San Juan del Sur and the South Pacific of Nicaragua

San Juan del Sur, Popoyo, and the South Pacific beaches feature mostly surfing beaches, thanks to their unique geographical positions. With the waves ranging from mild to wild, the beaches accommodate all kinds of surfers from pro to novice, to practice the sport. When people are not surfing, the town of San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua, offers an exciting nightlife whereas the Popoyo area offers a quieter scene.

San Juan del Sur and around: Beaches and more beaches

San Juan del Sur, especially popular among surfers, is a nice beach town located on the Pacific coast, South West of Nicaragua. Renowned for its clean white sandy beaches, San Juan del Sur invites tourists and expats alike to visit and stay there as well as exploring neighboring beaches in the department of Rivas, such as Playa Maderas, Playa Remanso, Refugio Maritimo el Coco, and La Flor. A residential town to some 15,500 people of local fishing families and foreigners mostly coming from the United States, Canada and Europe, San Juan del Sur features a remarkably good-looking crescent-shaped bay. It enjoyed being the site of the TV show "Survivor: Nicaragua" edition 2010.

Life is far from boring in San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua. More and more bars and restaurants are being developed to satisfy the nightlife dwellers when staying in town. Delicious affordable meals and drinks are sold at the bars and coffee shops offering a little bit of more fun, and yet the town stays laidback and tranquil. While exploring the town, you will see many brightly colored houses and an incredible view of the harbor. If you want to explore a bit further, you will get to extremely lovely beaches.

The closest beach to San Juan del Sur is Playa Remanso, 15 minutes south from there. A surfing beach, the waves in Playa Remanso are relatively mild. It is perfect for beginner to intermediate level of surfers. Slightly farther away is Playa Maderas (north), where most of the local surf contests are held annually. It has a spectacular sunset, especially when the sun sets behind the fin-shaped rock.

18 kilometers south San Juan del Sur, Parque Maritimo el Coco is a secluded pristine beach that offers a perfect getaway site for those who love tranquility. And last but not least, La Flor beach, 22 kilometers away from San Juan del Sur, is an interesting Natural Reserve that witnesses the visit of thousands of Olive Ridley sea turtles coming to lay their eggs every year. Then in about 50 days after, cute baby turtles will hatch from their eggshells and march towards the sea.

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Popoyo and around : Surfers' Paradise

Nicaragua attracts different kinds of visitors, many of which are surfers, thanks to its unique geographical position. Among the surfer community, Popoyo is an area the most renowned for surfing in the country. The waves exert a pull on them, both novice and pro, and the culture in land fascinates them to stay.
Popoyo is a part of the department of Tola, about an hour drive from Rivas. Surfers are of an opinion that it owns Nicaragua's true big wave break. Big swells from the south and shore winds coming from the Lake of Nicaragua are a great combination to reward the surfers an enjoyable surfing experience.
Besides Popoyo beach itself, there are other great surf destinations in the area. El Astillero, Tola, Rancho Santana and Hacienda Iguana are some of them.
El Astillero is approximately 10 km north of Popoyo. It offers throbbing beach breaks and strong reef breaks at the mouth of Rio Escalante. With smiley and friendly locals, one feels comfortable and welcome to stay.
Rancho Santana, another surf getaway in Tola, presents absolutely breathtaking scenery no matter where you stand. Apart from a great reef break that entices the surfers, it also pulls close nature lovers with its amazing coastline surrounded by rolling hillsides and dramatic cliffs jutting out of the water. Only 50 miles from Costa Rican border, Santana is preserved to keep the natural beauty while at the same time building enough right infrastructures to accommodate visiting people.
An attraction that also has a lot to offer is Hacienda Iguana, roughly 30-45 minutes North West from Rivas City. It features a gorgeous light colored sandy beach stretching approximately 1.5 miles, a consistent sea swell, luxurious accommodations and the only completed golf course built on Nicaragua's Pacific coast.

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Please visit our "Nicaragua Surf" special section for more information about surfing in Nicaragua.