San Juan Del Sur, Nicaragua

We're having a hard time finding any recent info on this port, and are looking for advice on what to do here. We don't like taking the ship excursions, so would love to hear what other people enjoyed. The volcano? The lake? Renting motorcycle? Tours? Is it safe to take off on our own to these places? Thanks in advance!

Because of the roads, traffic and conditions, this is one

port that you might consider a ships tour to the places

that you mention. If you were just going to Grenada ,

it would be different. We have been to this port four times and

have done the a tour similar to the one you would like to

do, we had to have a police escort to get us thru the traffic

and back to the port and then we were an hour late.

Yes, this time, we were on a ship's tour.

nstar77: Might be because you are looking in South America ports of call. Nicaragua is in central America. Either you had a typo or are geographically challenged when you asked your question here.

In all fairness ... it is difficult to find info on Nicaragua because there is no Central America listed on Ports of Call.

Most with stops in San Juan Del Sur, Nicaragua are taking FULL Panama Canal transits. Panama Canal (ports of call) would be a good place for you to post your questions.

We very much enjoyed both of our port stops there.

One time we did a ship's excursion to a family owned working ranch with wonderful grounds and an excellent view of the smoking volcano . Once there we were free to do whatever we wished -- horseback riding, swimming/boating in the lake, cooking lessons, etc.

The next time, we just walked into town and sat at a bar over looking the beach. No safely issues for us with what we did either time.

Everyone everyplace was so friendly to us and thanked us for visiting their country.

Hope you enjoy San Juan del Sur as much as we did! :D

nstar77: Might be because you are looking in South America ports of call. Nicaragua is in central America. Either you had a typo or are geographically challenged when you asked your question here.

I'm quite aware of this fact, however if you are familiar with cruise critic, then you will know that for whatever reason, cruise critic has decided that Nicaragua questions belong under the South America ports of call. Not my decision.

In all fairness ... it is difficult to find info on Nicaragua because there is no Central America listed on Ports of Call.

 

Most with stops in San Juan Del Sur, Nicaragua are taking FULL Panama Canal transits. Panama Canal (ports of call) would be a good place for you to post your questions.

 

We very much enjoyed both of our port stops there.

One time we did a ship's excursion to a family owned working ranch with wonderful grounds and an excellent view of the smoking volcano . Once there we were free to do whatever we wished -- horseback riding, swimming/boating in the lake, cooking lessons, etc.

The next time, we just walked into town and sat at a bar over looking the beach. No safely issues for us with what we did either time.

Everyone everyplace was so friendly to us and thanked us for visiting their country.

 

Hope you enjoy San Juan del Sur as much as we did! :D

Thank you so much for your reply! And you are entirely correct, there is no Central America port of call! Cruise critic devided it must be south then lol.

Both options you described sound wonderful, I appreciate the current advice!

We did a land trip to Nicaragua back a few years ago.

If you like authentic colonial towns...go to Granada. If you prefer nature, perhaps take a volcano excursion (include the coffee plantation). If you want to shop for crafts go to Masaya. If you like beach communities..just kick around SJDS which has its own charm (and a relatively large expat community.) Sitting at a beach bar watching the kids play volleyball on the beach is a nice way to spend some time.

The people are very charming and welcoming. When we were staying in SJDS they were looking forward to the first ship of the season.

If you need a hammock...Nicaragua is the place to buy one.