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Guatemala isn’t known for its beaches. Volcanoes? Yes. Maya ruins? Check. Charming colonial towns? For sure. But beaches? Not so much.
Despite having miles of Pacific coastline and a small section of the Caribbean, Guatemala isn’t a beachy destination. The exception to that is El Paredon.
This tiny surf town on Guatemala’s southern coast is a rugged gem attracting surfers and backpackers from all over the world.
With a black sand beach, pounding waves and steamy temperatures, El Paredon is quintessentially Pacific and ticks all the boxes for a laidback surf town. There are gorgeous, tropical-style accommodations, funky cafes and restaurants, the best sunsets and sunrises in Central America and of course, surf.
El Paredon was a holiday from our holiday, and we enjoyed a blissfully relaxed few days here. Read on for everything you need to know about El Paredon, from getting there and around, to the best places to stay, top things to do, where to eat and other handy travel tips.
About El Paredon Guatemala
Formally called El Paredón Buena Vista, El Paredon is a tiny surf town on Guatemala’s Pacific Coast in the Escuintla District.
A decade ago El Paredon was nothing more than a few sandy streets and some palm-thatched huts. As goes the trend with most surf towns, avid surfers were lured in by the waves, and development took off to meet demand.
To us, El Paredon felt like a mix between Chacahua and Puerto Escondido in Mexico and has similar vibes to El Zonte in El Salvador and Popoyo in Nicaragua.
Although it is growing rapidly and becoming a firm fixture on most Guatemala itineraries, El Paredon still has a remote, rustic feel. New hotels and restaurants are popping up monthly, but the town still has sandy streets and a blissfully laidback vibe, with no international chains or high rises.
Life moves at a slower pace in El Paredon, to the rhythm of the tides, the sunrise and the sunset. It’s the perfect place to rest weary muscles from volcano hiking and give your brain a rest from the cultural and historic overload you’ve no doubt experienced in Guatemala.
How to get to El Paredon
- ⛪️ From Antigua: the easiest way to get from Antigua to El Paredon is via a tourist shuttle. There are two departures each day at 9:00 am and 2:00 pm, and the shuttles will usually pick you up from your accommodation, or meet you at a central location in Antigua. The trip takes between 2.5 – 3 hours. We had a really smooth and easy journey. You can take the chicken bus, but it requires a changeover in Escuintla and a tuk-tuk from Sipacate to El Paredon.
- 🌋 From Lake Atitlan: shuttles depart from Panajachel once per day at 1:00 pm and from San Pedro la Laguna at 2:00 pm. The journey will take 4+ hours from either destination.
If you’re travelling to El Paredon from anywhere else in Guatemala (e.g. Guatemala City, Xela etc.) you will most likely go via Antigua, so be sure to check the total duration of the journey and ask where the shuttle stops.
When we left El Paredon, we booked a shuttle to Xela which we thought would go straight there, but it turned out we were put on a shuttle to Antigua, then we had 2 hours to wait around in the city before the second shuttle to Xela.
🚐 We used GuateGo to book our tourist shuttles all over Guatemala
Getting around El Paredon
- 👣 Walk: once you arrive in El Paredon, basically everything is within easy walking distance. The town is tiny, so you’ll mostly get around on foot, with all the accommodations and restaurants close to the beach.
- 🚲 Bike: we did see signs around town for bike rental, which would be a cool way to explore town and ride a little further, especially given it’s so hot during the day. I know you can rent bikes from Green Belly Surf Lodge, we also saw a sign for Azuras Bikes.
- 🛺 Tuk-tuk: if for some reason you need to travel further than you can be bothered walking, there are tuk-tuks zooming around town. The only place I can think of is the Playa 14 brewery/beach club, a 10-minute drive from town.
Where to stay in El Paredon
For such a tiny and remote town, El Paredon has some serious style. The accommodations here are GORGEOUS and if you love interior design and tropical vibes, you’ll: a) have a very hard time deciding where to stay and b) never want to leave!
If you’ve been waiting for a ‘splurge stay’ on your Guatemala trip, this is the place to do it. With so few things to do and intense heat in the middle of the day, you’ll spend a lot of time at your accommodation. We were so happy we stretched our budget a little more than usual and we definitely got our money’s worth.
