Top 10 Things to do in San Juan del Sur

10. Take a water taxi to Playa Maderas and Bahia Majagual. You can catch the water taxi along the beach front road outside of Bar y Restaurant Buen Gusto. The taxi typically drops you off at Bahia Majagual. From there, it is a short walk around the bluff to Playa Maderas which is one of the most popular surfing beaches in the area.

9. Take a canopy tour. Da Flying Frog canopy tour is the longest canopy tour in Nicaragua. In addition to the adventure of gliding down the canopies you can also enjoy some excellent views of San Juan del Sur Bay.

8. Take a hike to the cross. For the best views of the town, take the short hike up the to the cross on the north side of the bay. Beware, the trails are a little steep, but the view is well worth the effort. The exercise is not bad either.

7. Check out the Mercado in San Juan del Sur or Rivas. I admit, the San Juan del Sur Mercado is not the biggest or best one around, but it is still worth a look. The little food stands have some of the best food in town for practically nothing. I strongly recommend the Jalapeño chicken. The breakfasts are not bad either. For a bigger shopping selection visit the Mercado in nearby Rivas.

6. Enjoy a nice dinner at El Colibri or one of San Juan’s other nice restaurants. El Colibri is renown around town for its delicious food, pleasant atmosphere and excellent sangria.

5. Visit La Isla de Ometepe. From San Juan del Sur you can catch a taxi to San Jorge. From there it is a 1 hour ferry to Ometepe. The ferry will bring you into Moyogalpa. From there there are buses and taxis to shuttle you around. Popular activities on the island include hiking two of Nicaragua’s most scenic volcanoes, visiting waterfalls, horseback riding and mountain biking.

4. Enjoy a sunset in one of San Juan del Sur’s many beachfront restaurants. San Juan del Sur has some of the world’s best sunsets, and there is no more relaxing way to enjoy it than with an ice cold cocktail or a lobster dinner on the beach.

3. Go on a deep sea fishing adventure and try your luck with the Sailfish, Roosterfish, Dorado, Snapper…

2. For those English only speakers, there are plenty of Spanish schools riddled around town. What better way to learn a new language than in a beautiful little town like San Juan del Sur in a friendly, personal family environment.

1. Visit the La Flor Wildlife Reserve. This can be found south of San Juan del Sur, and is the single most important breeding site for Olive Ridley turtles in Nicaragua. One of the two Pacific turtle nesting beaches in Nicaragua, the reserve is managed by Fundacion Cocibolca, an NGO that is attempting to involve the local community in decision-making processes. There is a small fee to enter, plenty of beach on which to camp, park guards to protect the eggs, and adequate transportation from San Juan del Sur.