El Paredón is a sleepy fishing village on the Pacific Coast of Guatemala.

Understand

A dusty street in El Paradón

The village is gaining in popularity with surfers and backpackers, due to its black sand beaches and consistent waves. Infrastructure is limited, however. The town has one new paved road while the rest are dirt. Mobile signal comes in drips.

Get in

Shared shuttles to El Paredón can be booked from Guatemala City, Antigua Guatemala and Lake Atitlán. For far more cash, you can also book a taxi from pretty much anywhere.

See

• Turtles From September to December, baby turtles are released on to the beach. Get up early and watch them crawl to the ocean.
• Watch the sunrise and the sunset You can see them both from the same place on the beach (but not at the same time, sadly).

Do

• Surfing Due to strong currents, the swimming isn't great at El Paredón, but the surfing is excellent.

Sleep

Hotel Paredon Surf House

Due to limited availability, it might be wise to book accommodation ahead of time during peak season (December–March). It is possible to book homestays such as AirBnb, although these fill up too.

• Driftwood Surfer Hostel Popular among the party crowd
• Mellow Hostel
• Hotel Paredon Surf House