San Juan del Sur
San Juan del Sur (SJDS) is a coastal town on the Pacific Ocean in western Nicaragua and is a popular tourist location because of its many beaches. Its population is approximately 18,500. San Juan’s climate is warm and pleasant all year around, though rain showers are more frequent during the rainy season which is June through October.
San Juan del Sur is a classic beach town: slow paced and slightly ramshackle, with a sheltered crescent beach, fresh seafood and stunning sunsets. In this region, visitors can dive, surf, deep-sea fish, swim with sea turtles and ride high-flying zip-lines through the treetops. It looks like Key West of 50 years ago.
Nicaraguans have flocked to SJDS for many decades and the town grows exponentially during the many holidays and especially during Semana Santa (Holy Week-Easter). Now it is a major tourist attraction and the number of expatriates living here is second only to Granada and Managua.
Dozens of worthwhile beaches lie within a half-hour drive or boat trip from town. Rent a bike and visit the tide pools at Playa Remanso to the south. Farther south are Playa Coco (perfect sand and swimming) and Playa La Flor (a nesting site for Olive Ridley sea turtles). During the August to October peak of the nesting season, visitors can participate in nighttime visits to the La Flor Wildlife Refuge, silently watching the sea turtles deposit their clutches.
Eight miles north of San Juan del Sur is Playa Maderas—well known for its excellent breaks and home to occasional surfing contests. Its northern neighbor, Bahia Majagual, is one of the country’s most beautiful. Both are easily reached by water taxi from San Juan del Sur.
This is one of Nicaragua’s most accessible beach regions: only 30 minutes from Costa Rica and about an hour south of Granada. Many tourists from Costa Rica come to SJDS especially needing to renew their visas.
San Juan del Sur’s small-town lifestyle is centered around the sea. In fact, the majority of San Juan’s residents make their living from it, fishing or managing dive and snorkel tours in and beyond the picturesque bay. International travelers also find San Juan’s waters superlative for surfing, fishing, and other water sports.
Festivities
San Juan del Sur holds a fiesta to commemorate its patron saint, San Juan, on June 22nd. Easter week, or Semana Santa, is such a major holiday that you may wish to avoid SJDS due to the crowds and their exuberance. Christmas through New Year’s can also be pretty wild. There are so many people during those times that the beaches are crowded with tents.
History
San Juan del Sur: 150 Years of History
Written by Ana Maria Ch. De Holmann and edited by Sarah LaBarre
In October of 2002, the Port of San Juan del Sur commemorated its 150th anniversary of obtaining city status. As part of this celebration, it was officially recognized as “Nicaragua’s Tourist Port.” San Juan’s historical significance is clearly rooted in its prime geographical location on Nicaragua’s southern Pacific Coast, which has made it a hub for trade, communication, and tourism for centuries.
San Juan del Sur has undergone numerous name changes over the years. In the second half of the 16th century, it was called “The Port of San Juan del Sur in the Southern Sea.” Archival records show at least three different names used in the 19th century, including “Port of Independence,” “San Juan of the Concordance,” and “Pineda City.” None of these names stuck, however, and although locals most often use the short form “San Juan,” in certain contexts it remains preferable to use the full name to distinguish the city from San Juan del Norte on the Atlantic Coast and 50 other San Juans in Nicaragua.
In 1846, at the beginning of the California Gold Rush, Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt established a transit route to facilitate the trip between New York and California. Transferring from Vanderbilt’s Transit Company steamboats to smaller river- and lake-based steamboats, and covering part of the distance on foot, by mule, or by stagecoach, travelers crossed the isthmus between San Juan del Sur and San Juan del Norte in approximately twenty hours. This innovation cut travel time between East and West Coasts from six months to less than one.
