Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
PACIFIC BEACHES
Southwestern Nicaragua's Pacific beaches offer amazing surf, sand and sun. To get to the
Tola beaches - El Astillero down to Playa Gigante - you'll need to pass through Rivas and
Tola, then head toward the beach. There is only extremely rough 4WD access on the coast
between Veracruz and El Asillero. San Juan del Sur seves as the access point for the
beaches between Playa Marsella in the north downward to El Ostional.
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Tola & the Tola Beaches
The Tola beaches, once almost inaccessible and totally wild, are slowly coming into their
own as a fabulous resort holiday-retirement village option. They still retain some of that
lost-beach paradise feel, with top-notch surf and good vibes, but the pace of life is speeding
up, thanks to new roads going in and new development dollars.
There are no banks or real grocery stores, and internet and cell-phone coverage is patchy
at best. Do what you need to do before you hit the trail.
Getting There & Around
Bus access is reliable but inconvenient, though it is improving along with the atrocious
roads. The road is paved to Tola, and the road from Tola to Playa Gigante is currently being
paved.
Buses leave Rivas for Las Salinas de Nagualapa at 5:30am, 6am and 8:30am, and return
at noon and 2pm. Note that Playa Gigante is a 7km walk from the bus stop.
Refugio de Vida Silvestre Río Escalante-Chacocente is hard to access without your own
vehicle, but you could catch a US$30 cab from Las Salinas de Nagualapa or walk the 4km
from El Astillero.
Taxis from Rivas make the run to Playa Gigante (US$20), Santana (US$35), Las Salinas
de Nagualapa (US$45) and El Astillero (US$50). If you take the bus to Tola, cabs cost
about US$5 less.
Tola
POP 5800
