El Paredon is a sleepy surf town located on the Pacific coast of Guatemala. Located slightly out of the way of many other popular destinations, El Pardedon often gets missed and doesn’t make the usual travel itinerary. However, this amazing little town has plenty to do, with some of the best surfing in Central America, amazing mangroves and beautiful South Pacific sunsets.
El Pardeon itself is an up and coming destination, becoming more widely known by travellers. Because of its increase in popularity, much of the infrastructure is still in the process of being developed (it’s a good idea to head to El Paredon before it becomes too much of a tourist trip!).
There is a new tarmac road which takes you from places such as Antigua and Lake Atitlan, and makes the journey much more bearable. The town has several restaurants, some amazing hostels and numerous Airbnbs to choose from.
Here are some of the best things I did while visiting El Paredon.
Wakeboarding through the mangroves
One for the thrill seekers! I did this twice whilst visiting El Paredon and it really lives up to expectations. This was my first time wakeboarding and I was up surfing the wake within 5 minutes. The mangroves make for great wakeboarding conditions due to their still, glassy water and shelter from the wind. The scenery is also stunning.
I booked wakeboarding through Cocori Lodge, who arranged an instructor for us as well as timings. We then walked down to the mangroves and managed to have 3 turns each, between the 4 of us. It was a great experience and definitely worth the money!
Surfing Lessons
You’d be silly not to! El Paredon is known for its amazing surf, this is why many visit! You will find surfboard hire shops dotted around the streets, who will hire by the hour or day. They can also provide instructors with an hourly fee of around 150Q to 200Q Many locals will also be happy to teach you as well.
The surf can get a bit wild in El Paredon so it is always worth buddying up and making sure that somebody on the beach is keeping an eye on you. There are many experienced surfers in the area who do their best to keep everybody safe.
Mangrove fishing
These trips can be arranged through the main hostels in El Paredon or through the hosts of your accommodation. A local will take you out in kayaks or a small boat for a tour of the mangroves, you will have the opportunity to do some hand line fishing as well as spotting some amazing wildlife such as turtles, sea snakes and beautiful birds of paradise.
It is great to arrange these tours with the locals as it is an amazing source of income for them. Local knowledge is also much better and you will gain a rich understanding of the area.
Release baby turtles
From the month of September through to December every day at 5:45 am, baby turtles are released into the sea through the Driftwood Surfer Hostel turtle conservation project. You don’t get an individual turtle, instead, you watch a group of turtles reach the sea for the first time!
This can be a bit weather-dependent as fewer turtles hatch on rainy days. Weekends are the busiest for visitors so I would recommend trying to see the turtles on a weekday. This is a donation-based activity, so great if you are on a budget.
Party
One thing I did a lot of in El Paredon! For such a small town, El Paredon throws some great parties! The parties tend to be along the beach at one of the hostels, these hostels take it in turns through the week to throw the parties. This is great as it pretty much gives you something to do every night. If you’re not sure where the party is that night, just head to the beach and you’ll soon hear it!
They often go on into the early hours in the morning and attract pretty much any traveller in El Paredon, this makes it a great opportunity to socialise and trade travel stories.
Just make sure you don’t wake up in the sand like I did at 7am on my last day visiting!
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