BUDGET 💰
- The Driftwood Surfer: the OG hostel in El Paredon, The Driftwood Surfer is set right on the beach, with AC dorms and private rooms. It’s a social/party hostel, with a pool, bar, rooftop restaurant, surf rentals and lessons.
- Cocori Lodge: the other popular hostel in El Paredon, Cocori is a little further up the beach and is another social party option. It’s slightly more modern with a range of room types from dorms to private bungalows. The pool area is the nicest on the beach and they run a weekly schedule of parties and social events.
- Caracola Boutique Hostel: the Cocori team has recently opened a second hostel, which is set off the beach with a quieter vibe. Caracola is brand new and has double-bed dorms and a fully equipped communal kitchen (no other hostels offer this). You still have access to Cocori’s pool and amenities when you want to party, but you can enjoy a quiet sleep at Caracola.
- Mellow Hostel: as the name suggests, Mellow is a more laidback option and it’s set a few streets back from the beach. They’ve got a great pool and plenty of spaces to spend the day relaxing, with a range of room types from dorms to privates. Opt for AC. They have a lot of social activities to meet other travellers, but the overall vibe is more peaceful than the hostels on the beach.
MID-RANGE 💰💰
- Paredon Surf House: straddling between a hostel and a hotel, the best way to describe this beachfront option is a surf camp. Most rooms are private, although there are some dorms, and some have shared bathrooms. It’s got a tropical, laidback feel with ocean views, a pool, a communal kitchen, plenty of hammocks dotted around and a restaurant on-site. If being beachfront is important to you, but you don’t want a rowdy hostel, this is a fantastic option that will have you sleeping to the sound of the waves and waking up with your toes in the sand.
- Swell: a gorgeous boutique option with impeccable tropical style. The rooms are industrial-style palm-thatched bungalows set around the stunning pool, with palm trees, hammocks and swings to round out the vibe. They have a great restaurant on-site and offer yoga and surf rentals and lessons.
- Wander Boutique Hotel: this hotel gets fantastic reviews. It’s more of a wooden, Balinese style than the other white-washed buildings in the area, with a leafy pool area and a great restaurant. The rooms are private with AC.
- Zoah Surf: offering freestanding, palm-thatched villas with outdoor bathrooms scattered around tropical grounds with a central pool. Zoah has a very tranquil and laid-back vibe and is just a short walk from the beach.
BOUTIQUE 💰💰💰
- MangoMiel: this is where we stayed in El Paredon and it was worth every cent. It’s a gorgeous beach house with a communal pool, fully-stocked kitchen, lounge area and rooftop deck. There are only 4 rooms, all with private bathrooms and AC. The entire house is built around a sprawling mango tree, and the decor is tropical, earthy, and minimalist – my dream. We loved spending a few days relaxing here and it was honestly hard to leave because the house was so nice! You can book individual rooms or the entire house via Airbnb.
- Casa Zala: the prettiest surf house you ever did see, Casa Zala is designed with a beautiful communal area with a huge pool, a fully equipped kitchen and plenty of spaces to lounge. The rooms are spread around the property with private bathrooms and stylish boho furnishings.
- Shanti Surf Camp: a beautiful marine-themed surf house with modern, air-conditioned rooms set around a leafy pool with a communal kitchen. The cleanliness and attention to detail from the staff are excellent, and a tasty breakfast is included daily.
- Ka’ana Surf: another stunning option with all the right ingredients for a tropical getaway: palm-thatched rooves, hammocks, a glistening pool, polished concrete rooms just steps from the sand.
Things to do in El Paredon
1. Go surfing
The major drawcard for this tiny little town, surfing put El Paredon on the map. Every accommodation can rent surfboards or organise lessons, and the whole town revolves around the tides and swell report.
Being an open beach with no shelter from a bay, offshore reef or rocks, the waves here can be huge and the current is incredibly strong. It’s actually not a great place to learn to surf despite most people coming here to surf.
If you are just starting out, organise a lesson or two to get a feel for the conditions and some pointers on the best place to be in the lineup as a beginner.
