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Nicaragua Travel |
Surf NicaraguaTo surf Nicaragua is a truly amazing experience, but this country is still a fairly unknown surf destination. Located quite far away from Europe, and having had a strained relationship with the United States to say the least, it has not emerged as a recognized surf destination until quite recently. Below, you will find more information about a few interesting surfing spots along the Nicaraguan west coast. Do not hesitate to travel around Nicaragua once your there and venture outside the most popular surf spots. Nicaragua still has a lot of hidden surf gems to discover for the surf enthusiast willing to look. Nestled between the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean part of the Atlantic to the east, Nicaragua is blessed with two coastlines. The entire country is not bigger than 50,000 square miles (not quite 130,000 km²) which makes it possible to surf the Pacific in the morning and relax at a Caribbean beach in the evening. The most popular surf spots in Nicaragua are all located along the Pacific Coast, not far from Managua, the capital city of Nicaragua. The west coat is also within easy access for those who prefer to live in colonial Léon or Granada. San Juan del Sur in another option when it comes to accommodation. Located right on the beach, it used to be a sleepy fishing village. Today, San Juan del Sur has grown into a much bellowed place to stay for beach lovers and surf aficionados and you can have your pick among several first rate hotels if you feel like pampering yourself during your Nicaragua surf vacation. Surf Nicaragua – QuizalaQuizala is considered one of the best spots to surf Nicaragua and is also located within easy reach from Managua. It is however not a good spot to learn surfing; you should be an intermediate surfer at least to challenge the surfs of Quizala. Quizala features rivermouth breaks and a sandy bottom. The rides are long and break both left and right. The preferred season is January to late May. If you want to get to Quizala to enjoy some Nicaragua surf, take the highway to Montelimar. Roughly ten minutes before Montelimar, there is a small sign on your right hand side. (You have to look careful, it’s not a standard sign, it’s just a small board on a stick.) The area has protected sugar cane plantations and private lots so you have to convince the guards to let you in. Follow the small road roughly three miles before you turn left to get to the beach. Surf Nicaragua – Playa MaderasPlaya Maderas is a good spot for beginners who want to surf Nicaragua. This, combined with its accessibility from San Juan del Sur, means that there can be quite a lot of surfers here and you can expect many of them to be beginners. The crowd is usually much smaller if you rise early and arrive to Madera in the morning. Maderas is a beach brake spot and the directions are left and right. The length of the rides is roughly 100-150 metres. Playa Maderas should not be confused with Maderas (also known as La Madera), a volcano located in Lago de Nicaragua. If you want to surf Nicaragua in Playa Maderas, travel towards San Juan del Sur but take La Chocolata before you enter the city. La Chocolata is the only northbound major road from outside San Juan del Sur so it is not hard to find. Stay on La Chocolata for roughly 15 minutes, pass a small bridge and turn left. If it’s the rainy season, you will need a 4 wheeled car because you must be able to cross a river. Once you have crossed the river, the road will divide into two parts and you should choose the left one and follow the signs pointing to Playa Marsella. Stay right at the following two road-divisions. Traverse a big hill and you will have reached Playa Maderas. Surf Nicaragua – PapolloPapollo is an amazing spot, but only advanced surfers should try to enjoy this type of Nicaragua surf. Papollo is not recommended for beginners or intermediate surfers. Papollo features left hand reef breaks and unlike Quizala and Playa Maderas, the bottom is rocky. The rides are really long. Many surfers consider this to be one of the best surf spots in Central America. The closest city is Rivas.
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