Beaches of the
east

How to use this guide

This guide is for anyone after a beach in eastern El Salvador who wants to choose between open sea and boat trips. There are three open-sea beaches. El Espino Beach, in Jucuarán (Usulután), has about 10 km of flat, light sand. El Cuco Beach and Las Flores Beach sit side by side in Chirilagua (San Miguel): El Cuco is a black-sand family beach with restaurants and boat trips to other shores, and Las Flores is the one known for surfing. Being neighbours, the two fit comfortably into the same day.

The other two plans are on the water. Jiquilisco Bay covers about 63,500 hectares of mangroves, estuaries and beaches; boats leave from the Puerto El Triunfo pier, and Puerto Parada is the other starting point. El Espino lies within the same Ramsar site, so beach and mangroves fit into one visit to Usulután. The Gulf of Fonseca islands are reached from La Unión, and the most common trip goes to Playona beach, on Zacatillo island. The gulf needs a day of its own, since everything turns on the boat.

If time is short, pick a single area: Usulután for El Espino and the bay, or Chirilagua for El Cuco and Las Flores. If money is tight, stay on the sand, because the bay and the islands add the cost of a boat. El Cuco is 170 km from San Salvador, so from the capital it makes sense to sleep nearby rather than go there and back in a day.

Tips

• Swim in daylight, go no deeper than your waist and follow the lifeguards, flags and signs: El Espino is among the areas with the most water emergencies in the country.
• In Jiquilisco Bay, Puerto Barillas Marina & Lodge runs boat trips from US$21 to US$29 per person, depending on the destination; it is a private operator, not an entry fee to the bay.
• If you hire a boat at the pier, ask first for the total price, the duration, the places included and whether life jackets are provided.
• For the gulf, boats usually leave from the La Unión pier or from Los Coquitos. Most tours only include Playona; if you want to see the 16th-century Santa Ana de Teca church on Conchagüita, ask the captain whether it is included before setting off.