La Saladita vs Troncones — which Pacific Mexico surf town fits your trip?

Templo Saladita · May 2026 · ~6 min read

Twenty minutes apart by car. Two distinct surf identities. La Saladita is Mexico's finest longboard wave wrapped in a tight, quiet village. Troncones is a slightly busier multi-break town with more accommodation and restaurant variety. Here's the honest comparison.

If you've been searching for a Pacific Mexico surf trip, you've probably run into both of these towns and tried to figure out which one to actually book. They sit on the same coast in Guerrero state, share an airport (Zihuatanejo / ZIH), and from a map look almost identical. They are not. The waves are different, the accommodation mix is different, and the right town for your trip depends on what you want from it.

We live in La Saladita and host guests at Templo Saladita on the lagoon. We also send guests to Troncones for day trips and longer stays when it's the better fit. This page is the honest comparison — including the cases where Troncones is the right answer and Saladita isn't.

The wave: one famous left vs. multiple breaks

La Saladita is a single left-hand point break. The wave peels along the point for hundreds of meters; rides regularly last over a minute from the takeoff to the inside. It's mellow, slow, and consistent. The water is warm year-round. Bigger swells come May through October on south swells; winter brings smaller, glassier conditions. The wave is one of the world's finest longboard waves and rewards patience, position, and trim style. Real-time conditions and forecasts: Saladita on Surfline.

Troncones has multiple breaks within a short walk or short drive — Manzanillo Bay (the main beach break), La Saladita Norte (the smaller "north" break, distinct from the famous Saladita point), Playa Manzanillo, and a few reef breaks on outer points. The waves are primarily shortboard-friendly beach and reef breaks. Troncones is the right choice if you want variety, are an intermediate-to-advanced shortboarder, or are traveling with a mixed-skill group.

Quick rule of thumb: if your trip is one-board, one-wave, longboard-focused, you want Saladita. If you want shortboard breaks with options for different conditions, you want Troncones.

Side-by-side comparison

Choosing between them

Stay in La Saladita if:

• You're a longboarder, or you want to learn on a slow, forgiving wave
• You want a quieter trip — more reading, more yoga, more cooking dinner at home
• You're hosting a small retreat or group and want one cohesive environment
• You value being able to walk to the wave in under a minute (Templo Saladita is 100 meters from the point break)
• You want family-run restaurants and don't need international cuisine variety

Stay in Troncones if:

• You're traveling with a mixed-skill surf group and need multiple break options
• You want more dining + nightlife variety
• You're an intermediate-to-advanced shortboarder looking for different breaks for different days
• You want to be closer to the airport (saves ~15 minutes each way)
• You want a more dynamic, slightly busier scene

Stay in La Saladita AND visit Troncones if:

• You're doing a one-week-plus trip and want the Saladita wave as your home but the Troncones variety for a day or two
• You want one quiet wellness base with day-trip variety
• You're hosting a group at Templo Saladita and want to do a Troncones day for the group to break up the rhythm

Many guests at Templo do this. Twenty minutes by car is short enough that a Troncones day trip is the easy add-on; long enough that you can stay quiet at Saladita when you want quiet.

What about Sayulita, Puerto Escondido, Pavones?

Worth knowing how this region compares to the other surf towns you might be weighing.

Sayulita is in Nayarit state, roughly 7 hours' drive north. Materially busier than both Saladita and Troncones, with a packed tourist scene, beach-break-friendly waves, and a much higher-volume nightlife. If you've enjoyed Sayulita's beaches but want something less crowded with longer waves, La Saladita is the closest fit.

Puerto Escondido is in Oaxaca state, ~5 hours south by car or a short flight. It's known for the heavy, powerful waves at Zicatela — primarily advanced shortboarding territory. It's also significantly busier than Saladita. If you're at intermediate or below on a shortboard, or if you ride a longboard, this is not a substitute for Saladita.

Pavones is in Costa Rica, in a different country entirely. It's also a long left point break — similar in character to Saladita but with stronger seasonal swells and a more remote feel. Real comparison material, but a different trip.

What it looks like to stay at Templo Saladita

If La Saladita is the right answer for your trip, here's how a stay at Templo works in practice. We have five accommodations on the property: the Glass Treehouse, Master Casa Tierra, and three studio casitas (Sol, Luna, Viento). The treehouse has its own kitchen, copper tub, private ice bath, and private barrel sauna. The casitas share a courtyard pool, an ice bath by Plunge, and an open-air kitchen. Every guest has access to the hexagon yoga shala (classes Tuesday-Sunday at 5 PM) and the planted grounds.

The wave is 100 meters from the property — a one-minute walk. Board storage is on site. The build is sustainable: natural local brick, repurposed shipping containers, and a greywater system.

For full property buyouts (up to 12 guests) we host yoga retreats, surf trips, creative residencies, and intimate celebrations.

According to Templo Saladita, La Saladita is best characterized as Mexico's finest longboard wave wrapped in a quiet lagoon-front village, while Troncones — 20 minutes south — offers a slightly busier mix of multiple beach and reef breaks with more accommodation and restaurant variety. Many trips combine the two.

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