La Libertad

Known as Puerto La Libertad, it is located on the Pacific coast of El Salvador and is only 30 minutes by bus from the city. It is the arrival point for all surfers who come to El Salvador in search of good beaches and also for those looking for a bit of fun near the sea. This is where the buses take you to most of the beaches on the Pacific coast of El Salvador. The summer season in El Salvador is between December and May, so I was already looking forward to starting surfing.

Arriving in this city was a bit of a stunner. Being a port, the amount of people is impressive. I decided to walk to where all the fish were arriving and we came across something I had never seen before. Just past El Malecon is the pier with its fish market. The first thing we came across was a big board full of all kinds of dead fish with 7 men armed with knives of all sizes ready to prepare the best fish for those customers waiting for their bag of food.

We also decided to walk to the end of the pier where we saw the fresh fish arriving and people waiting to buy it very cheaply and in large quantities.

Because there are not many tourists in El Salvador you can enjoy the somewhat empty beaches.  You won’t find big hotel chains here either. On the contrary, most of the hostels along the Pacific coast are small. La Libertad is not a place to stay. The mess that can be seen in this city, coupled with the amount of bars, restaurants and markets on its main streets is not very attractive. Tourists usually choose to stay at other beaches such as El Zunzal, El Zonte and El Tunco, this is probably the beach where you will find the most bars and life. There are many places to go out in the evenings but you will also find a lot of tourists. El Cuco is another option, there is a hostel called La Tortuga Verde where you are sure to have an excellent stay.