Nicaragua
Offshore wind almost every day of the year. Lake Nicaragua funnels a near-permanent offshore breeze onto the Pacific coast, so the surf around Los Clavos, Popoyo and San Juan del Sur is groomed and clean far more often than it has any right to be.
Surfing in Nicaragua, month by month
Why Nicaragua
The selling point is genuinely unusual: more than 300 offshore days a year. Lake Nicaragua sits inland of the coast and pulls a steady breeze seaward, so waves that would be blown out anywhere else stay clean into the afternoon.
Popoyo is the hub — a powerful reef and beach setup that rewards intermediates — while Los Clavos now has Lapoint's premium beachfront base and Playa Maderas up near San Juan del Sur gives you a softer southern option.
When to go
- Apr–Oct: south-swell season and the best surf. It's also the green (rainy) season — the two go together here, and the swell is worth the afternoon downpours.
- Nov–Mar: dry, hot, windy and smaller. Fine for learning, unexciting above that.
Getting around
Fly into Managua (MGA) and drive two to three hours to the coast. Camps almost all include the transfer — take it, because the last stretch to Popoyo is dirt road and genuinely rough in the wet season.
