El Salvador: Santa Ana > El Zonte

Oct 2025 |

El Zonte was my best stop in El Salvador (ok, I only had 2, but...). After a short stay in Santa Ana I headed to the coast via the Ruta de Flores, which is touted as one of the premier tourist routes in El Salvador. It's an ok ride, nothing special to an experienced adventure rider, a scenic and literally flowery road. Near Sonsonate, you get some good views of surrounding volcanic peaks down towards the coast. I later stopped at Los Cabanos to see what I missed the day before (I had planned to stay there). Honestly, it appeared to be a bit of a dilapidated small beach town, the kind of place they charge you $5 to park, but there are no vehicles/people there.

After Los Cabanos things got incredibly better, as I reached the snaky coastal road. This is a 5-star route, with incredible beaches and views, a great rambling tour along the coast.

On a whim I stopped in El Zonte, booked a room at Beach on the Rocks, a bit pricey but well worth it, stayed 3 nights. The manager Omar is a great guy and this place has a vibe. If you are not a surfer or bitcoin pundit, there's not much to do in El Zonte, but I didn't have a problem with that - it's a great place to chill. I rode to El Tunco 15 mins away, checked it out, also very nice, a bit more developed.

El Zonte is known as "Bitcoin Beach", a place where you can pay at most places with bitcoin, a town that has played a defining role in El Salvador's national commitment to Bitcoin. Interestingly, in July 2025 I read a BBC News article titled "The Salvadoran beach town that became a Bitcoin testbed". While at El Zonte I looked up the story again and was surprised to see it mentioned Beach on the Rocks and Omar. The author had also stayed here.

Ride: 165 km / 4 hrs

Stay: Beach on the rocks / $75 / ****