for an overnight stay and moving on the next afternoon, but it’s well worth a visit. The beach is really lovely in the sunshine and the rock is a real eye-catcher. And you can go dancing, surfing and explore the area a bit 😊