- Nicaragua is an alternative for travelers who love the charm and authenticity of Mexico.
- The country welcomed just over 1.2 million tourists in 2023, an increase of almost 29% from 932,700 visitors in 2022.
- While you could spend all day at the beach, the area is full of other adventures.
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The quad purred loudly as I drove, dust swirling behind me from the dirt road. No other vehicles were in sight, though I did have to stop for a bull that was leisurely crossing. I drove through the forest until I reached a guarded gate, where I paid a small fee to continue on the windy road, catching teasing glimpses of the blue sea below. In the trees, I spotted spider monkeys sitting comfortably under the shady leaves.
Eventually I arrived at Playa Escameca. The tide was too low to surf, but the exposed sand showed how vast the beach was, a mile long. Only a handful of sunbathers sat on chairs and hammocks, eating food from the small outdoor restaurant run by locals.
I continued to have a few similar experiences in Nicaragua, where the raw beauty and ruggedness of this Central American country was on full display thanks to the lack of crowds and development. Yes, my mode of transportation was usually the mountain bike.
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Offering the same sun, sand, and surf without the overwhelming tourist vibe, Nicaragua is an alternative for travelers who love the charm and authenticity of Mexico. While adventure is abundant in Nicaragua, so are the opportunities for relaxation.
During my trip to Nicaragua, I stayed at La Santa María Resort and Residences, perched atop a hill in the charming beach town of San Juan Del Sur. Located just over the Nicaraguan-Costa Rican border, San Juan Del Sur is a centuries-old fishing village popular with expats and surfers, who mingle with locals who have lived there for generations.
“It’s an unknown paradise,” Julio H. Arguello, a Nicaraguan native and developer of La Santa María Resort and Residences, told USA TODAY. “If San Juan Del Sur were in Costa Rica (or Mexico), it would be Santa Theresa or Tulum (respectively).”
In 2023, Nicaragua welcomed just over 1.2 million tourists, an increase of almost 29% from the 932,700 visitors in 2022. In the same year, 33 million tourists visited Quintana Roo, the state where Tulum is located, and almost 2.5 million tourists visited Costa Rica.
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How do I get to Nicaragua?
Like Cancun, it’s a short flight from the United States to San Juan Del Sur, but it’s a long drive to reach the peninsula where the city is located.
Take a two-and-a-half-hour flight from Miami to Managua, then an uneventful three-hour drive from the airport to the beach town.
Alternatively, you can fly to Liberia, Costa Rica (a five-and-a-half-hour flight from Los Angeles or four hours from Dallas) and cross the border north into Nicaragua in a two-hour drive.
To enter Nicaragua, Americans must pay for a tourist card, which costs $10 at immigration. Bring cash, however, as checks and credit cards are not accepted.
Where to stay in Nicaragua
Although I found the San Juan Del Sur area to be rugged, staying at La Santa María Resort and Residences was far from rough.
Opened in 2018, this gated resort is small but intimate, with the modern amenities of any four-star Cancun resort, like a gym, clubhouse, snack bar, and infinity pool overlooking the beach—and with stunning views of the bright red sunset. It has both an outdoor and indoor workspace, making it an ideal home for digital nomads.
As its name suggests, La Santa María is not only a resort for travelers, but also includes condos for expats or snowbirds, which can be used as vacation rentals. So far, 95% of the homes at La Santa María have been sold.
“There’s this sense of experience where you get all these resort-type amenities but live in a community,” Arguello said.
La Santa María is the only resort in the area, but there are affordable vacation rentals, hostels, and smaller boutique hotels.
The city of San Juan Del Sur
La Santa María Resort is a five-minute walk from town, where you’ll find plenty of surf and food shops, from a small ravioli shop to a hidden market of locally-owned food stalls. I didn’t even need to exchange money during my trip, as every shop I visited accepted Nicaraguan córdobas and US dollars.
The town is easy to walk around. It only takes about 15 minutes to cross the entire town. It reminds me of Sayulita, another charming resort town that has become popular on Mexico’s Pacific coast, but it is less crowded. I never felt unsafe walking around, even at night.
Unlike downtown Cancun, I didn’t encounter hordes of tourists or vendors coming towards me trying to sell souvenirs in San Juan Del Sur, although there were a few.
San Juan Del Sur’s main beach is lined with restaurants serving fresh seafood like ceviche. My favorite, which I may have visited about four times during my four-day trip, was Dale Pues (“let’s do it”), which served simple fare like shrimp tacos and breakfast bagels in a bohemian atmosphere. There’s also Ding Repair Cafe, a café with an outdoor bowl for skaters and dishes like a Nicaraguan breakfast of eggs, beans, and plantains.
Beaches galore
The main attraction of San Juan Del Sur is the sea. The small town is surrounded by beaches to the north and south, and I was able to reach a few of them thanks to the resort’s mountain bike, with the help of road signs and Google Maps.
Like Playa Escameca, many beaches feel intimate and, because they are so large, they are also virtually empty. Others, like Playa Maderias, a popular surfing spot, are more frequented by sunbathers and surfers, both beginners and experienced. Here, it costs $20 to rent a surfboard for the whole day, which you can change at any time.
Some beaches require a nominal entrance fee of around $3-5, but other beaches like Playa Maderias and Playa Remanso are free.
Every beach I went to had restrooms and at least one restaurant where I could get a break from the sun and eat something to refuel.
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What to do in Nicaragua
While you could spend the entire day at the beach, I found the area to be full of other adventures.
▶ Zipline : On a sunny morning, I ventured to Parque de Aventura Las Nubes, an 80-acre private nature reserve located at one of the highest elevations in San Juan Del Sur, offering stunning views of the ocean and volcanoes. The reserve is home to more than 80 sloths, as well as howler monkeys, porcupines, and iguanas, so you’re sure to spot wildlife on the mountain bike ride up the mountain. But, as the name suggests, I’m at Parque de Aventura Las Nubes for the adventure: ziplining. There are 12 ziplines of varying lengths and inclines, as well as stairs and rope platforms, traversing the park’s canopy to showcase the nature of southern Nicaragua.
▶ Ride a horse: As the sun’s heat faded, I was lucky enough to go on a sunset horseback ride with Big Sky Stables, owned by a Canadian expat. I was outfitted with the ranch’s stock of jeans and boots and hopped on my horse. With three guides, we rode through the ranch and a forest until we reached a deserted beach just as the sun was setting over the horizon. Then I got to gallop with my horse across the sand, which felt like I was in a movie scene.
▶ Hiking: Overlooking San Juan Del Sur from a cliff is a 25-meter-tall Christ of Mercy statue, which visitors can access on foot. The one-hour trail is accessible at the northern end of the beach, or hikers can park at the base of the hill and climb the approximately 100 steps. After traversing the stairs, you’ll have panoramic views of the city and coastline. The entrance fee for the observation deck is $2 for foreigners.
▶ Visit to the volcano: Masaya Volcano National Park is just two hours outside of the city and overlooks Lake Nicaragua. It offers hiking trails and wildlife like coyotes and iguanas. The indigenous people of Masaya believed the volcano was a god, and Spanish settlers called it “the mouth of hell.” The country’s first and largest national park, Masaya Volcano National Park allows visitors to get up close and personal with the crater, a lava lake, and bat-filled caves. Unfortunately, the volcano has been closed since April due to a landslide, so I wasn’t able to visit.
Kathleen Wong is a travel reporter for USA TODAY based in Hawaii. You can reach her at kwong@usatoday.com.
