8 of the best places to surf in Central America

12.07.2024 - 17:21 / lonelyplanet.com

Jul 11, 2024 • 9 min read

Central America is one of the most wave-blessed parts of the globe.

Swells roll in from the Pacific and the Caribbean Sea throughout the region, offering up everything from barrels to beefy beach breaks all months of the year. Costa Rica is justly known for its hedonistic surf-party towns fringed by coconut-strewn sands, while Panama has archipelagos of reef-ringed tropical islands and tube waves that work in the wet season.

El Salvador, meanwhile, beckons with powerful A-frames right by hippie beer shacks. And those are just the best-known spots.

Our guide to the best surfing spots in Central America has all you need to find the top spots to catch waves for all levels, from beginner to pro.

Best for barreling waves on brochure-worthy beaches

There are so many overwater bungalows in Panama's Bocas del Toro these days that it can sometimes feel like the Maldives in the Caribbean. But it’s all that takes place on and under the water – boating, scuba diving and surfing – that makes this string of six populated islands, 50 coral cays and over 200 mini-islets so special.

The variety of breaks accessible within a short boat ride of Bocas town is truly impressive (A boat will really be the only way to get around).

Beginners can go 20 minutes to Wizard Beach to find glassy, 5ft swells with hardly a lineup. Experts can go 15 minutes to Bluff Beach for sucky tubes with the power to snap boards. The long Isla Bastimentos, meanwhile, is the intermediate surfer’s haven.

The downside of surfing in Bocas del Toro is the relatively short season. December to early April is the sweet spot, when consistent northerly offshore winds and SW swells combine. The rest of the year, this is a coconut-sipping, snorkel-blowing paradise with water as unrippled as a Panamanian hojaldre flatbread.

Getting to Bocas del Toro: Air Panama has direct flights from Panama City (Albrook Airport) into Bocas del Toro. There are also bus-boat connections from Panama City.

Best for a combo of surfing and partying

Surf, eat, party, repeat: such is the routine in Tamarindo. The rise of this town has been nothing short of phenomenal ever since Bruce Brown and company passed through while filming Endless Summer II back in the early ’90s. Today, everyone wants a piece of the action – and it's not hard to see why.

Tamarindo is anchored on Playa Tamarindo, a long arc of alabaster sand with peaks for all levels – think beginner whitewash meets lefts and rights perfect for intermediates to start ripping on.

Better surfers usually head over to Playa Grande for the faster, hollower, right-hand break that forms on the Estero estuary. Just be careful of crocs in the water should you join in.

High or incoming tides tend to work best because a