El Paredon is located on the west coast of Guatemala, a sleepy fishing village. Its beaches are a marvel as they are made from fine black volcanic sand. In addition, if you are not careful, you will burn on the beach (specifically your feet), as this black volcanic sand gets extremely hot in the midday sun. So wear footwear.
This is a backpacker’s stop for sure, as many come here for the surf. El Paredón is a town well on the way to becoming Guatemala’s surfing capital. Waves here average 1.8 m, with the best breaks between December and April. Many if not all the accomadations located on the beach offer surf lessons or board rentals. Here is a place to start The Surf House.
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Tours that are available in El Paredon through La Choza Chula are varied and many. They include visiting the Mangroves, sea turtle feeding grounds, Guatemala cooking, homestay, bracelet making, or make your own package. La Choza Chula – is a social enterprise seeking to ensure local communities and the environment benefit from the growing tourism of El Paredón.
Getting To El Paredon
There are several ways to get yourself to El Paredon, the most common would be a shuttle which you can book from Antigua or other touristy towns. The chicken bus would be another option, being a little more adventurous.
Cindy and I booked our transportation through Matt Geo Travel in San Pedro. We had used Matts’s services prior in San Pedro when we had booked an Indian Nose tour, which we had thoroughly enjoyed. The first part of the trip was to hike Pacaya Volcano, then proceed to El Paredon and our 8-day Airbnb accommodations.
Our El Paredon Lodging
For our accommodations, an Airbnb called Casa de Papaya, is located a couple of blocks off the black sand beach. This would be home for the next 8 days; included was a simple 1 bedroom with toilet, thatched roof, and outdoor kitchen that we used sparingly. Additionally, an incredible outdoor shower that we quite enjoyed. This was true outdoor living at its finest.
One of our first visitors to our thatched home was this huge spider; needless to say, that it was evicted (mind over matter). This wouldn’t be the last uninvited guest to our home. Apart from the first guest, we had an even larger spider that we could not evict as it was up in the thatch ceiling that we could not reach. We know that it was a female because of the large sac of eggs she carried.
The last unwelcome guest was a scorpion that we found in the bathroom in the middle of the night. He was quickly and not so quietly evicted as well. Needless to say that we were very grateful to have a net over our bed as it gave us a sense of protection from the nightcrawlers. True or false, we will never know.
Not trying to scare anyone away. I just wanted to remind people that you may share space with creators unfamiliar to you when exploring faraway locations with warmer climates. Most want their own space. Just keep your eyes open.
Turtle Hatchery
The Turtle Hatchery is an amazing experience, heartwarming, spirit-lifting, and it’s free (donations accepted). Located on the beach at the north end of El Paredon. You need to arrive at the turtle hatchery by 6:00 am. You can watch and participate in releasing the baby turtles that hatched overnight and still are emerging from the sand when you arrive. We enjoyed ourselves so much that we went again the following morning.
Truly a once in a lifetime experience, not sure why, but it makes you feel closer to nature. Sea turtles are such incredible creatures with their life and breeding cycle.
We were in El Paredon at the beginning of December, near the end of the Turtle hatching season. Just a heads up as this is an experience you do not want to miss. Remember to donate as the hatchery can always use the money to fund this program.
Bodyboard surfing
El Paredon is known for its surfing; unfortunately, we do not know how to surf and were unsure what we wanted to learn. Fortunately, we found an alternative, bodyboard surfing. While walking along the beach and by the many beachside resorts, we noticed one place that rented bodyboards. Having body surfed before using a board; we knew this is something we could do. We were able to rent a bodyboard for $150 Q for 3 days at one of these beachside hostels, next door to the Driftwood Surfer. Super nice and trusting gentlemen as he asked for no I.D. or where we were staying.
With our newfound freedom, it was time to tackle the waves. Taking turns riding the bodyboard because trying to catch a wave is exhausting work, and someone had to video the failed attempts. Besides, the waves are continuous one after another. Admittingly it took many failed attempts to equal one amazing ride. Nevertheless, we got better to almost a 50/50 success rate.
