Trying to get some information about Nicaragua from someone who has been there before. If you have info on anything it would be a big help, good spots to stay, surf(dont have to give up names maybe just areas), people maybe... anything would help. Thanks.
Nicaragua can be very difficult to find your way around without a guide. I used JJ Yemma's camp in Poyoyo, called Popoyo Surf Lodge. They pick you up at the airport and drive you the three hours south to the camp and then take you the best spots every day by boat or by truck. Roads have no signage and are mostly dirt. You can spend a lot of time driving around in the jungle on your own. Nica is famous for offshore winds 360 days a year. But only near Popoyo area in the south. The inland lake and mtn range down there cause the wind to be offshore, but that effect diminishes the further away from that area you get. Stay with a camp for the best bang for your buck.
A lot of the londboard breaks in Costa Rica have LARGE salt water crocs swimming around !! I am not kidding. I think because the water is not as turbulent as a beach break. They were out in force a month ago.No Joke ! I'm not sure if Nicaragua has the same issue. Maybe it was just a freak thing last month. Just keep your eyes open.
I was down in Nica this past winter. I have a friend who lives there, so we were able to crash at his place and he was our guide to take us everywhere. Without him i would have been so lost. miklosd has the right idea about getting a guide. It was a great time though.
I was there in december...took a month or so to travel costa and went to nica for a while. We went to san juan del sur, which really was a pretty cool place and cheap as hell. While theres virtually no surf on the beach there, I scored a $25 day boat trip to two breaks...one was "tamarindo" and I forget the name of the other. San juan was pretty fun at night too, just a little sketchy..but probably my favorite part of the trip
fly into managua and head to popoyo. last year we flew into costa to meet up with a friend and drove into nicaragua and the border crossing SUCKS. we stayed at hotel popoyo (el torro). you will want some good four wheel drive and if its been raining a lot the roads will flood out. its kinda strange navigating the roads because its all pretty primative. the drive into popoyo is 45 minutes on a dirt path once you get out of town and get ready to have your guts shaken on the drive. if you go to popoyo bring everything you will need as far as surf supplies. for some reason the one and only surf shop doesnt even sell wax. bring money too...no atms. you got popoyo beach break is very fun.. hollow and fast so it tends to closeout some. you go down the end of the road at the restaurant with the monkey/parrots and walk across this little river deal and you will be at popoyo reef. this is a fun wave and doesnt close out as much as the beach break. there is the outer reef off to the left and thats a serious wave with gnarly boils in the water. definately not a wave for anyone under very experienced. theres plenty of other higher quality breaks but you will need a car (watch out for the little thieves) or a boat. figure that out when you get there...its no secret. the offshore winds seem like they are great but you will learn to hate them. catch it early and they are light but after 10 or so they start to pick up and blow you off the wave. by the afternoon they are ripping hard and kinda sideshore some days and you get pretty sick of taking it in the face everytime you try to paddle into a wave. beware of the jellies too. . popoyo is sick though...definatly going back. a lot of variety. o yeh and the offshores causes a lot of upwelling so the water temps can be suprisingly low by central american standards.
recycled surfer - i heard that nicaragua didn't take care of its wildlife like costa did. probably something to do with the civil unrest they suffered. they nearly wiped out the croc population up there w poaching or maybe something else? something i heard. i dont know but i didn't see any crocs.
I've been once and stayed at the surf sanctuary... They have everything you need there, and will pick you up from the airport. http://www.thesurfsanctuary.com/home/ I recommend this place.
