Fishing, bodyboarding, volcanoes and jungle walks
Idea of this blog
This is the information I wish I had had before going to Nicaragua in order to make the most of the surf, fishing and nature walk opportunities.
Places we didn’t get to
A return trip to Nicaragua would have to involve some of those places that looked so alluring but for one reason or another we couldn’t make it. Here’s the top 3.
Rio San Juan, this area known as the Indio Maiz is where Jeremy Wade caught that massive Tarpon from a float tube. It’s properly wild and seems like a very good fishing destination both for tarpon and for guapote which are a kind of rainbow bass. I got a contact for fishing here. His name is Yeiner and he offers trips for Guapote and more species out of San Juan Del Norte +505 8489 8533 is his number. A day’s fishing is $180 for up to 3 people. The location is the south east of Nicaragua.
Bosawas biosphere reserve, in the north east of Nicaragua is a big old stretch of contiguous rainforest, and contains rich biodiversity and stunning landscapes. The sheer variety and colour of its wildlife is said to be overwhelming. There are multiple day hiking/camping trips available in this location. Bosawas is home to several indigenous groups including the Miskito, Sumo and Garifuna people. The Rio Coco flows through this area and the possibilities for fishing alongside a canoe or hiking trip are very appealing. There’s an office in Managua which helps tourists organise trips in Bosawas.
The Corn Islands are a pair of English speaking islands off the east coast of Nicaragua in the Carribean. Said to be great for snorkelling and fishing for bone fish and the like. We never made it over there because there were storms the whole month of November.
Popoyo
Our first destination was the coastal settlement known as Popoyo. We chose it for the opportunity to recover from our travel on the beach which offered both surf and saltwater fishing opportunities. We took a taxi from the airport with Noel +505 8809 0324 I think it cost $80.
We stayed at Costa Oeste which is very well located to access the excellent wedge at the south end of Playa Santana. It was a very comfortable stay, the staff are super friendly and helpful. costaoestenica@gmail.com is the email contact. It was about $120 USD per night for a family room for four. During our stay the weather was against us and I only managed one surf and no fishing boats were allowed out. But we knew we should come back here when conditions improved.
I was trying to find a bodyboard to rent. I asked everyone around and eventually got one from a lovely lad called Daniel who works at Market Popoyo (actually on Guasacate beach) +505 8554 5313 is Daniel’s number. It’s a 42 inch Mike Stewart Science board with a crescent tail, which is just what I needed. $10 per day is the rate.
Granada
After a week in Costa Oeste we moved on to Granada to use it as a staging post for trips further north into the jungle. On our way we visited Monbacho, a volcano with a trekking route to the rim. We were guided round the volcano by the very knowledgeable and friendly Augustin. We saw the impressively diverse cloud forest plant life as well as howler monkeys and sloths, all with the help of Augustin, who pointed things out to us with his laser pointer.
Our favourite hotel of the whole stay was the lovely Hotel La Polvora we stayed at in Granada. It’s beautiful, comfortable and has a relaxed playful vibe.
Hector learned to swim unassisted in their pool and we all loved the place.
Granada was fun and beautiful. The market is a must see for the intense colourful offerings of fruit, clothing, leather goods and almost anything you can imagine. Julio was our taxi driver from Costa Oeste to Granada and waited with our bags while we hiked Monbacho. He was kind and honest. +505 8602 9807 is his number.
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