San Juan del Sur also played an important role in the conflict between Nicaraguans and U.S. filibusters, first in a local skirmish that resulted in the ouster of Chief Director Laureano Pineda, and later as the site of various battles in the National War against troops led by William Walker. In 1855, San Juan was witness to Walker’s retreat after his June 29 defeat in Rivas; two months later, it served as the arrival point for more filibusters who attacked and took over the city of Granada. On November 23, 1856 the port hosted the battle between William Walker’s schooner “Granada” and the Costa Rican brigantine “Once de Abril”, and finally on May 5, 1857 San Juan was the scene of Walker’s final retreat on the “St. Mary” after his surrender in Rivas.
Furthermore, San Juan del Sur has been an important communication center. In 1876, telegraphic service was initiated between San Juan and the port of Corinto on the northern Pacific Coast. Six years later, a door was opened from Nicaragua to the world with a submarine cable installment that was managed by All American Cable and lasted until the 1960s. In March of 1928, a train route was inaugurated from San Juan del Sur to San Jorge; in San Jorge, passengers boarded a steamboat crossing Lake Nicaragua to Granada, thus establishing a direct link between the coast and the interior of the country. From the 1940s on, San Juan flourished as a hub for a wide variety of regional and international exports, including precious wood and live cattle.
In recent years, the most important commercial activity in San Juan has been tourism, thanks in part to the arrival of cruise ships during the first four and last four months of the year. Because of its wealth of natural and cultural resources, its tranquility, and the welcoming attitude of the sanjuaneños, this beautiful port town will continue to play a key role in the economic and social development of Nicaragua.
Things to Do
For current events and community activities go to SJDS - This Week's Events.
If you’re looking for bustling nightclubs and exclusive resorts, stay in Cancun. San Juan del Sur’s attractions and amenities are much more modest—which, in many ways, is a good thing.
As mentioned, the Pacific ocean is rife with possibilities, from scuba diving to deep-sea fishing to surfing. Adventuresome travelers can rent horses or a bike and explore the coastline. Or they can journey by foot, hiking among San Juan’s volcanic hilltops and enjoying the remarkable views, spanning all the way to Costa Rica!
But the best part of a San Juan vacation is embracing the village’s carefree Pacific lifestyle. Sway in a hammock to reggae beats and work on your tan. Buy your dinner fresh-caught from the fishing boats—or if you’re blessed with the necessary skills, catch it yourself! Instead of booking a room, assemble a tent on Playa Maderas or Playa Majagual, and fall asleep to the sound of waves breaking. The best spot for a slumber party is nearby La Flor beach, where sea turtles waddle ashore to lay their eggs in late autumn.
If you stroll up to the lighthouse south of San Juan’s bay, you’ll find the ruins of William Walker’s fort. Walker was an American soldier who reigned as Nicaragua’s president from 1856-1857 but was executed by the Honduran government in 1860.
Want to stay a little longer? Rent a house. Want to live here? Prices are pretty good for oceanfront and ocean view and even better if you are a little further from SJDS.
Surfing - San Juan del Sur’s beaches have fantastic surfing beaches and most are relatively empty which makes them a great place for beginner to expert surfers. The most popular and easily accessible surfing beach close to town is Playa Maderas, where both beginners and experts can find great waves. There are other great surfing locations but we have been waiting for a promised coastal road since 1928 and some can only be accessed by boat. Some of Nicaragua’s best surf breaks are in the Tola Beaches and Popoyo area, where waves can reach 30 foot. These are all easily accessible by chartering a boat in San Juan del Sur.
Watch Olive-Ridley sea turtles lay eggs or hatch – Head south just past Playa Coco to find the entrance to the La Flor Wildlife Refuge, home to one of the largest sea turtle nesting grounds in Central America. Depending on what time of year you visit Nicaragua, you can witness either the hatching of up to several hundred baby turtles at a time or the mother turtles swimming onshore at night to lay eggs and bury them in the sand.
Fishing - Nicaragua is slowly becoming known for its world-class sport fishing where you can catch Black Marlin, Sailfish, Tuna, Wahoo and Dorado. Nicaragua’s inshore fishing can be just as exciting, and will score you Rooster Fish, Jacks, Barracudas, and Mackerels. Many varieties of boats for hire are available from pangas to a sport fishing boat.
