ABOUT THE TOWN - SAN JUAN DEL SUR
Located about 138km (85 miles) south of Managua, San Juan del Sur has become one of the most visited vacation destinations in Nicaragua and for good reason. San Juan del Sur’s streets are lined with charming homes and store fronts painted in vibrant colors. The crescent shaped bay is speckled with local fishing boats, sail boats, and yachts.
Thatch-roofed bars and restaurants line the sandy beach and serve cold drinks, fresh seafood, and traditional Nicaraguan cuisine. There are internet cafes, hostels, hotels, condos, luxury resort-hotels, restaurants, bars, car rentals, fishing boats and water taxis, surf lessons, a tree canopy tour, scuba lessons, and of course shopping. But this town wasn't always this popular.
History of San Juan del Sur
At one time, San Juan del Sur existed as a sleepy little fishing village until the California Gold Rush in 1851. Before the Panama Canal, it was difficult and time consuming to travel from the Atlantic to the Pacific ocean. Nicaragua proved a popular interoceanic shortcut. Steamships transported supplies and prospectors from the Atlantic, along Nicaragua's San Juan River, then across Lake Nicaragua to the Pacific. Thousands passed through San Juan del Sur on their way to California in search of gold.
In 1855, the greatest of American filibusters William Walker, landed at San Juan del Sur. With the aid of sixty recruits and
the Leonese troops, he soon succeeded in routing the opposite faction at the battle of Rivas. For his victories here, he was given the title of generalissimo, and soon after he declared himself president of Nicaragua. With the power now centered in his hands, Walker controlled the rights of passage across Nicaragua between the Atlantic to the Pacific Coasts. In May, 1857, Walker was forced to surrender and to leave Nicaragua. A few years later, William Walker was executed by court-martial in Honduras. If you stroll up to the lighthouse south of San Juan del Sur bay, you’ll find the ruins of William Walker’s fort
Some years later in 1867, American author, Mark Twain traveled from San Francisco to New York through Nicaragua. When arriving in San Juan del Sur in the steamer Columbia, he wrote "bright green hills never looked so welcome, so enchanting, so altogether lovely."
After the Gold Rush and later with the completion of the Panama Canal, San Juan del Sur was no
longer a launching point for travelers. This sleepy fishing village seemed to go back to sleep, in a forgotten corner of Nicaragua.
San Juan del Sur Today
San Juan del Sur was re-discovered by backpackers, surfers, tourists, retirees as the perfect spot to experience the simple pleasures of life, a place to take in the sounds of the surf and enjoy beautiful crimson colored sunsets. The area is perfect for beach strolls, sun bathing, sailing, deep-sea fishing, and scuba diving. San Juan del Sur is the gateway to some of Nicaragua's best and most accessible beaches some which offer world class surfing. As you stroll around town you would be hard pressed to not see someone carrying a surf board.
San Juan del Sur recently surpassed Granada as the most visited vacation destination in Nicaragua. This popular crescent bay beach town is now considered a favorite amongst tourists and locals alike. However, don’t let the recent surge in the visitors detour you, as this quiet town of just over 18,000 residents has maintained much of it’s genuine character as a laid back, sleepy fishing village.