Swami's
Encinitas, CA
Swami's is a genuinely famous point break and blufftop park, named for the Self-Realization Fellowship's meditation garden overlooking the surf from the cliff above, its golden lotus domes visible from the water. It's one of the most recognizable surf spots in Southern California, with real tidepools scattered along the rocky shoreline below.
A genuinely iconic California surf spot with real history and a strikingly scenic bluff above it, worth the visit even without a board.
How we score beachesThe meditation garden on the bluff is open to visitors and worth a quiet stop even without a surfboard, real golden domes and ocean views.
A blufftop lot serves the park; stairs lead down to the water.
Stairs connect the blufftop park to the rocky shoreline below.
Dogs are not allowed on the sand at Swami's Beach, though leashed dogs are permitted in the parking and lookout areas above the cliffs.
The point break here holds up well nearly year round, part of what makes it such a well-known spot.
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