Tree Canopy Tour-Da Flying Frog offers a network of 17 cables, connected high among huge trees with wooden platforms on each. Just snap on to the cable and enjoy the rush. This activity is suited for all ages from 7 years and up. Da Flying Frog is open Monday thru Saturday from 8am until 4pm, closed on Sundays.
Drink a Nica Libre– Mixing Nicaragua’s famed Flor de Cana rum with coke and a lime on ice.
Play a game of soccer on the beach – head down to the beach just before sunset and you will find one or more groups of locals and travelers playing a game of beach soccer before the sun goes down.
Scuba Diving-Learn how to scuba dive or become a certified scuba diver in San Juan del Sur by taking lessons.
Book Store – the Gato Negro Book store and coffee shop is located on the north end of Avenida Central, where you will find one of Nicaragua’s largest selection of books in English and possibly one of the largest selection of books about Nicaragua
Watch the sunset from the beach – Yes, the sunsets are even better here especially when you hear the flocks of parakeets in the trees along the Avenida de la Bahia
Horseback Riding-For just a few dollars per hour you can saddle up and ride a horse through the foothills and valley behind San Juan del Sur.
Hiking-Walking on the beach in San Juan del Sur is fun but you can take some fun hikes that will take you 1-2 hours such as the Lighthouse Hike or up to the new Jesus looking over the SJDS bay.
Eat with locals at the market – join locals who gather here daily for breakfast and lunch, sitting at rows of tables that are set up family style in front of multiple native kitchens.
Watch a local baseball game– just south of town, on the road heading to Ostional you will find San Juan del Sur’s baseball field. Sunday morning is when teams from outlying areas of town challenge each other in the most popular sport in Nicaragua.
Enjoy a pargo entero (whole snapper) – this deep fried whole fish can be ordered at just about any beach front restaurant in town.
Eat a nacatamal – this mixture of pork, onions, tomatoes and spices is wrapped in masa, a cornmeal and then slow cooked in banana leaves.
Go to Spanish classes
http://www.spanishcornerschool.com/
San Juan del Sur is a classic beach town: slow paced and slightly ramshackle, with a sheltered crescent beach, fresh seafood and stunning sunsets. In this region, visitors can dive, surf, deep-sea fish, swim with sea turtles and ride high-flying zip-lines through the treetops. It looks like Key West of 50 years ago.
Nicaraguans have flocked to SJDS for many decades and the town grows exponentially during the many holidays and especially during Semana Santa (Holy Week-Easter). Now it is a major tourist attraction and the number of expatriates living here is second only to Granada and Managua.
Dozens of worthwhile beaches lie within a half-hour drive or boat trip from town. Rent a bike and visit the tide pools at Playa Remanso to the south. Farther south are Playa Coco (perfect sand and swimming) and Playa La Flor (a nesting site for Olive Ridley sea turtles). During the August to October peak of the nesting season, visitors can participate in nighttime visits to the La Flor Wildlife Refuge, silently watching the sea turtles deposit their clutches.
Eight miles north of San Juan del Sur is Playa Maderas—well known for its excellent breaks and home to occasional surfing contests. Its northern neighbor, Bahia Majagual, is one of the country’s most beautiful. Both are easily reached by water taxi from San Juan del Sur.
This is one of Nicaragua’s most accessible beach regions: only 30 minutes from Costa Rica and about an hour south of Granada. Many tourists from Costa Rica come to SJDS especially needing to renew their visas.
San Juan del Sur’s small-town lifestyle is centered around the sea. In fact, the majority of San Juan’s residents make their living from it, fishing or managing dive and snorkel tours in and beyond the picturesque bay. International travelers also find San Juan’s waters superlative for surfing, fishing, and other water sports.
