Nicaragua Surf Trip

The place is great. Pick up supplies before you get there from one of the larger towns. The surf is so
good in front its hard to leave

 

Check out nicaragua365.com Contact James, he's been setting us up down there for a few years.

 

The only place I've had a problem in Central America was at the border between Costa and Nica - maybe it's when and where I was at, but it was sketch. I'd chock it up to being a gringo, but my Indian buddy with his Costa Rican gf also got delayed at the border on a separate trip, hassled, and a "police officer" tried to literally extort his used Reebok's hanging on his backpack. Just my experience - I'm also curious if any others have had smooth experiences here

 

I had no issues crossing, but you may have trouble finding a rental car that you can use to cross. I was using a bus in Costa and used a taxi driver to get up there.

 

yep hacienda iquana. i been there twice and would go again. i didn't book either trip but i think the first time we got one of the surf condos right on the beach from surf express and when that filled up we rented one of the golf condos directly from its owner. the golf condos were nicer but you had to walk or drive a short distance to surf. no big deal. the surf condos are on the beach and you can paddle to Pangas right there or walk a bit to the river mouth. i heard a right breaks of the point in front of the Condos on certain swells but i didn't see it. the second time we rented a house right in front of the colorado rivermouth which was awesome.

Its a gated community with security guards and probably more established than when i was there three years ago so its safe enough. Rancho Santana is a short drive and there are little cafes. but definitly hit a supermarket in a larger town for your staple supplies. i honestly didn't do much sight seeing both times i was there just surfed, ate and slept. there were always waves.

 

Check out Nicawaves.com before you do anything. Trust me!

 

playgrounds nicaragua. Check it out. They have excellent surf almost every single day.

 

that's good advice

 

I suggest not flying into costa unless you actually plan on spending some time there.
You'll waste a complete day getting up to Nica and another day getting back to Costa to fly out.
I'm really surprised that its cheaper to fly into liberia than managua. Maybe try flying out of somewhere different in the US? I had decent prices to managua out of Newark NJ

 

Fly into Managua - same price as flying into Liberia. Tons of waves in Nica - Santana's, Rosada, Colorado's, Popoyo, Astillero, Playgrounds (need a boat - no access from beach). Stay near/in Tola, and have your choice of breaks, most within walking distance.

 

more than OK. if you have a step up bring it. Pangas is a funny wave. had a better time with my quad egg than anything else.

 

Not at all. Big pacific juice. Fast speedy and a long ride on the right.

 

Bring money for the policia corruption bite on your drive from MGA to Iguana. Keep your main money well out of sight or you'll pay a lot more if they glimpse your wallet. If you're carrying boards on the roof, figure on getting stopped for bogus 'driving violations' at least x2 maybe x3. And the same going back to MGA. Don't know what the going rate is this time of year, but figure on $ 20 to $ 60 every stop. If you yap about it to them, they have no problem tossing you in jail.

I was one of the original owners in the condo bldg at Iguana. Dumped it & never looked back.

 

Nicaragua would be sweet! Want to go there myself one day. I found these guys while messing around on Twitter. They have a whole bunch of places for surfers all over the world. Here is a Nicaragua surf camp they have which you might like. Check it out!