About San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua
San Juan del Sur is the most visited vacation destination on the Pacific coast of Nicaragua and has been attracting foreign visitors from around the globe for well over a century. As the home to approximately 18,000 Nicaraguans and a steadily growing ex-patriot community, this quaint fishing village maintains its unique culture through and through.San Juan del Sur’s streets are lined with charming homes and store fronts built of wood painted in vibrant colors. Mornings are greeted with the sounds of roosters and church bells, and the town market comes alive where fresh, locally grown fruits and vegetables are brought in for sale. Taxi and bus drivers congregate on Market Street, where they whistle and announce the next departure for Rivas or Managua, or offer their services to drive you to a local beach for the day. The crescent shaped bay is speckled with local fishing boats, sail boats, sport fishing yachts, and on some days, a large cruise ship bringing visitors in for a day. Thatch-roofed or “palapa roof” bars and restaurants line the long, sandy beach and serve cold drinks, fresh seafood, and traditional Nicaraguan cuisine. At sunset, both locals and visitors gather at the water’s edge to relax and watch children play soccer on the beach.
Shops and Services
You will find a plethora of tourist services in San Juan del Sur, including internet cafes, hostels, hotels, luxury resort-hotels, restaurants, bars, car rentals, fishing boats and water taxis, surf lessons, a tree canopy tour, scuba lessons, shopping, and A variety of Spanish schools offer you the chance to brush up on your skills, or to learn some new ones. Knowing how to speak at least a little bit of Spanish will facilitate your travels and show respect to the local culture.The Central Market
The San Juan del Sur market is located in the center of town. It opens early, winds down about 4pm, and is closed on Sundays. There you will find a variety of stalls offering local fruit, vegetables, meat, and prepared food. There are also a number of vendors that sell clothes, sandals, and household goods as well as one that will fix shoes and bags. The market is a great place to stop for a meal. There are three comedors or food stalls where you can sit down and enjoy breakfast or lunch for only a few dollars. Breakfast foods include juices, smoothies, fruit, granola, pancakes, eggs, and gallo pinto. Lunch is traditional Nicaraguan food such as soups, meats, gallo pinto, and cabbage salad.History of San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua
San Juan del Sur existed as a sleepy little fishing village until 1851, when the California Gold Rush transformed her to become part of a transit route established to facilitate the trip between the east and west coasts of the United States. Passengers leaving from the east coast would travel to the Caribbean side of Nicaragua, navigate up the Rio San Juan, then through Lake Nicaragua, to “La Virgen”, where they would disembark and load up on horse-driven buggies to cross the 10-mile stretch of land between Lake Nicaragua and San Juan del Sur. Once in San Juan del Sur, passengers would board ships and head for California. The fishing still went on, and remained as the key industry for San Juan del Sur.From the 1940’s until the late 1990’s, San Juan del Sur acted as one of Nicaragua’s largest shipping ports, where wood, cattle, and other agricultural products were exported, and goods ranging from automobiles to farm equipment were imported. The fishing still went on.
Since the late 1990’s, tourism and foreign investment in real estate have become the largest industries in San Juan del Sur. Tax revenues from tourism and real estate development have enabled the mayor of San Juan del Sur to make improvements to public areas, including the park, sports center, and beach front. In October of 2002, the port of San Juan del Sur celebrated its 150th anniversary as a city.