Festivities
San Juan del Sur holds a fiesta to commemorate its patron saint, San Juan, on June 22nd. Easter week, or Semana Santa, is such a major holiday that you may wish to avoid SJDS due to the crowds and their exuberance. Christmas through New Year’s can also be pretty wild. There are so many people during those times that the beaches are crowded with tents.
History
San Juan del Sur: 150 Years of History
Written by Ana Maria Ch. De Holmann and edited by Sarah LaBarre
In October of 2002, the Port of San Juan del Sur commemorated its 150th anniversary of obtaining city status. As part of this celebration, it was officially recognized as “Nicaragua’s Tourist Port.” San Juan’s historical significance is clearly rooted in its prime geographical location on Nicaragua’s southern Pacific Coast, which has made it a hub for trade, communication, and tourism for centuries.
San Juan del Sur has undergone numerous name changes over the years. In the second half of the 16th century, it was called “The Port of San Juan del Sur in the Southern Sea.” Archival records show at least three different names used in the 19th century, including “Port of Independence,” “San Juan of the Concordance,” and “Pineda City.” None of these names stuck, however, and although locals most often use the short form “San Juan,” in certain contexts it remains preferable to use the full name to distinguish the city from San Juan del Norte on the Atlantic Coast and 50 other San Juans in Nicaragua.
In 1846, at the beginning of the California Gold Rush, Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt established a transit route to facilitate the trip between New York and California. Transferring from Vanderbilt’s Transit Company steamboats to smaller river- and lake-based steamboats, and covering part of the distance on foot, by mule, or by stagecoach, travelers crossed the isthmus between San Juan del Sur and San Juan del Norte in approximately twenty hours. This innovation cut travel time between East and West Coasts from six months to less than one.
San Juan del Sur also played an important role in the conflict between Nicaraguans and U.S. filibusters, first in a local skirmish that resulted in the ouster of Chief Director Laureano Pineda, and later as the site of various battles in the National War against troops led by William Walker. In 1855, San Juan was witness to Walker’s retreat after his June 29 defeat in Rivas; two months later, it served as the arrival point for more filibusters who attacked and took over the city of Granada. On November 23, 1856 the port hosted the battle between William Walker’s schooner “Granada” and the Costa Rican brigantine “Once de Abril”, and finally on May 5, 1857 San Juan was the scene of Walker’s final retreat on the “St. Mary” after his surrender in Rivas.
Furthermore, San Juan del Sur has been an important communication center. In 1876, telegraphic service was initiated between San Juan and the port of Corinto on the northern Pacific Coast. Six years later, a door was opened from Nicaragua to the world with a submarine cable installment that was managed by All American Cable and lasted until the 1960s. In March of 1928, a train route was inaugurated from San Juan del Sur to San Jorge; in San Jorge, passengers boarded a steamboat crossing Lake Nicaragua to Granada, thus establishing a direct link between the coast and the interior of the country. From the 1940s on, San Juan flourished as a hub for a wide variety of regional and international exports, including precious wood and live cattle.
In recent years, the most important commercial activity in San Juan has been tourism, thanks in part to the arrival of cruise ships during the first four and last four months of the year. Because of its wealth of natural and cultural resources, its tranquility, and the welcoming attitude of the sanjuaneños, this beautiful port town will continue to play a key role in the economic and social development of Nicaragua.
Things to Do
For current events and community activities go to SJDS - This Week's Events.
If you’re looking for bustling nightclubs and exclusive resorts, stay in Cancun. San Juan del Sur’s attractions and amenities are much more modest—which, in many ways, is a good thing.
As mentioned, the Pacific ocean is rife with possibilities, from scuba diving to deep-sea fishing to surfing. Adventuresome travelers can rent horses or a bike and explore the coastline. Or they can journey by foot, hiking among San Juan’s volcanic hilltops and enjoying the remarkable views, spanning all the way to Costa Rica!
