San Juan del Sur



San Juan del Sur is a port on the Pacific coast of southwestern Nicaragua. It's probably the best base for surfers to explore the surrounding beaches.

By road
From Rivas take a taxi or the bus (C$25) directly to San Juan del Sur. It is about a 1 hour ride. "Colectivo" taxis cost C$35 (córdobas) per person, no matter how full the taxi is. However, that means the driver might try to fill up the taxi before leaving. Taxi drivers are honest as to whether it is a colectivo or not. The easiest place to find taxis from Rivas is from the bus terminal.

Beware of a potential scam where someone at the station may intercept you saying the bus only goes to San Juan Norte, and that you should pay much more for a more direct ride to SJDS.

In Rivas, there are buses south (to the Costa Rican border), and north to Managua.

By boat
San Juan del Sur is a relatively frequent stopping point for cruise ships in the area and often the only stop in Nicaragua.

On foot
Walk. The town is small. There are also constant offers of "Taxi, Sir?". Some hotels have shuttle service to other beaches, or call Carlos Rivera taxis private phone +505 86180261. There are a number of beaches north and south of town. Shuttles or pangas can be arranged through surf shops, or rent an ATV (roads are dirt and frequently in bad condition).

By motorcycle
If you're thinking about making San Juan Del Sur your home base for exploring the surrounding area, a motorcycle can be a great choice. Motorcycles also mean you can arrive at and depart from any of the nearby beaches whenever you want without having to time your day around the group shuttles. Note that while the roads in the town itself are decent, and the major north/south highway you'll take to most nearby beaches is great, a lot of the side roads are not. Some of the beaches can be a bit harrowing to get to with flooded out dirt roads, extremely steep terrain, and interactions with fully loaded beach shuttles. These are all doable even for those who have never ridden a motorcycle (manual transmission or otherwise) before, though not without some risk. Also no need to get a surfboard mount, just rent surfboards at the beaches. Many of those roads would be nightmarish with a surfboard strapped to your bike.

The brighter side is that traffic is pretty reasonable within the city center itself. The main road into town is usually clear but does sometimes back up, usually when all the beach goers and residents return home for the day.

See
There are many brightly colored houses which land on every tourist's camera but that's just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to San Juan del Sur's beauty. The waterfront is a joy and small boats bob at anchor in the harbor as pelicans swoop down to perch on their bows. The walk up to the cross overlooking the harbor is an arduous 20-minute trek, but the vistas of the harbor are spectacular. A zip-line canopy tour can get you up into the treetops, and spider monkeys and other natural life abound in the region. There are dozens of spectacular remote beaches both north and south of downtown where pounding surf and dramatic rock formations await the intrepid shutterbug.

Do
Hang out, talk, drink, eat. It is very laid-back here. Move a bit and you might find a good beach to surf.

Rent bicycles and explore the smaller beaches to the south and north. They cost $5 per day to rent, but are not in very good condition.

Learn Spanish in the local Spanish schools in town, Spanish Ya and Nica Spanish. All of them with very competitive prices and good experience in organizing the Spanish programs.

Take a day trip water taxi to Playa Madera, north of San Juan de Sur for US$8. Sign up at the stand in front of Hotel Estrella. It leaves about 10AM and returns at 4PM. The boat ride is about half an hour. Playa Madera can also be accessed via taxi, that costs around US$10-$15 for two people. The drive can be difficult, and you may encounter hills where your cab driver will ask you to get out and walk up the hill. In addition to the beaches to the north of San Jan del Sur, there are some great beaches to the south (including Playa del Coco), which are less accessible but afford more privacy.

There is a light house that no longer resembles a light house. But the point is not the destination, rather the journey. The view of the coast and the bay of San Jan de Sur is amazing. To get there, pass through the small port entrance, find the overseer of the property where the light house is and convince him you won't take pictures of anything. If he lets you pass, keep your promise.


 * Beach Front Rentals in San Juan Del Sur offers ATV guided tours through the mountains and to the beaches. If you'd rather go by sea try their 2008 3-seater waverunners. If you have kids, pull them along on their tubes. What a blast! You may contact them at 568-2030. Across from the Eskimo Ice cream.

Buy
This is a small town. There are increasingly more and more shops, and a market area that is aimed both at locals and at tourists with increasingly "American" prices. There's an English bookstore with a café in it, wide range of all kinds of different books, just ask your way around, it's not hard to find. T-shirts of varying quality saying something along the lines of Surfing San Juan del Sur are sold at many touristy places.

Eat
There are a string of open air cafe/restaurants along the waterfront. They serve excellent fresh seafood. You get local breakfast offers in the market where there's a few little Sodas in a row.



Drink
You are in Nicaragua, so drink Flor De Caña if you like rum. Drink Victoria or Toña if you prefer cervezas bien frias.

Sleep
Rates more than triple during semana santa (easter week) and accommodations quickly book out. If you want to (or have to) come during this peak time it is wise to have reservations. For most of the rest of the year (maybe excluding Christmas and New Year's) you can reasonably expect to get a room upon arrival after two or three tries.

Go next
Possible destinations from San Juan del Sur include:
 * Isla de Ometepe - island with two volcanoes
 * Popoyo
 * Playa Madera - remote beach
 * San Jose (Costa Rica) - the Costa Rican capital

To leave, head to the market to get a bus or taxi to Rivas. From there buses go either up to the North (Granada, Managua) or south to Costa Rica. Some of the beaches are only accessible by water taxi. Your surf-rental-shop or hotel should be able to point you in the right direction or arrange things for you.