Low tide is generally the best time to be in the water, as the swell is a little gentler and you can usually stand up.
The Driftwood Surfer is one of the most affordable places to rent boards and organise lessons if you want to compare prices to what your accommodation offers. Their lessons are 150Q for the hour, and rentals for the day are also 150Q.
2. Hang out on the beach
Playa El Paredon is a long stretch of sand that goes on for miles. With all the volcanic activity in Guatemala, the sand here is black.
If you’re not surfing, the waves are pretty rough for swimming, but I still enjoyed wandering into the whitewash and cooling off when the swell wasn’t too big.
The beach is the perfect place for a long, peaceful stroll and besides a few hostels and surf houses around town, there’s barely any development on the beach. It feels raw and wild, and chances are you’ll have the whole beach to yourself, besides a few local doggos.
The black sand is unique to see, but it gets incredibly hot in the sun. Within a few hours of the sun rising, it’s almost unbearable to be on the beach. You can’t walk without shoes on and the sun reflecting off the black sand is blazing.
There are a few rickety huts and shelters made from driftwood and palm fronds for shade, and you’ll see anyone on the beach chasing the shade as the sun moves throughout the day. Most people escape to their accommodations during the heat of the day, and the beach comes alive again at sunset.
3. Watch the sunset
Like most Pacific Coast surf towns around the region, the sunsets in El Paredon are absolutely mindblowing. I don’t know if we just had a lucky few days, but every single night was an absolute banger, with a huge flaming sun casting pink and orange streaks through the sky.
Sunset in El Paredon is a reawakening of the town after the heat of the day dies down. I don’t think there’s anyone not sitting on the beach or catching some waves in the last light of the day. It’s a special ritual and one you can’t miss on any of the nights you’re in town.
4. Catch the sunrise
What we thought was even more special than the sunsets in El Paredon were the sunrises. Because Playa El Paredon faces south, you can see an epic sunset and sunrise from the beach.
El Paredon is a bit of a party town, so most people are still sleeping off a hangover as the sun rises. But if you can drag yourself out of bed and get onto the beach at least half an hour before, you’ll be treated to a special show.
We got up every morning and watched the horizon glow up, with only the sound of the waves crashing. It’s blissfully cool on the beach in the mornings, and Brayden enjoyed going in for an early surf, while I did yoga and meditation on the beach.
They were hands down the best sunrises we saw on our 6-month trip around Central America!
5. Relax and chill out
El Paredon is the perfect place to slow down and relax for a few days. You’ve most likely just come from Antigua where you would have been trekking volcanoes and traipsing around the city, so it’s the perfect place to have a holiday within your holiday.
Add in extremely hot temperatures during the day and the gorgeous accommodations, and I guarantee you’ll have trouble dragging yourself away from the pool or out of a hammock.
Luckily there isn’t too much else to do, and we thoroughly enjoyed a few very relaxing days. Reading, planning out our next stops and escaping the heat in the pool.
6. Explore the mangroves
El Paredon is on the border of the Sipacate Naranjo National Park and its huge network of mangroves. The western end of town sits adjacent to the Rio Acome with a maze of mangrove tunnels and channels to explore.
You can go via a lancha boat with local fishermen, or choose to kayak or paddleboard.
Most accommodations in town can organise tours to explore the mangroves, otherwise, you can book directly with El Paredon Tours or Black Sand Kayaks offers kayak tours and rentals.
7. Release baby sea turtles
El Paredon is a prime nesting ground for sea turtles, most commonly the Olive Ridley. Each year, thousands of turtles come ashore to lay their eggs.
Sadly, poaching turtle eggs is not illegal in Guatemala, and thousands of eggs are stolen from the beach to be sold on the black market for human consumption.
The Driftwood Surfer has a fantastic initiative, buying back eggs from poachers and securely storing them in their turtle hatchery on the beach while the eggs incubate.
From mid-September to mid-December the eggs start to hatch, and you can participate in a release, where the freshly hatched babies make their way into the ocean to start their lives.
