Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
the turnoff to Guasacate. Bamboo-accented, thatch-roofed
cabinas
have playfully plush
interiors and overlook a fierce spire of rock jutting past Playa Conejo's pink-sand beaches.
El Astillero
This picture-perfect fishing and lobstering village, fronting a gently scalloped white-sand
beach, has just one hotel,
Hostal Las Hamacas
( 8810-4144;
www.hostalhamacas.com
;
s/d
with fan US$25/30, with air-con US$40/45; )
, and it's a goodie - set on a grassy lot with
wide beachfront access. Freshly painted marine blue rooms have comfy beds, TV and spa-
cious bathrooms. There's surf north of here when turtles aren't arriving. There's a tourist
information center at the center of town.
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Refugio de Vida Silvestre Río Escalante-Chacocente
Much less visited than Refugio de Vida Silvestre La Flor, this
wildlife refuge
(
2532-3293; admission US$5, guide US$3)
also gets
arribadas
(flotillas) of more than 3000
nesting olive ridley turtles at one time, as well as more solitary leatherback turtles, which
make their nests here between July and December (peaking in August and September).
The refuge protects five species of turtle, as well as 48 sq km of dry tropical forests and
mangrove swamps.
There's currently no public transportation, and no regularly offered organized tours to
the refuge, but if you have a 4WD, you can take a signed rough track 7km north of town
here. Or you could walk along the shore 7km from El Astillero.
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San Juan del Sur
POP 15,500
This is the hub for exploration of Nicaragua's toned-and-tanned southern Pacific beaches.
And while the once sleepy fishing village doesn't have an amazing beach - you need to
head either 30 minutes north or south for that - it does have the best restaurants and night-
life around.