But the best part of a San Juan vacation is embracing the village’s carefree Pacific lifestyle. Sway in a hammock to reggae beats and work on your tan. Buy your dinner fresh-caught from the fishing boats—or if you’re blessed with the necessary skills, catch it yourself! Instead of booking a room, assemble a tent on Playa Maderas or Playa Majagual, and fall asleep to the sound of waves breaking. The best spot for a slumber party is nearby La Flor beach, where sea turtles waddle ashore to lay their eggs in late autumn.
If you stroll up to the lighthouse south of San Juan’s bay, you’ll find the ruins of William Walker’s fort. Walker was an American soldier who reigned as Nicaragua’s president from 1856-1857 but was executed by the Honduran government in 1860.
Want to stay a little longer? Rent a house. Want to live here? Prices are pretty good for oceanfront and ocean view and even better if you are a little further from SJDS.
Surfing - San Juan del Sur’s beaches have fantastic surfing beaches and most are relatively empty which makes them a great place for beginner to expert surfers. The most popular and easily accessible surfing beach close to town is Playa Maderas, where both beginners and experts can find great waves. There are other great surfing locations but we have been waiting for a promised coastal road since 1928 and some can only be accessed by boat. Some of Nicaragua’s best surf breaks are in the Tola Beaches and Popoyo area, where waves can reach 30 foot. These are all easily accessible by chartering a boat in San Juan del Sur.
Watch Olive-Ridley sea turtles lay eggs or hatch – Head south just past Playa Coco to find the entrance to the La Flor Wildlife Refuge, home to one of the largest sea turtle nesting grounds in Central America. Depending on what time of year you visit Nicaragua, you can witness either the hatching of up to several hundred baby turtles at a time or the mother turtles swimming onshore at night to lay eggs and bury them in the sand.
Fishing - Nicaragua is slowly becoming known for its world-class sport fishing where you can catch Black Marlin, Sailfish, Tuna, Wahoo and Dorado. Nicaragua’s inshore fishing can be just as exciting, and will score you Rooster Fish, Jacks, Barracudas, and Mackerels. Many varieties of boats for hire are available from pangas to a sport fishing boat.
Tree Canopy Tour-Da Flying Frog offers a network of 17 cables, connected high among huge trees with wooden platforms on each. Just snap on to the cable and enjoy the rush. This activity is suited for all ages from 7 years and up. Da Flying Frog is open Monday thru Saturday from 8am until 4pm, closed on Sundays.
Drink a Nica Libre– Mixing Nicaragua’s famed Flor de Cana rum with coke and a lime on ice.
Play a game of soccer on the beach – head down to the beach just before sunset and you will find one or more groups of locals and travelers playing a game of beach soccer before the sun goes down.
Scuba Diving-Learn how to scuba dive or become a certified scuba diver in San Juan del Sur by taking lessons.
Book Store – the Gato Negro Book store and coffee shop is located on the north end of Avenida Central, where you will find one of Nicaragua’s largest selection of books in English and possibly one of the largest selection of books about Nicaragua
Watch the sunset from the beach – Yes, the sunsets are even better here especially when you hear the flocks of parakeets in the trees along the Avenida de la Bahia
Horseback Riding-For just a few dollars per hour you can saddle up and ride a horse through the foothills and valley behind San Juan del Sur.
Hiking-Walking on the beach in San Juan del Sur is fun but you can take some fun hikes that will take you 1-2 hours such as the Lighthouse Hike or up to the new Jesus looking over the SJDS bay.
Eat with locals at the market – join locals who gather here daily for breakfast and lunch, sitting at rows of tables that are set up family style in front of multiple native kitchens.
Watch a local baseball game– just south of town, on the road heading to Ostional you will find San Juan del Sur’s baseball field. Sunday morning is when teams from outlying areas of town challenge each other in the most popular sport in Nicaragua.
Enjoy a pargo entero (whole snapper) – this deep fried whole fish can be ordered at just about any beach front restaurant in town.
Eat a nacatamal – this mixture of pork, onions, tomatoes and spices is wrapped in masa, a cornmeal and then slow cooked in banana leaves.
Go to Spanish classes
http://www.spanishcornerschool.com/