During the season, the releases happen daily at 5:45 am. You can check their Facebook page to confirm if and when releases are happening. Please bring some cash to donate to the great work Driftwood Surfer does, or you can donate online via their GoFundMe.
8. Get a day pass
If you happen to be staying somewhere without a pool or beach views, you can buy a day pass to many of the popular hostels and beach bars and spend the day lazing by a pool overlooking the waves.
Cocori Lodge offers a day pass at their hostel for 150Q, which includes 100Q towards food and drink at their restaurant.
Another popular option is Playa 14, which is a beachfront bar and brewery a few kilometres out of town. You’d want to take a tuk-tuk to get there. They charge 75Q from Monday – Friday and 125Q on Saturday and Sunday to spend the day using their facilities.
They have a huge pool overlooking the beach, with comfy lounges and plenty of restaurant seating. They brew their own beer, Cerveza 14, on-site and have a full menu of food and snacks.
9. Take a yoga class
Yoga usually goes hand in hand with surfing, and every surf town has a big yoga scene. El Paredon is no exception and you’ll find classes all over town.
Many accommodations offer classes regularly or host visiting instructors, just check in with your accommodation for the current schedule. I know Swell, Cocori Lodge, Zoah Surf and Casa Zala offer classes.
10. Join the party
We’re grandmas and much prefer to go to bed early and be up before sunrise, BUT if you’re heading to El Paredon for a party, you’ll find it!
The hostels take turns on different nights of the week to run parties, booze cruises, social events, beer bong tournaments etc., which often continue long into the night on the beach.
I’d start with The Driftwood Surfer and Cocori Lodge, and if the party isn’t there, they’ll know where to point you.
Please just remember to be respectful. Even though El Paredon is full of tourists and expats, it’s still a foreign country with a very different culture, and respect often goes out the window when alcohol and drugs are involved. The drug trade has a devastating impact on Guatemala and the entire region, so please think twice about whether that is something you want to support.
Where to eat in El Paredon
There are tons of great places to eat in El Paredon and new ones opening up all the time. Just take a stroll around the dusty streets and you’ll come across cute cafes, local shacks and international restaurants.
Most of the hotels also have restaurants on-site. I haven’t listed them here, but they’re worth looking into as well.
- 🌮 Zicatela: a Mexican restaurant serving up tacos, ceviche and other traditional specialities. The tacos aren’t quite as good as if you were actually in Zicatela in Oaxaca, Mexico but they were tasty. Their cocktails are delicious too.
- 🍜 Soul Food Kitchen: an unlikely Thai / Asian / Indian fusion restaurant in remote Guatemala! We had Malaysian noodles and Thai red curry and both were excellent.
- 🍛 Chef in Flip Flops: a truly unique dining experience, Chef in Flip Flops has a casual feel but the food is anything but. Only open 3 – 4 nights a week from 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm, they don’t take any reservations and food is only available until sold out. The menu changes every week based on the local ingredients available, but they always have a meat, seafood and vegetarian option for dinner, with cuisines from all over the world. When we visited we had wonton soup and nasi lemak, both excellent. It’s a little on the pricey side but the quality is so worth it.
- 🐟 Yoli’s Local Cuisine: for an affordable local meal, Yoli’s is the best! We enjoyed her desayuno tipico with eggs, beans and plantain, and she also offers similar tipico plates for lunch and dinner with your choice of protein, as well as good ceviche and pasta options.
- 🍳 Rinconcito de Dina: another fantastic local option, Dina serves similar food at excellent prices. Their tipico breakfasts are just 25Q for a big, hearty serve. Spread the love between here and Yoli’s.
- 🍕 Plaza Buena Vista: an open-air food court type of place with a few different restaurants inside, where you can sample a lot of different cuisines. Olivia Artisan restaurant does great pizza, Divino has ceviche, and we loved the empanadas and choripan from Sabores Sureños.
- ☕️ Banana Surf: these guys aren’t on Google Maps, but it was some of the nicest coffee we had in town. Service was slow and their hours are very inconsistent, but it was worth it for the coffee! I’ve pinned the location on my Guatemala Google Map, but it’s near the corner of Av. 1 and Calle 2.
