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Ocean Calling

Ocean Atlas · Americas

Americas

El Salvador

A short Pacific coast with a rare coral reef, humpback whales in winter and hawksbill turtles in the mangroves.

Wild beach and green cliffs at Playa Las Flores, El Salvador
Playa Las Flores, San Miguel · Photo: Roberto Peña on Unsplash
Exploring

Ethics pass, with care. We found a way to visit this country that meets our animal-welfare standard, as long as we work with the right local operator. Checked by Ocean Calling on 30 Sep 2026. Sources: El gobierno divulga lineamientos para el avistamiento de ballenas, Infobae, 2026; Vigilamos el avistamiento responsable de ballenas en la costa salvadorena, MARN; Acuerdo No 343, proteccion de todas las especies de tortuga marina, UNEP LEAP.

ScubaSnorkellingWhalesTurtlesDolphins

Why El Salvador

Los Cóbanos, on the Pacific coast, holds the only coral reef formation between Mexico and Costa Rica, and it is a protected area. From December to March, humpback whales come here to breed, and dolphins are seen from the boat too. In Jiquilisco Bay, local teams protect one of the most important hawksbill turtle nesting places in the whole eastern Pacific. The water is often not very clear and the coast has strong currents, so this is a place for calm wildlife watching more than for big diving. A state of exception has been in place since March 2022, and we follow each government's travel advice closely.

Conservation-led. Ocean Calling guests never chase, touch or bait animals.

United States of AmericaHaitiDominican Rep.BahamasMexicoBrazilPeruColombiaPanamaCosta RicaNicaraguaHondurasEl SalvadorGuatemalaBelizeVenezuelaGuyanaSurinameFranceEcuadorPuerto RicoJamaicaCubaTrinidad and TobagoLos Cóbanos, El SalvadorJiquilisco Bay, El Salvador

When to go

Dec-Mar. Timing changes by place and by animal, so check each place below.

We have researched this place and keep learning about it. There is no trip here yet.

Our ethics check

Can we travel here ethically?

Ethics pass, with care

Good with the right operator. Here is how we choose.

Humpback whales at Los Cobanos are watched with guides authorised by the environment ministry, whose guidance asks boats to keep 100 metres away, or 200 metres with a calf, for about 30 minutes. Since 2009 turtle eggs and products are banned. We watch whales only from the boat, and we support turtle teams without buying eggs or touching nests or hatchlings.

Checked 30 Sep 2026. Places change, so we look again every year.

Sources for this check
Places we are exploring

Where in El Salvador

Short notes from our research. Wildlife is never guaranteed.

Los Cóbanos

Exploring

A protected rocky coral reef on the Pacific, with humpback whales in the winter months.

🤿 In the water: Reef fish on a shallow coral reef, Moray eels, Turtles (occasional)

⛵ From the boat or shore, never in the water: Humpback whales (Dec to Mar, from the boat, 100 m away), Pantropical spotted dolphins (from the boat), Bottlenose dolphins (from the boat)

When: Dec-Mar. Humpback whales from the north visit from about November to March, with most sightings in February and March. A few southern whales have been seen from late July to early November. The dry season, mid October to mid May, is calmer for the reef, but the water is often green and not very clear.

Jiquilisco Bay

Exploring

The largest mangrove bay in El Salvador, where hawksbill turtles nest and local teams guard the eggs.

⛵ From the boat or shore, never in the water: Hawksbill turtles (nesting season from about April, with conservation teams), Olive ridley turtles (nesting on the outer beaches)

When: Apr-Aug. Hawksbill nesting starts around April and continues through the rainy months. Olive ridleys nest on the beaches of El Salvador from about August to March. Any visit happens only with the local conservation teams, never alone on a nesting beach.

Animals

Animals recorded in El Salvador

Tap an animal to learn how it lives, where it travels and how to meet it respectfully.

Humpback whale swimming close with long pectoral finHumpback whaleMegaptera novaeangliaeSeen in 87 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernHawksbill turtle swimming, pointed beak in profileHawksbill turtleEretmochelys imbricataSeen in 88 countries in the AtlasCritically EndangeredOlive ridley turtles nesting on Playa Ostional, Costa RicaOlive ridley turtleLepidochelys olivaceaSeen in 40 countries in the AtlasVulnerableGreen turtle resting on the reef, shell and head pattern in sharp detailGreen turtleChelonia mydasSeen in 103 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernPantropical spotted dolphin gliding at the calm ocean surfacePantropical spotted dolphinStenella attenuataSeen in 56 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernCommon bottlenose dolphin swimming over a seagrass bedCommon bottlenose dolphinTursiops truncatusSeen in 89 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernStriped dolphin leaping, dark flank stripe clearly visibleStriped dolphinStenella coeruleoalbaSeen in 43 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernBryde’s whale surfacing and exhaling in deep blue open oceanBryde's whaleBalaenoptera edeniSeen in 36 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernFalse killer whale surging through blue water off Rota, Mariana IslandsFalse killer whalePseudorca crassidensSeen in 41 countries in the AtlasNear ThreatenedSperm whale mother raising her fluke beside her calf off DominicaSperm whalePhyseter macrocephalusSeen in 114 countries in the AtlasVulnerableTwo spinner dolphins swimming over sand in clear waterSpinner dolphinStenella longirostrisSeen in 66 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernPod of common dolphins surfacing in calm blue seaCommon dolphinDelphinus delphisSeen in 53 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernPair of blue-footed boobies on lava rock, Isla Isabela, GalápagosBlue-footed boobySula nebouxiiSeen in 11 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernMale magnificent frigatebird perched on a mangrove branchMagnificent frigatebirdFregata magnificensSeen in 52 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernWedge-tailed shearwaters resting togetherWedge-tailed shearwaterArdenna pacificaSeen in 46 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernMasked booby on Ascension IslandMasked boobySula dactylatraSeen in 80 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernClose view of a red-footed booby head with blue, pink and red bill and throat skin among green leavesRed-footed boobySula sulaSeen in 91 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernAmerican crocodile resting on a sandy river bank at the water's edge in Costa RicaAmerican crocodileCrocodylus acutusSeen in 17 countries in the AtlasVulnerableCrowd of brown pelicans packed together on a coastal roost, one adult with a pale head and coloured bill facing the cameraBrown pelicanPelecanus occidentalisSeen in 48 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernLeach's storm-petrel in flight over water, wings spread, with a pale patch at the base of the tailLeach's storm-petrelHydrobates leucorhousSeen in 35 countries in the AtlasVulnerableNeotropic cormorant perched among willow branches beside the waterNeotropic cormorantNannopterum brasilianumSeen in 29 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernAnhinga holding a fish in its long, pointed billAnhinga (American darter)Anhinga anhingaSeen in 24 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernTahiti petrel in flight over the sea, dark above with a white bellyTahiti petrelPseudobulweria rostrataSeen in 15 countries in the AtlasNear ThreatenedClose view of an adult Nazca booby with a pale orange bill and dark face mask, perched on a rock on EspañolaNazca boobySula grantiSeen in 12 countries in the AtlasLeast Concern
Dreaming of El Salvador?

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There is no trip here yet. If enough people ask, it helps us decide where to go next.

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Also in Americas
AntarcticaArgentinaBermudaBrazilCanadaChileColombiaCosta RicaEcuadorFalkland IslandsFrench GuianaGuatemalaGuyanaMexicoNicaraguaPanamaPeruSurinameUnited StatesUruguay

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