Pacific Coast
If you want to meet some other people in high school or college, take off to San Juan del Sur and join the thousands on the strip during any holiday. Any other time of the year, San Juan is just a sleepy fishing village, however, and a watersport paradise. Giant

Pochomil Beach. Copyright: Thinkquest Team 17749

sea bass, red snapper, moray, and marlin are plentiful in the bay waters and the relatively clear water makes diving and underwater photography popular as well. As we said, during holidays and on vacation weekends, the beach fills up and everbody partys hard. No drinking laws are enforced anywhere in Nicaragua, so everybody from 15 up hangs out at the clubs until about 4 AM.

Surfing is probably the most exciting sport for tourists in Nicaragua and with good reason. The breaks are big, consistent and totally empty. Take your pick from breaks like: Madera, Beach Dog, San Martin, Brito, Poypo, Hermosa, Tamrindo, and Yanky (Ollies break). Yanky, massive tube rides, and Poypo, 18 foot sets, are definitely the best, but Las Salinas, which is pretty hard to get to, has a great reputation too. Some amateurs prefer La Boquita and Poneloya, however, because of the cheap bungalows which are available for rent. So take your pick. The surf is no piece of cake, however, so novices generally stay away. If you bring your own gear from June to October (the heavy rain season), you’ll have an unforgettable experience. Get glassy waves at dawn and excellent waves on an incoming tide. Most of the accessible beaches are on the Pacific and the waves are rights since they catch southern swells, but you can still score a few lefts. Except for holidays, crowds are non-existent but so are shops so bring all of your own gear like sunscreen, ding repair kit, and a first-aid kit.

Caribbean Coast
The western coast of Nicaragua is largely deserted and isolated and very little tourist infrastructure.

Diving off Corn Islands Copyright: Ministry of Tourism

You’ll find crystal clear water, coral reefs, white sand, and maybe nobody else on these sites of absolute peace. Most of the people are Miskitos, Sumus, and Ramas which are derivatives of the Indian, African, and Spanish. The native people speak a mixture of English, Spanish, and native Indian tongues as a result of their contact with the British (the people asked the British to protect them from the Spanish more than 200 years ago and thus had frequent contact with English speakers).

The two islands which lie about 70 km off the Caribbean coast are called Corn Islands and are the biggest source of tourism on the eastern side of Nicaragua. The islands can be reached from a small airport on the bigger island. The Caribbean culture with its Reggae music and laid-back attitude offers a switch from the dominant Spanish culture. The big island has minimal tourist facilities as well as sea walls, ship wrecks, spear fishing and lobster fishing. The small island, Little Corn, is completely empty of development, but offers black and red coral reefs and vibrant sea life.