San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua, is just a short 30-minute car ride from the Costa Rican border. Although geographically close, the two destinations offer quite different experiences. We often have guests hesitating between both surf trips, so hopefully, this article can be helpful in making a decision.
Surfing
Along the Pacific coast of Central America, consistency is the rule. In more than 10+ years of coaching here, we’ve never had a flat day.
Surfing the beaches around San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua
The beaches around San Juan del Sur benefit from more than 300 days of offshore winds per year, blowing from sunrise to sunset. This gives the area some of the most reliable conditions in the world.
One of the biggest advantages of San Juan del Sur is how close the surf spots are. In less than 20 minutes by car, you can reach a few beach breaks, each offering something different. Some of these beaches are shaped to “hold off” the swell, meaning that when conditions are bigger, you can still find softer, more manageable waves. Whether the swell is bigger or smaller, beginners and intermediates almost always have options in the waist-to-head-high range.
While it’s possible to surf inside the bay of San Juan del Sur when it gets big, most surfers prefer the beaches to the north or south. The nice thing about being based in town is that you’re right in the middle of these spots, making it easy to choose a destination each day depending on conditions.
Surfing in Playa Guiones, Costa Rica
Playa Guiones offers one of the longest and most consistent stretches of surfable beach in Central America: seven kilometres of white sand and hundreds of waves each day. The shape of the waves here is perfect for beginners and intermediates; they peel with just the right pace, giving surfers time to pop up, set their line, and even work on turns.
During the main swell season (May to September), the beach can get more challenging, as it is very exposed to incoming swell. On bigger days, paddling past the break can be quite demanding. Still, for much of the year, Guiones delivers some of the most forgiving waves you’ll find for progression.
Climate and Surf Seasons
Both small countries are very close to the equator and have tropical climates. Temperatures very rarely go under 25°C (77°F). They both have the same dry season, from mid-November to April. Their wet season (or green season), goes from May to mid-November, with September and October being the rainiest months.
San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua
The area around San Juan del Sur is drier than in Nosara, Costa Rica. The region has a micro-climate due to its proximity to Central America’s biggest lake (which is also responsible for the all-day offshore winds). Apart from the months of September and October, it rarely rains “all day” for extended periods of time. In May, June and July, most days are sunny, and if it rains, it is usually at night or for about an hour or two in the afternoon, after which it usually gets sunny again.
The winds blowing through the lake can get very strong from January to March, bringing the water temperature down to chilly temperatures (surfing with a wetsuit jacket or spring suit is often preferable in those months). It sometimes gets hard to catch waves when the offshore winds are blowing so strongly, but conditions are still clean and can be fun from January to March. In our opinion, the best months for a surf trip in Nicaragua are from mid-April to July, and from November to mid-December, avoiding the strong winds of January to March, and the peak of the rainy season from August to October, during which winds are unpredictable.
Playa Guiones, Costa Rica
Guiones Beach is surrounded by some of the lushest rainforest hills on earth. The area is very tropical and receives a lot of rain during the green season.
From May to mid-November, you can expect more frequent rain, with September and October being the wettest months. In contrast to Nicaragua, it is not unusual to experience full days of rain during this season.
For beginner and intermediate surfers, we recommend mid-November to March as the best time to visit. While this is technically the “small wave season,” Guiones is such a strong swell magnet that even on the smallest days, you can expect waist-to-shoulder-high surf. During the rainy season, the waves can be fantastic too, but the powerful swells that hit Guiones’ open beach can make it a challenge to surf and get past the break.
Cost of living
Costa Rica is often considered one of the most developed countries in Central America, and prices reflect that. With a literacy rate of 97.8%, no standing army since 1948, and 25% of its land protected as parks or reserves, Costa Rica is in many ways unique in the region. It generates nearly all of its electricity from renewable sources and has a long history of stability and sustainability.
Costa Rica is not the stereotypical “cheap tropical destination.” In Playa Guiones, travellers can expect restaurant and accommodation prices similar to those in North America or Europe. By contrast, Nicaragua is noticeably more affordable. Meals typically range from $5 to $10, and a beer in most bars costs just $1 to $3. Overall, travellers will find accommodation, transportation, and food considerably cheaper than in Costa Rica.
Town vibes
The surf villages of San Juan del Sur and Playa Guiones each provide their own, unique travel experience.
San Juan del Sur
San Juan del Sur is a beautiful Nicaraguan coastal town, often considered the “capital of surfing” of Nicaragua. It attracts travellers of all styles, from younger backpackers coming to party, to yogis, nature lovers and of course, surfers. It has a great choice of restaurants, cafes and beach bars. The centre of San Juan del Sur generally gets more action with its handful of hotels, youth hostels, and bars along the beach. Around the quiet hills of San Juan del Sur, about 5 to 10-minute walk from the centre, is where most luxurious hotels and villas are located.
Because of the many surf spots that are only a 15-minute drive away, a lot of travellers and surfers stay in the village and get shuttles to the beach during the day. This is the great thing about San Juan del Sur: you can journey across the jungle during the day to sleepy surf beaches, and still come back at night and enjoy a good variety of restaurants, cafes and beach bars.
Playa Guiones
Playa Guiones is both a surf beach and a “small village” of its own. What is fun about Guiones is that you can live a short walk from the waves, plus you can walk 5 to 10 minutes to at least 20 amazing restaurants and cafes. Everything is easily reachable by foot or by bicycle. In general, Guiones is a bit more “high-end” than San Juan del Sur, which has a more authentic and rustic feel.
Guiones also attracts surfers, yogis and nature lovers. You will find all types of people travelling here: families, retirees, lone travellers, couples, groups of friends, etc. It attracts an older crowd (usually late twenties and older) than the Costa Rican town of Tamarindo because there isn’t any nightclub or party in this town. People come here for the waves, yoga, healthy and delicious food, and maybe some craft beers and cocktails. (Photo below: playa Guiones, Costa Rica)
The Barefoot Surf Coaching will be the same
Whether you decide on Costa Rica or Nicaragua, our surf coaching program will be the same. Our team travels to both destinations and offers the same quality of surf coaching. For both surf trips, you will have access to the same number of surf lessons, photo and video analysis, a personal surfer profile and a small coach-to-student ratio (click here to know more about how we coach surfing).
We look forward to surfing with you!
