The Travel Diary: Nicaragua's best kept surf secret
- Text by Liam Aylott
- Photography by Liam Aylott
It has been six years since I was last in Nicaragua, and on the surface little has changed. Outside of the increasing number of tourist friendly sustainable eco lodges, the warming traits I remember remain. The roads and drivers are crazy, the beer costs 80 pence, ice cold, but most importantly the people are still the friendliest I’ve had the good fortune to meet.
My travels took me back to San Juan Del Sur, a coastal town on the Pacific side of the country. San Juan was originally a fishing and shipping hub, but has over the last 20 years grown more popular with tourists and surfers.
Where a few years back were a few lively bars along the front now stand board rental stores, shuttle services to the beach and endless 2-4-1 cocktails.
Nicaragua and San Juan del Sur in particular had long been surfing meccas for Americans, Canadians and Australians, but the last few years have attracted hoards of backpackers from all corners of the globe.
Playa Maderas is a small beach 30 minutes from San Juan Town, and it’s one of the most popular and accessible surf beaches in the area, and at times has unpredictable and fantastic waves. Waves that can range anywhere from chest high and crumbling to double overhead and barreling, making it perfect for surfers of all levels.
The surf crowd is a real mix: If you get there before 8am and beat the first shuttle from San Juan you’ll see some locals and the lucky few who have accommodation off the dirt road in the hills overlooking Playa Maderas. Come midday the water is bustling with a mixture of locals and beginners from the numerous surf schools, some top class surfers both local and foreign, all really taking advantage of the larger swells.
Along the beach it’s not unusual to find locals playing football or practising baseball (the national sport), equipped with a machete should the ball go into the thick trees on the hills overlooking the beach. On the horizon surfers wait for the swell and further in the distance are cruise ships sailing away. It’s quite the sight.
On the way back from Playa Maderas you can leave town and hit a dirt road brimming with local hitchhikers looking for a lift to Rivas, the biggest city in commuting distance with a famous baseball team. Grab a ride, and as the road gets bumpier you’ll see local kids practising baseball on the side of the dusty roads, people stood flogging ice cold beers and snacks to the passing Toyota pick up trucks.
Inside the stadium (you can grab a ticket at the gate) the atmosphere is electric: homemade sandwiches, local beer and rum being sold around the many plastic seats carried from home.
I settle in at the front, looking back towards the excitable crowd. I’m taught a few chants, share beers with the fans sat alongside me. The party continues until dawn.
There’s something refreshing and raw about San Juan, something that makes it so appealing and endearing, unlike any other surf town in the Americas. Get there if you can before it changes.
Enjoyed this article? Like Huck on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.
You might like
The last days of St Agnes Place, London’s longest ever running squat
Off the grid — Photographer Janine Wiedel spent four years documenting the people of the Kennington squat, who for decades made a forgotten row of terraced houses a home.
Written by: Isaac Muk
As salmon farming booms, Icelanders size up an existential threat
Seyðisfjörður — The industry has seen huge growth in recent years, with millions of fish being farmed in the Atlantic Ocean. But who benefits from its commercial success, and what does it mean for the ocean? Phil Young ventures to the remote country to find out.
Written by: Phil Young
How Japan revolutionised art & photography in the ’60s and ’70s
From Angura to Provoke — A new photobook chronicles the radical avant-garde scene of the postwar period, whose subversion of the medium of image making remains shocking and groundbreaking to this day.
Written by: Miss Rosen
Artifaxing: “We’ve become so addicted to these supercomputers in our hands”
Framing the future — Predominantly publishing on Instagram and X, the account is one of social media’s most prominent archiving pages. We caught up with the mysterious figure behind it to chat about the internet’s past, present and future, finding inspiration and art in the age of AI.
Written by: Isaac Muk
The lacerating catharsis of body suspension in Hong Kong
Self-Ferrying — In one of the world’s most densely packed cities, an underground group of young people are piercing their skin and hanging their bodies with hooks in a shocking exploration of pain and pleasure. Sophie Liu goes to a session to understand why they partake in the extreme underground practice.
Written by: Sophie Liu
What we’re excited for at SXSW 2026
Austin 40 — For the festival’s 40th anniversary edition, we are heading to Texas to join one of the biggest global meetups of the year. We’ve selected a few things to highlight on your schedules.
Written by: Huck