- 🥥 Cafecito del Mar: the go-to cafe in El Paredon with smoothies, loaded toasts, smoothie bowls, eggs and burritos. The cafe is a cute little spot to sit down, expect to wait as service is slow.
- 🍦 Pakalolo: there’s nothing better than an ice cream on a hot day in El Paredon! The coolest ice cream shop you’ve ever visited with music, places to sit and good vibes, they also serve crepes.
El Paredon travel tips
🇬🇹 Get more travel tips in Guatemala travel guide
- 🌤️ Best time to visit: El Paredon is insanely hot year-round. We visited in late January, which is technically their ‘winter’ months, and it was absolutely cooking. The dry season between November – April is the best time to visit to avoid storms and intense humidity, but no matter when you come, expect temperatures to be over 30°C (86°F).
- 😴 How long to stay: there really isn’t much to do in El Paredon, but that doesn’t mean you won’t want to stay a while! I think 3 nights is a good amount of time to really relax and enjoy it. We stayed 4 and could have easily stayed a week. A lot of hostels have a 2-night minimum stay.
- 🫶🏼 Safety: we felt really safe everywhere we went in Guatemala, El Paredon was no exception. The town is tiny, and we walked around comfortably at all times of the day and night. The major safety concern is the ocean. Be very aware of the rips and currents which are strong and dangerous, and there are no lifeguards on the beach to rescue you.
- 🗣️ Language: like everywhere in Guatemala, Spanish is the official language in El Paredon. Because the area is popular with international tourists and surfers, you will find a lot of expats living here and a lot of locals do speak some English.
- 💰 Currency: Guatemala uses the Guatemalan Quetzal (GTQ or Q for short). Although some tourism companies will price and accept USD for expensive things, it’s not very common, and the Quetzal is the primary form of payment. Especially in El Paredon which is quite remote.
- 🏧 ATMs: there is only one ATM in El Paredon. A 5B ATM inside the Super 24, but it often doesn’t work so it’s best to come stocked with cash. Not a lot of places accept card (including accommodations) or if they do, it’s with a hefty fee on top.
- 📱 Phone & SIM Cards: from memory, our phones worked okay with a Tigo SIM card. There are a few phone shops at the western end of town near the supermarkets and pharmacies if you need to get a SIM or top-up.
- 🔌 Utilities: El Paredon is developing at a rapid rate, but the utilities are struggling to keep up with the influx of people. The power frequently drops out, meaning there is no internet, and it’s not uncommon for accommodations to run out of water. Hot showers are a luxury, so just be prepared and understanding.
- 🥑 Groceries: there are no big supermarkets here. There is a Super 24, which is more like a convenience shop and we found it quite expensive. The best place to get food is at the western end of the main road, where there are a few local tiendas with more supplies. We also found a fruit shop ‘Local Fruits and Vegetables’ which had a lot of fresh produce.
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El Paredon Guatemala: Final thoughts
I’m so glad we decided to visit El Paredon on our Guatemala itinerary. It’s still not a mainstay destination, but experiencing a Pacific beach town, as well as the Caribbean Coast in Rio Dulce rounded out our time in Guatemala.
It really ticked all my surf town criteria. Our stay at MangoMiel was dreamy, there were enough cute cafes and restaurants to keep us well-fed, a delightful lack of activities that meant we didn’t feel guilty for just lazing in a hammock and the most gorgeous sunrises and sunsets we saw all over the region!
If you’re tossing up whether you should visit El Paredon, I’d say yes! Even if you are continuing your travels through the region and have more surf towns lined up, El Paredon was one of our favourites (second only to El Zonte) and we liked this town a lot more than any of the surf towns in Nicaragua.
If you’re continuing your travels onward in Guatemala, you’ll probably be heading to Lake Atitlan or onwards to the charming town of Antigua.
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- Complete Guatemala Travel Guide (Not Just Antigua & Atitlan)
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- Lake Atitlan Travel Guide: Everything You Need to Know
- Flores Guatemala Guide: Ruins, Rope Swings & Rainforests
- Complete Guide to Semuc Champey & Lanquin Guatemala
- Complete Guide to Rio Dulce Guatemala