We had three days of wonderful fun, enjoying the freedom this simple bodyboard gave us. Regardless these two baby boomers felt like teenagers again riding those waves. So get out and enjoy—wander over to our video.
While playing, one had to be careful walking the beach as that black volcanic sand gets extremely hot (burn on the beach) during the mid-day sun, and I’m sure we burnt our feet, so make sure that you wear foot protection.
Wanting to get out Fishing
Cindy and I both love to fish. In the past, during some of our vacation spots, we have tried hooking up with locals and trying out our luck. As of yet, we remain skunked, but we will keep on trying. We communicated to our host Jessica that we would be interested in taking a fishing trip. Asking her if she knew anyone that might be interested in taking us out.
It turns out that her neighbor’s dad was a fisherman and that he would happy to take us out fishing, agreeing on a price of 400Q. it sounded like a good deal, he could take us out in the morning for 4 hours. So in the morning, we meet him at his boat. Setting off in his boat to try our luck, we traveled down the river short ways to where the surf meets the river.
Fishing with a Local
Getting past this pounding surf looked like it might be interesting, never have I experienced something like this before. Demonstrating the skill of many years of experience in shooting the surf, it was fun with a little fright thrown in.
Altogether it was a beautiful day to be out on the Pacific Ocean fishing this fine morning. We saw dolphins rising in the distance, baitfish that appeared to fly great distances, but no fish, not even a bite. As they say that it is why they call it fishing and not catching. Nice to be out on the water just the same. The boat ride into the surf was just as exuberating as the ride out. Reaching the dock our captain invited us up for some coconut and a bite. Even though we were again skunked we had a very nice on the water, with no regrets.
A small note is that the fishing is supposed to be excellent off the west coast for billed fish on the larger charters, so if you got money.
El Paredon Sunsets
The sunsets and sunrises were incredible and the funny thing was they were both over the Pacific Ocean.
Leaving El Paredon
Leaving El Paredon, having purchased our shuttle tickets at the Driftwood Surfer for 90Q each. In the morning, we would be off to Antigua. This would be a 3-hour ride; the interesting part of the trip was we drove right past the active volcano Fuego. Fuego had erupted in June of 2018 killing 200 nearby villagers. It was amazing to be driving so close to the volcano Fuego. You could see the effects of the June eruption; it was a very solemn feeling knowing that these people had died near where you were driving.
Final Thoughts On El Paredon
We very much enjoyed El Paredon, would definitely recommend
Our Positives
- Great beach & ocean
- Friendly people
- Turtle Hatchery
- Quite, laid back
- Outdoor living
Our Negatives
- Sorry can’t think of any
Would have, Could have, Should have
- Wish we would have done the sea turtle feeding with La Choza Chula Tour
Next Stop
Fly to Flores and visit Tikal’s Mayan Ruins
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Recommended Travel Essential
Cindy and I call ourselves nomadic so with this lifestyle, we use certain essentials to make this way of life easier and more comfortable. With this in mind, we have composed a list of what we feel are essentials and some tips you might use to plan or take your next travel adventure.
- Travel Packing Essentials to help organize and make this task less stressful
- Travel Safety Essentials to make your life on the road a little safer, giving you peace of mind
- Living Essentials to make life a little more comfortable, be this resting, working, or playing.
Accommodation Options While Traveling The World
- Booking.com is one of our go to’s when we are looking for a place to stay for a couple of days or longer
- Agoda.com we find is best to use when in Southeast Asia, but hey you never know what you might find
- Airbnb.com used to be our go-to but some of their cancelation policies are reasonable, give them a try as well
Travel Insurance
We always travel with some sort of travel Insurance be it just medical or complete trip coverage. We use Heymondo as we find theirs costs reasonable. Remember don’t travel and without coverage, the savings are not worth the possible costs.
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