CHRISTIAN HEEB / GETTY IMAGES © WAYNE LYNCH / GETTY IMAGES ©8 9
Surfing near San
Juan del Sur8
Nicaragua sparked into
international stardom
on the wake of tanned-and-
toned surfer dudes and
dudettes. And the surfing
scene north and south of
regional hub San Juan del
Sur (p127) remains cooled-
back, reefed-out, soulful
and downright brilliant. The
stars of the scene are the
long rideable waves that
fit the bill for surfers of all
abilities, but the chillaxed
surf camps, beach parties
and cool breezes add to the
vibe, making a beach vaca-
tion here work for every-
body in your crew (even the
boogie boarders).Turtles at
La Flor9
Head to Nicaragua’s
southern Pacific coast
between July and January
to witness sea turtles by
the thousands come to
shore to lay their eggs at
Refugio de Vida Silvestre
La Flor (p137). There’s
a decent beach here, as
well, but the highlight is a
night tour (generally from
nearby San Juan del Sur),
where, if you’re lucky,
you’ll see a leatherback or
olive ridley mama come to
shore to lay her eggs at the
end of one of nature’s most
inspiring and remarkable
journeys.Islas Solentiname
10
The Islas Solenti-
name (p247) are
straight out of a fairy tale.
You simply must visit in
order to experience the
magic of this remote
jungle-covered archi-
pelago where a community
of exceptionally talented
artists live and work
among the wild animals
that are their inspiration.
It’s a place where an en-
lightened priest inspired a
village to construct a hand-
some church alive with
the sounds of nature and
shooting stars illuminate
the speckled night sky.
Even having been there,
you still find it hard to be-
lieve it’s real. Woman painting
a balsa-wood carved chickenPLAN YOUR TRIP
NICARAG
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