EL SUNZAL, EL SALVADOR

Neighboring the famous tourist town El Tunco is El Sunzal, a relaxed neighborhood with less crowds. If you enjoy surfing or would like to learn how to surf, consider making a stop here. The waves are perfect for beginners and advanced surfers alike, although it does take time to become acquainted with the surf here.

There were hermit crabs everywhere! They are harmless little creatures moving from rock to rock. As soon as you step close to them, they retreat into their shells and fall in place. This is a really fascinating experience as you are walking because all you’ll hear are shells falling against rocks every step you take. Don’t worry about the crabs, they are more afraid of you then you can be of them.

I stayed in a hostel right by the ocean, which was nice to wake up and meditate by the waves.

El Sunzal is only a rock beach, but you have sand beach access in El Tunco. The two ways to get there are to hail a taxi $8 roundtrip or to walk on the rocks for about 25 minutes.

I had the most amazing seafood soup here called sopa de mariscos con crema. Accompanied with an ice cold limonada. The soup had the taste of chowder with a thinner consistency. Being by the ocean the seafood was incredibly fresh! The picture above is the small portion from Cafe Sunzal. This meal was so good, I came back for it twice!

On the second night I was here, there was a 6.6 magnitude earthquake off the coast of La Libertad, 20 minutes away by car from El Sunzal. The experience was unforgettable. It was 3AM so I was in bed and it was dark but I felt my bed move in circles for almost 6 entire seconds. The threat of an impending tsunami kept me up all night chatting with the hostel owner who assured me there would be NO tsunami. He was right. Although, the swells were a bit higher the next day, they quickly resumed to normal by the following day.

Earthquakes are a common occurrence along the Pacific coast of Central America which sits on the ring of fire. Be prepared in case of an emergency but do not fret. Your host will let you know if it is serious.

My recommendations on things to do in El Sunzal:

• Take surfing lessons from locals
• Explore the pebble beach
• Bring LOTS of mosquito repellent
• Try the seafood here! Especially sopa de mariscos con crema
• Stroll around El Tunco
• Eat at the local food stalls along the main road