San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua

[SAKay]

Has anyone been on a private excursion in San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua or can you tell me about any ship excursions you went on - good or bad ?  I don't see anything about this port.    Thanks ! 

[Syracusefan44]

I would avoid doing a private excursion based upon the State Department warning below:

 

The government of Nicaragua arbitrarily enforces laws for political purposes. Throughout Nicaragua, government officials and law enforcement continue to target those opposed to the rule of President Ortega.
 

The government and its affiliated groups have been reported to:

Systematically target opposition figures (regardless of nationality), including former allies, political activists, business representatives, clergy, human rights advocates, and members of the press. Arbitrarily detain pro-democracy advocates. Prevent certain individuals from departing Nicaragua by air or land for political reasons. Arbitrarily seize and/or search private property including personal phones and computers for anti-government content. Arbitrarily detain individuals with unfounded charges of terrorism, money laundering, and organized crime for political motives.

Travelers should exercise increased caution and be alert to the risks of crime, including violent crimes such as sexual assault and armed robbery.

[skynight]

A number of years ago we took a ship tour that included Grenada and a boat ride on Lake Nicaragua. It was long, all day, but fairly nice. Included a nice lunch in Grenada. Very hot.

[memoak]

This is a very nice port - hardest thing is climbing out of the tenders onto a very narrow pier.  At least that is how if was a few years ago.  This is a christian/socialist country, and do not be surprised by heavily armed army troops along major routes.  If you are going to leave the port area a ships tour may be the safest.

[riffatsea]

Hi,Wecwere there in December 2018. It was a lovely experience

Its a tender port so I think a ship excursion is a good idea there

The port hadlocal folk dancers and craft items

We took a tour to a hsciend as near Lake Nicaragua

Th e re were beautiful grounds and a nice local lunch

We enjoyed our visit

There were no soldiers or any thing scary

[helby]

33 minutes ago, skynight said:

A number of years ago we took a ship tour that included Grenada and a boat ride on Lake Nicaragua. It was long, all day, but fairly nice. Included a nice lunch in Grenada. Very hot.

We have also taken this excursion(2017) and agree with skynight.  I agree that beyond the port area a ship's tour may be the safest.  We did see soldiers.

[Ombud]

I was there in 2019 but just rode the tender in, stayed in the port town, did some body surfing on the beach and listened to some bands.  There's a little sellers market once you get off the tender and a bunch of taverns on the main road. 

[Thrak]

The last time we were there they had made a new tourist area right by the tender stop. There was lots of stuff for sale. We ran into a guy handing out tickets for a free drink at a bar. We walked a fair distance through town to the bar which, as it turns out, is owned and run by Canadians. We had a few beers and some food. It was a good place and you could walk out onto the beach. I got a laugh from the Canadian's when I ordered, "Dos mas cervezas por favor, eh?"

 

Some folks on the ship seemed amazed (and a bit appalled) that we had walked that far through town but we had no problems at all.  The first time we were there we thought the port stop was a total pit and wouldn't have walked very far into town at all and the beach had litter and broken glass. It didn't seem at all safe then but the second trip it seemed much nicer. I thought it was funny that they sold little souvenir bottles of liquor at the tourist area where the tenders dock and I found the same stuff in a 750ml bottle in town for about half the price of the little bottle at the tourist place.

[crafter188]

We were at this port in January 2020, and used a tour provided by Nicaragua Tour Network. It was a long day on a bumpy highway but we had a good guide and driver and saw a lot. I think the highlights were staring into the bubbling magma of a volcano and a boat ride on a beautiful lake. It feels like most of the main attractions are a good drive away from San Juan del Sur, so any excursion will involve some travel. https://www.nicaraguatournetwork.com/

[Tripmaven]

We have been to San Juan del Sur a couple of times. Once on an independent visit and the second time on a cruise stop.   We found the town to be fascinating .   We did take a ship tour to Granada. We were not as impressed by Granada, which had a definite "tourist vibe" as we were the smaller town of San Juan del Sur.   You can safely walk through town, but most people feel safest during day light hours.   There is a resort at the top of the hill called Pelican Eyes Resort.  It is a hotel and a vacation ownership resort.  Many Canadians and Americans had places at the resort.   The resort had an interesting rescue operation for injured jungle creatures, mostly, the monkeys.  Not sure if this is still active.   The people working at Pelican Eyes are helpful and would  answer your questions.   One of the residents at the resort started a program for local children providing uniforms for schools.  The rule, at the time, was "no uniform, no school"   Many of the families didn't have the money for the uniforms, so this program solved that problem.   

[SAKay]

Wow !  Thanks for all the great info.  I think a ship's excursion is probably the way to go.